Am I?
I've got 320 acres now full of trees protected as long as I live, solar panels on my cottage with hydro electric power and working on wind, a house by modern standards very energy efficient and 8 toys.
Do the math dude.
Global warming - is it a bad thing?
- Thread starter benny_patrick7
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Am I?
I've got 320 acres now full of trees protected as long as I live, solar panels on my cottage with hydro electric power and working on wind, a house by modern standards very energy efficient and 8 toys.
Do the math dude.
So you think that he should have to give up his recreation, or not try to offset it? Neither of those options makes a lot of sense to me Les, sorry. I don't get people who think you have to either be a full out enviro nut, or else completely irresponsible. What's wrong with offsetting the extra energy used by my hot tub, by getting rid of my fifth wheel and the 3/4 ton we needed to tow it?
You do the math. Even buying those toys contributes to messing up even if you don't use them. Are they all electrically driven? What do you use to lubricate them? What do you use to transport them to the places you use them?
It would help by finding different means of having fun than "consuming" mounds of toys that mess up the environment. We like hiking, snowshoeing, swimming, etc. I play rugby, wife plays and coaches soccer.
Hottubs aren't so bad. That's a relatively low impact toy. ATVs? Seadoos? Skidoos?
So why care about the planet if you can't use it again?
Are we not forgetting WHY we don't want to destroy the planet? It will degrade our quality of life. If we degrade our quality of life more to preserve it, well why the hell would we do that?
If you have some religious edict to preserve the planet, thats fine. I don't. The planet is a tool and is not more important than human happiness to me. Now its an important tool, one that if broken too badly can kill lots of people. But its still just a thing in my books.
In my case I don't see any real benefit to preserving the planet, but im a Non-breeder so breaking the hell out of the planet while im here is fine by me, in the long run i'll still have a smaller ecological footprint than most other people, even enviromentalist nuts, because my line stops with me.
Im pretty enviro-friendly over all, because I enjoy nature. But its important to remember WHY we are trying to save the planet, and that it isn't "At all costs".
Are we not forgetting WHY we don't want to destroy the planet? It will degrade our quality of life. If we degrade our quality of life more to preserve it, well why the hell would we do that?
If you have some religious edict to preserve the planet, thats fine. I don't. The planet is a tool and is not more important than human happiness to me. Now its an important tool, one that if broken too badly can kill lots of people. But its still just a thing in my books.
In my case I don't see any real benefit to preserving the planet, but im a Non-breeder so breaking the hell out of the planet while im here is fine by me, in the long run i'll still have a smaller ecological footprint than most other people, even enviromentalist nuts, because my line stops with me.
Im pretty enviro-friendly over all, because I enjoy nature. But its important to remember WHY we are trying to save the planet, and that it isn't "At all costs".
I get that you like that stuff Les, but not everyone does. Just like having people sneer at me for owning a hot tub baffles me, because it doesn't matter if THEY want a hot tub. I want one. Or a trip overseas. Or, or, or. These are things that we prioritize for ourselves. Take acreages for example. Septic systems that can leach into ground water, roads to each acreage that need to be built, need graders to maintain them and all the environmental impact that entails, increased demand on fuel to get to and from town or other farms for food, etc. It's horrid for the environment in some people's eyes, and you really ought to be in the middle of the city, stacked on top of your neighbors. That, or don't bother trying to do other things to offset it? That just doesn't make sense to me. Prioritize, and do your best outside of your priorities. The fact that someone is even aware that they are having a negative impact, and trying to make up for it, is huge in my opinion.
I am not saying that we should do it at the expense of screwing up our happiness, although if we screw up the planet while making ourselves happy, we will suffer. I am just trying to point out that our attitudes and hence, our habits, have to change.
They all stay at my cottage except the corvette.
Well, when I finnish counting all the trees I saved I'll let you know.:roll:
As I keep saying, attitudes have to change. Being aware of having an impact and reducing that impact is nice, but it's wasted if whatever else you do is harmful.
Oh come on, even you have to admit I'm doing my share.
I'm even looking at more land along hwy 11 before it gets gobbled up by gas stations.
Sure you are doing some good. You definitely could be doing worse. Could be doing better.
(I'd prefer a Tesla over a 'vette).
(I'd prefer a Tesla over a 'vette).
Would I have less impact, Karrie? Some developer comes along to buy my acreage, mows down the fruit trees, divvies the acreage up into smaller lots, and sells them. Instead of bussing somewhere to buy my groceries from some place that gets them from some place else, we grow most of our own which, incidentally, makes me respect food a lot more than getting it out of a piece of plastic after buying it in a store.
you're dodging the point Les (and I'd expect you to not sell the acreage, and let it grow back to trees if I wanted to be really militant about it, or at the very least not get your road plowed or graded anymore. And, living in the city, to shop from farmer's markets and participate in urban gardens... it's more ecological to have the farmer come to one place everyone can reach on foot, than to have each and every person drive to the farmer).
Where do we draw the line in pointing the finger of blame at people for living their lives the way they've prioritized, while still trying to effect environmental protection?
Where do we draw the line in pointing the finger of blame at people for living their lives the way they've prioritized, while still trying to effect environmental protection?
Where I draw the line is the point where what I do doesn't make a large difference.
If I was in the market for buying an expensive sports car, I would rather buy the one that is more like the Tesla.
We have managed to develop and rearrange our wants to be simple ones with much less impact. We are happy and we do have fun in spite of the terrible activities we do. No motoring around the hills on ATVs, we hike around and get to see nature a lot closer that way. How much of nature can you discover at 30 mph with your attention on where you are going rather than having most of it on what's going on around you?
If I was in the market for buying an expensive sports car, I would rather buy the one that is more like the Tesla.
We have managed to develop and rearrange our wants to be simple ones with much less impact. We are happy and we do have fun in spite of the terrible activities we do. No motoring around the hills on ATVs, we hike around and get to see nature a lot closer that way. How much of nature can you discover at 30 mph with your attention on where you are going rather than having most of it on what's going on around you?
The fruit trees were here. Most of the rest of the property is wild. My driveway is easier to maintain, cheaper, and less destructive than the asphalt road in front of the condo. Also less hazardous.
It'd be nice if farmers did actually still come to drop off groceries at small neighborhood shops. But how many do? How many people hit Safeway rather than the small grocer's shop? How much of my food can I grow on the 4' by 12' deck of my condo? Buying food from someone else does what to give us respect for food that we eat.
Don't blame, just point out that people should THINK about the situation and not undo what good they do rather than taking things for granted.