Comments on: IQ-tips: eco-tips?

By: Big Green Monster

Big Green Monster — Wed, 02 May 2007 05:31:07 +0000

Put a brick or a quart yoghurt container with lid in your toilet tank. Saves on water.

Some of the above ideas are nice, but rather impractical if you’re a normal person. (Quit wearing blue jeans? Gimme a break… Not washing em every time makes sense though.)

By: kmt

kmt — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:01:27 +0000

The Maine woman must have broken a gigantic CFL. Your typical household glass thermometer contains about 500mg mercury and is considered a small spill if broken, which can be cleaned up by yourself. In comparison, a CFL has about 5mg of mercury.
If a CFL should break, the EPA suggests:
1. Sweeping up the broken pieces and fine particles(DO NOT vacuum), wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pickup any fine particles
2. Put the broken pieces and the paper towel in a plastic bag
3. Open a window to ventilate the room

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 02 May 2007 01:39:46 +0000

I raised an argument with my brother yesterday that getting an ice cream cone was more eco-friendly. Because when you have a cone you eat it unlike a styrofoam cup that just sits in a landfill.

By: n2y2

n2y2 — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:39:48 +0000

Susan:

Actually Autism is starting to be linked to the retention of mercury, not the exposure. It is still being tested, but people who develop Autism seem to be unable to excise the mercury that gets into their system like a normal person can. It is true, that if there were no environmental mercury, then none would get in, but it would be impossible to eliminate all of it.

Anyway, LED bulbs are the choice of hard-core environmentalist (after darkness, that is).

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 01 May 2007 02:38:18 +0000

Embalming fluid delays decomposition and poisons groundwater, while cremation wastes fossil fuels and produces ash. Consider cannibalism and human-based compost as alternatives.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:58:06 +0000

Kasee, here’s a link to that article.And CFL is the same thing as a compact fluorescent lightbulb.

Canada.com website has an article about it. It’s costing her over $2K to clean up the bedroom which is now a toxic site.

They contain mercury.How is this better for the environment. It is toxic. We’ve been hearing for years how bad mercury is, how it contributed to autism in kids due to its inclusion in vaccines, how it contaminates our tuna and now we’re being asked to voluntarily use them? I’m seeing a mixed message here. Please help me understand.

By: David

David — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:46:11 +0000

good stuff n2y2. i always smile at the people who speed up to red lights.

By: n2y2

n2y2 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:09:04 +0000

Drive the speed limit and don’t be in a hurry to get up to cruising speed. This could have a big positive impact on fuel consumption. The larger the vehicle and engine are the bigger the fuel savings get. Who said that SUV owners canâ€™t be green too? The difference in time for most trips is usually a few minutes and is sometimes zero. Plus, you wonâ€™t have to slam the brakes every time you see a patrol car.

Use your cruise control if at all possible; even on surface streets. You will be amazed how much fuel is used making 5-10 mph adjustments to your speed. I performed an experiment in my Prius: One week with the Cruise control set at the speed limit â€“ 54mpg. One week manually controlling the speed at the speed limit â€“ 48mpg.

Avoid gridlock. You can waste a bunch of fuel idling in traffic that creeps along. If your work has flexible hours (luckily mine does), you can work a schedule that has lighter traffic. In my area 7am-4pm makes a huge difference.

Tinting your windows with UV absorbing film can reduce the amount of cooling energy that you will need in the summer. (works for cars and houses)

Donâ€™t idle your car to warm up. The Car Talk guys will back me up on this one. As long as you donâ€™t drive-it-like-you-stole-it, you will not do any damage to you vehicle â€“ including most diesels. In the winter, put on an extra layer to help you cope until the car warms up. In the summer, just tough it out till the A/C catches up.

OK, stepping down off of my soap box now.

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:31:06 +0000

Quite wearing blue jeans or Carharts unless you do work that requires their protection. They take a lot of energy to wash and dry. But if you don’t wash your jeans, it’s okay.

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:11:15 +0000

While visiting Florida, where there is a definite drought, they have signs everywhere talking about ways to conserve water, which is a concern anywhere. My favorite? Always shower with a friend.