World Saving

[chicoazul]

Whats everyone's thoughts on all things Green?

I've lived away for quite some time and it amazes me the transformation when I come back home, with the heavy emphasis on recycling and reducing your carbon footprint.

The Maldives stand an average of 2.1 metres (7ft) above sea level, and the government says they face being wiped out if oceans rise

Unlucky Dutch, the sea will take back what you robbed from it.

Excellent Wiki page on Sustainability here too, for a bit of randomness.

Is everyone generally behind it or cynical?

 

[monty]

I've been behind it for years mate but the majority seem to be cynical but the more that do go green the better it will be for everyone in the long term......................that just has to make sense.

One thing that has changed, that is the percieved size of the world, it has become a much smaller place than it was thanks to travel and as a result people do become more aware be they in the Maldives or on Spurn Head, sea levels are global

 

[davek]

Good question mate. Copenhagen almost upon us and a need to address stuff like this. I dont have a mastery over all the arguments just the broad brush strokes. I tend to believe the green movement arguments over the climate change deniers as I think the latter are financed by fossil fuel interests somewhere along the line.

Personally, I walk or bike it these days as much as possible before using a car. I confess sometimes I cant be arsed with all the rubbish sorting out and all the bins you're supposed to use or not use on any given week. And I certainly wouldn't use a bottle bank etc. So I suppose, like most people, I'm behind the green cause but not a zealot. http://www.newstatesman.com/environment/2009/10/lynas-geoengineering-institute

 

[chicoazul]

But you have green values, instead of complete indifference to it mate.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

a couple of inches would do wonders for southports seafront like.

i was always amazed how little recycling was done here, the mrs lived in germany and it was compulsory there, and she left there 15 years ago. they introduced it in nz while we were there, and have gradually done it since we got back, i can see it becoming a way for us to be billed by some gov. department eventually.
the ridiculous thing is that they reckon about 90 odd % of what we seperate, ends up in a landfill anyway.

your industry should be at the forefront though really chico, as tourist resorts produce a massive amount of rubbish, have in general 'bad carbon footprints', proliferations of std's and also criminal bathing costumes. i wonder how much the people in say the maldives, look after the enviroment in the way of recycling etc ?

 

[chicoazul]

a couple of inches would do wonders for southports seafront like.

i was always amazed how little recycling was done here, the mrs lived in germany and it was compulsory there, and she left there 15 years ago. they introduced it in nz while we were there, and have gradually done it since we got back, i can see it becoming a way for us to be billed by some gov. department eventually.
the ridiculous thing is that they reckon about 90 odd % of what we seperate, ends up in a landfill anyway.

your industry should be at the forefront though really chico, as tourist resorts produce a massive amount of rubbish, have in general 'bad carbon footprints', proliferations of std's and also criminal bathing costumes. i wonder how much the people in say the maldives, look after the enviroment in the way of recycling etc ?

I've done quite a lot with the tourist resorts towards offsetting carbon footprints, both with the hotels and the tour operators. It's very prominent in their thoughts now and a lot of great stuff is being carried out, with some excellent stuff to come.

I think with this whole thing, depending on your geography it's easy to be complacent. I can't imagine that the locals in the Maldives would be complacent although where there is poverty survival without values prevails as you would expect.

I have a mate working over there, I'll email him and find out. The more cynical of us would see the touristic ventures as being extremely good PR - which is fair. They anticipate that in the near future how green a hotel is will play a part in people booking.

I'd say the market is extremely price driven and tourists are not fickle when it comes to booking as long as they get the quality equivalent to the price they have in their mind but if 2% of the market considers the sustainability of the hotel before booking that's still massive margins over the course of a season/year.

 

[bluebastardo]

Recycling needs to start at a young age.
Heck, the buggers walk past bins and drop crisp packets on the floor six foot away from the bin. Get the kids on the right track and we have a chance.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

i take any litter we generate home from the match, it amazes me how people can litter such a sacred place.

they need this back on telly.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quotIvOIUz4 [/media]
fantastic music

 

[McBain]

Every household in our state anyway has two bins - general waste and recyclables some even have a third garden waste bin.

We keep all our cans, bottles and paper in the recycle bin. Seems simple enough and we teach our kids it from a young age.

I'd say over here there's a massive emphasis on the environment and education about our environment. Its a good thing.

 

[bobbyrob]

What a load of rubbish

 

[Dutch Toffee]

Whats everyone's thoughts on all things Green?

I've lived away for quite some time and it amazes me the transformation when I come back home, with the heavy emphasis on recycling and reducing your carbon footprint.

The Maldives stand an average of 2.1 metres (7ft) above sea level, and the government says they face being wiped out if oceans rise

Unlucky Dutch, the sea will take back what you robbed from it.

Excellent Wiki page on Sustainability here too, for a bit of randomness.

Is everyone generally behind it or cynical?

Bye, bye red light district and Ajax, it is then. Shame about the first, couldn't care less about the latter. Also, it probably means my club, Fortuna will be playing in the Dutch Premier League again, as there may only be about 12-14 clubs left.

On a serious note though, it will be catastrophic for us Dutch, as 2/3 of our country will be flooded. Think it's time to realise, we could end up in deep [Poor language removed]/sea, instead of a cynical approach and wait till it's too late.

Recycling is big busisness over here in Holland. Paper, plastic and glass are all collected seperately for recycling. Also garden waste is kept seperated. Anyone who gets nicked for not living up to the rules will get a penalty fare.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I don't know when you were last over here Chico, but now most apartment blocks have got 4 separate containers in the street. A bottle bank; one for plastic bottles, containers and (tin?) cans; One for paper and cardboard and One for organic. A couple of years ago the nearest would be half a mile away
I must admit I don't always separate, but generally do so. My little boy enjoys throwing stuff in the bottle bank and hearing it break. Which is hopefully instilling a good habit in the long run. As the saying goes, 'If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem'

 

[Bruce Wayne]

As with most things it is a very complicated thing. To begin with I guess a good place to start is to state that I think this planet of ours is pretty darn amazing and it should be cherished.

It sure is a complicated issue though. At a base level there's the argument that we simply have too many people on the planet. It's an easy argument to make and growth rates do scare but I don't really think its a health argument to have. Firstly controlling birth on that scale is not a nice thought. Secondly as economies develop people generally have less children. Thirdly the countries with most people (and highest birth rates) often have significantly less consumption per capita than the western world.

So really its about using less, either by doing less or doing what we do now with less. I'm fairly confident that the latter is a viable option as technology and sensible usage can go an awfully long way. I'm far from convinced about recycling as it doesn't do much from an energy perspective. It's far better to use less (or re-use what you have) than to recycle.

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

As stated previously its not so much a matter of thinking about going green but having to go green. Fossil fuels are running out, the experts say peak oil has hit most of the OPEC nations, so its only a matter of time before the oil runs out, so we need to look at alternatives....Wind, wave, Hydrogen, Nuclear are all options to be considered.

And we all have to be aware of the threats facing us and start to take action...for those of us with children especially the future, their future is in our hands, so even the little seemingly unimportant things such as re-cycling should be thought of as essential.

As for climate change, I believe this is a possibility based on the data that I have personally seen. And it may happen in our lifetime, and people like Dutch and the people from the Maldives are in the front-line.

So dont hesitate re-cycle today, drink your own piss and eat your own [Poor language removed]...you know it makes sense

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm not convinced about peak oil. The problem there seems as much about politics as anything. The big oil majors get a bad press for their profits, but something like 17 of the 20 biggest oil companies in the world are state owned monopolies from places such as China, Mexico, Brazil and Venuzuela (and of course the middle east). The politics at play in these places often mean the oil companies are used as cash cows for political spending, therefore resulting in a lack of investment in the oil companies and subsequently a lack of new discoveries. To use Mexico as an example, American discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico far exceed those of Mexico and they struggle for investment and talent to do anything about it. Venuzuela is in a similar boat. Brazil has potentially some huge deep water fields but lacks the expertise to tap it.

And lets face it, it's a darn good job there's still oil left as the politicians are making a right mess of finding a replacement. Until smart grids come on in a major way renewables will always be a minority supply, simply because of the sporadic nature of it. Nuclear has the potential to provide that secure base load but NIMBY'ism is preventing that from going anywhere. Britain will be right up the creek because Labour have fudged making any kind of decision on energy policy. So we'll be left with importing gas from Russia to keep things ticking over (or suffering blackouts).

I'm confident that mankind will find a solution to all this, but the solution won't come from politicians. The best thing they can do is get out of the way.