# How many "green" things do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446 "2013-04-22T23:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/41 "2013-04-23T18:19:16Z")
Eleven. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/42 "2013-04-23T18:37:19Z")
Insert my usual caveat of “five minutes from now, this list would probably look completely different”: Recycle Use reusable bags when I ship (although every time I use one at Best Buy, the sales clerk thinks I am buying a new one and tries to charge me for it - what’s the point of having a reusable bag if you’re not expected to use it again?) Drive a hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid) Leave the AC and heating off when I am at work (and never use them unless it is above 80 or below 60 in my house - “that’s why they invented shorts and sweaters”) Take short showers (a holdover from when I lived in a severly drought-stricken area in the mid-1970s) Two or three of my light bulbs are twisty bulbs (although it’s not a particularly good idea that one of them is for my front porch, as it barely gives off any light) Don’t use charcoal (although not by choice - I live in a townhouse where the only places I could put a barbecue are on a wooden balcony and in an area near my front door pretty much surrounded by a wood fence, so in either case a charcoal barbecue is just asking for a fire) ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/43 "2013-04-23T20:48:53Z")
Walk more than I bus, and bus more than I drive. I use about a tank of gas a month, if I drive hubby to work a couple of times. Mostly I don’t. I am fanatic about lights off, although my night blind husband needs more on that I would keep. When we moved we replaced our big old tvs and computer monitors with much more power efficient versions. My son’s lunch is all “litterless”, and I have recently quit buying lunch snacks in favour of homemade cookies, etc. I discovered my son really likes organic apples so I have been making an effort to buy organic fruits and vegetables, especially the apples and carrots he likes. They are all pretty much local too, so that is another “green thing.” We recycle cans, plastic, paper, glass and organics. But in Vancouver, that’s basically just following the law. Cloth and reusable bags for groceries. (I was always forgetting them, but I have bought some beautiful ones from [here](http://www.meandyou.ca/) and use them regularly now. I also usually “Wrap” presents in reusable bags rather than paper. The travel mug and water bottle things are my next big challenge to myself. I buy them, then forget to use them. But I still feel I don’t do nearly enough, and these are just little things. I know I can do more. Oh, I hang dry some of my clothes. I had a clothesline at my house, but I can’t set up one on the balcony where I live now. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/44 "2013-04-23T21:40:12Z")
Don’t have a car, don’t have a tumble dryer. It’s a poverty thing as well! Wear a jumper instead of turning up the heat. Try to cut out meat, but my SO gets sad. Always reuse plastic bags. The house is paper free, I don’t use any paper, ever. I own nice writing paper and a calligraphy pen, that’s it. (I do have pencils and coloured paper for my English lessons, but not for personal use.) All light bulbs are energy efficient, we’re thinking of getting the new super duper kind, whatever those are. I only buy second hand clothes, I can’t afford any other kind anyway, and I hate normal shops. All the furniture is also second hand/made by me out of other second hand stuff (pallet coffee table!) I plant flowers that will attract bees on my tiny little balcony. That probably doesn’t really help them with their troubling problem, but hey, I try. I try to have 4 minute showers, but who am I kidding, I really can’t. I would buy more organic, but I don’t have the money. I try though. Most of that is out of necessity/poverty and fun, rather than idealism. I care, but I’m poor too! 😉 Oh, and my sister and I are planning on doing some moss graffiti on sad looking walls. Will dat do any good? So I think… 10-15? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/45 "2013-04-23T22:32:21Z")
Anything I do that is “green” is purely by coincidence and something I would’ve done anyway, or something I have no choice on and have been “forced” to do (like buy a product which has the packaging made out of recycled material). ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/46 "2013-04-24T00:17:20Z")
I bike, walk or take public transport (no car) I’m vegan I recycle Don’t have an air conditioner Usually buy organic food Reuse plastic bags/ have cloth bags Donate stuff I don’t use anymore to thrift stores Use CFL bulbs Try to take quick showers ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/47 "2013-04-24T00:22:44Z")
Because they are considered green: 0. I walk or ride my bike to work because I like to do those things, and I sure as hell need the exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/48 "2013-04-24T00:58:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > IMO a lot of “green” activities are trendy/faddish, and don’t really do anything to help the environment. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Nothing. I recycle nothing (other than steel), drive an old truck with big V8 engine, use a burn barrel for trash, and routinely burn scrap wood in the backyard. I normally enjoy your refreshingly honest expressions of country boy social unconsciousness, but why did you need to post it twice? I’m starting to wonder if you aren’t protesting too much. Do you secretly wish that you could vote for the Green Party? Fighting the urge to trade in your Tonka for a Toyota? Worried somebody will find your stash of vintage Whole Earth Catalogs? I won’t judge. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/49 "2013-04-24T01:15:41Z")
I didn’t reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/50 "2013-04-24T01:43:32Z")
Some of the answers given in previous posts wouldn’t really count as being green, at least in the sense “green” is usually defined as (see **kambuckta** ’s post). That said, I do many of the usual things like recycling and using CFL/LED bulbs (currently only CFL), running water only when needed, etc. I am also very big on reusing stuff, especially things that people throw out; for example, the other day I picked up a 32 inch CRT TV to remove the electronic guts (although I put the gutted TV back where I found it; also, in order to move it about 3/4 mile both ways I used a handcart (which was picked up from the curb itself, wasn’t broken either), I only use the car if I happen to see something while driving outside my neighborhood). Although if I have to throw something out because I couldn’t return it or somebody gave it to me I just put it in the regular trash (I do recycle metal, like aluminum heatsinks, but plastic or CRTs, which I break up to avoid the large item fine), plus I buy so many components, especially things like microchips that the environmental impact from them is probably greater than anybody else’s electronics (as stated [here](http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/06/embodied-energy-of-digital-technology.html), “A handful of microchips can have as much embodied energy as a car”, and I have bought _thousands_ of them; true, mostly simple logic but still relatively energy and resource intensive). Besides just reusing parts, I also, unlike many electronics hobbyists, use switchmode power supplies instead of linear (build them myself), mainly for the smaller size and weight but I also try to design for maximum efficiency (ever look at one of those wall warts? Often less than 50% efficient), this includes the CRT displays I make (a small B/W CRT may need only 1-2 watts by itself, most of the power is for deflection and that can be reduced in various ways). Although I do include standby power so they can can turn themselves off, but this can be minimized since only a few milliwatts are actually needed for the on/off controller (they aren’t left plugged in all the time though). I also use lead-free solder, although I switched more for health reasons than environmental ones. On reflection, after looking over what I wrote, I probably have a disproportionate environmental impact compared to the average person, even if I do some things that might reduce it, so I probably shouldn’t say that I do anything green (i.e. green when everything is factored in). ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/51 "2013-04-24T10:45:57Z")
I really find it difficult to believe that anyone living in a first world city doing all the usual things that has them live there in the first place can possibly consider themselves ‘green’ in any way. Even down to the idea of recycling: we don’t recycle. We just chuck certain types of containers into different coloured bins so it can all be carted off to make more crap. And please, there is no such thing as a ‘green’ car, unless you’re talking about the duco. Everyone will ‘do their bit’ as long as it’s not too inconvenient, or compromises their level of comfort. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/52 "2013-04-24T11:09:40Z")
I think my ‘footprint’ is smaller than a lot of Americans. I don’t have kids (but I do have a dog and a cat). I don’t own or drive a car - I cycle or walk almost everywhere, winter and summer (occasionally, will take a train or drive with a friend out of the city). I use comparatively little electricity. Right now, only my phone, refrigerator, and lights (compact florescents, of course). Sometimes my computer but that is rare. If it’s up to me, I don’t use much heat in the winter. I’d rather bundle up and keep the thermostat at 50 than spend the money. Unfortunately living in city apartments in Philadelphia, using a/c is necessary, to keepy dog alive and for me to get any sleep, at the height of summer humidity. I don’t buy bottled drinks, or many things with plastic packaging. Eat a lit of fresh produce (put in my own reusable bag), meat and fish (go to real butcher etc, they wrap in paper). But I don’t really recycle because most things I could, are biodegradable. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/53 "2013-04-24T11:14:25Z")
Hmm, hard to actually count this, so I put 5-10 a day. When on a road trip, I often just pull over and take a leak among the trees or bushes, or if out in open space, just modestly while blocked by my car. Every time I do that, it saves a flush of water, right? As I tell Mrs. Tango, “We are men. Every bush is a restroom.” To her credit, Mrs. Tango doesn’t mind me doing this. Not enough to mention it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/54 "2013-04-24T13:18:52Z")
Pissin’ in the wind counts for a lot, **echo7tango**. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/55 "2013-04-24T20:37:58Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > I really find it difficult to believe that anyone living in a first world city doing all the usual things that has them live there in the first place can possibly consider themselves ‘green’ in any way. > > Even down to the idea of recycling: we don’t recycle. We just chuck certain types of containers into different coloured bins so it can all be carted off to make more crap. > > And please, there is no such thing as a ‘green’ car, unless you’re talking about the duco. > > Everyone will ‘do their bit’ as long as it’s not too inconvenient, or compromises their level of comfort. Don’t the vast majority of people in the first world live in cities? Doesn’t it make a difference if everyone in cities does as much as they can to reduce their creation of emissions and pollution? ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/56 "2013-04-24T22:08:26Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > Hmm, hard to actually count this, so I put 5-10 a day. > > When on a road trip, I often just pull over and take a leak among the trees or bushes, or if out in open space, just modestly while blocked by my car. Every time I do that, it saves a flush of water, right? > > As I tell Mrs. Tango, “We are men. Every bush is a restroom.” To her credit, Mrs. Tango doesn’t mind me doing this. Not enough to mention it, anyway. Pee is also good fertilizer. After all, how did you think those forests and grasslands are fertilized (a hint for people who are concerned about all of the fertilizer used on crops, if they can stomach the thought of eating food fertilized with humanure)? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/57 "2013-04-24T22:21:54Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Pissin’ in the wind counts for a lot, **echo7tango**. The direction you face is important. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/58 "2013-04-24T22:24:04Z")
This is NOT a stealth brag. Its a full out brag. I had to go to the neighbor’s house and beg plastic grocery shopping bags so I could scoop the cat boxes. I’ve managed to nag 2 very-set-in-their-ways people into using my canvas shopping bags. Stands up, arms raised to the sky and basks in everyone’s admiration. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/59 "2013-04-24T22:27:30Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > This is NOT a stealth brag. Its a full out brag. > > I had to go to the neighbor’s house and beg plastic grocery shopping bags so I could scoop the cat boxes. > > I’ve managed to nag 2 very-set-in-their-ways people into using my canvas shopping bags. > > Stands up, arms raised to the sky and basks in everyone’s admiration. … the crowd _ **ROARS!** _ BTW, where’s “high desert” - Bishop, CA? ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446/60 "2013-04-25T03:01:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Don’t the vast majority of people in the first world live in cities? Doesn’t it make a difference if everyone in cities does as much as they can to reduce their creation of emissions and pollution? Yes they do; and no, it doesn’t. Most of it is superficial. We don’t change the way we live - we just make tokenistic adjustments. Nobody does ‘as much as they can do’ - we pick and choose the things that require only perfunctory effort and then smugly give ourselves a great big pat on the back. Earth Day is a joke. It’s a one-day concert that lets you stay at home and brag to everyone about how you were _there_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-green-things-do-you-do/656446.md?page=4)