7 ms·
- I work remotely and live in a city where I can walk. - I try to avoid buying new things for as long as possible. When I can, I repair what I own or buy used.
by jdgiese 7y ago
- I work remotely and live in a city where I can walk.
- I try to avoid buying new things for as long as possible. When I can, I repair what I own or buy used. Living in a small apartment provides some natural incentives to avoid buying too much stuff.
- I avoid eating meat, and when I do, try to eat Chicken or fish.
- I try to take short showers and don't flush the toilet if I only urinate (it took my wife a while to get used to this, but she came around after a bit).
- I avoid using paper towels and reuse aluminum foil and bags as often as possible (often, you can wipe off the aluminum foil and use it a second or third time).
Some of these may not make much of a difference.
I have not spent too much time thinking about this, so my reasoning may be faulty, but I will share it anyway:
I am more worried about deforestation and the rainforests and poaching than climate change.
I want to keep a healthy planet so that conscious beings, and especially humans, can continue enjoying it. Thus, there is a balance between enjoying life (e.g., traveling) and reducing emissions. It seems, as is often the case with difficult ethical questions, that finding balance is key.
- Gustomaximus 7y ago> I want to keep a healthy planet so that conscious beings, and especially humans, can continue enjoying it I think this is the key point that needs to get marketed. The 'save the planet' works well for people with holistic view of things but we need to get the other 50% (or whatever as I made that ratio up) on board. And I think pushing a message like 'dont let polluters ruin your lifestyle' message would be more effective for the unconvinced portion of the world. Turn the message back to something personal and micro rather than 'the planet is doomed' type messaging.
- stjo 7y agoIs really not flushing the toilet any helpful? I’ve never heard of it and can’t imagine that 2 litres or so of water per day are that important compared to the other points. Small difference is better than nothing, but the inconvenience to eco friendliness ration seems very bad with this one
- jdgiese 7y ago> the inconvenience What is inconvenient about not flushing the toilet if you only urinate? I may have a weak nose, but I have never smelled anything. If you are skeptical that this is the case, I would try for a couple days and see what you think. I think the amount of water saved is higher than you expect. I work from home and drink a lot of coffee, so maybe my usage is higher than yours. According to https://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/toilets https://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/toilets: > Toilet flushing is the single highest use of water in the average home, so it also presents a prime opportunity for water conservation. With the average person flushing five times a day, toilets make up about 31% of overall household water consumption.