Kevin Tarr schreef:
> The last place I'd want to get Science news from would be 60 Minutes, but I
> don't want to argue about the numbers. I just want to ask if you ever feel
> like giving up, because I do. In no way would I think I'm an
> environmentalist, I think they are kooks. But I separate my trash, I
> recycle, I check my tires' pressure and keep the engine tuned. I always
> watch about turning lights out and turning computers and printers off, I've
> lowered my heat in the winter and haven't thought about putting the AC in
> the windows yet, and so on. But for every one of me I know there are a
> hundred or thousand others who don't care. You see them on the highway,
> driving with tires that look like they have 20 lbs of pressure, or they are
> going 80 MPH on 55 highways. I couldn't count the number of times I've come
> into work in the morning and seen others with their computer monitors on
> saying 'It is safe to turn off your computer'. Trash on the highways or
> having four recycle bins next to each other and each one will have an empty
> can, some paper, a plastic bottle, an empty toner cartridge.
>
> I had a huge argument once, someone said that it was the governments fault
> when a new highway was running at capacities that were supposed to be 30
> years away. I told them to count how many cars had more then one person in
> it. When I'm bike riding or sometimes driving I keep a count and I usually
> get 75 to 80% with single person cars. (Although I'm guilty of that myself.
> I either bike commute to work or drive by myself.)
>
> I just wonder if it's worth it sometimes.
It is. You've got to start somewhere. And the best place is to start with your
own things. So we pretty much do the same as you do. No unnecesary things run.
Car is in good condition and well checked. We drive on low emission (and low
cost) LPG. No excessive speeds (only occasionally but those occasions are
becoming very rare since driving really fast doesn't win you anything anymore,
not even a bit of fun, because of all those traffic jams, speed bumps, speeding
controll points and red lights). Bike and public transport where appropriate and
possible. We are keeping paper and glass seperate from the regular waste. And we
are not putting chemical waste in with the rest of the stuff. I know that they
are rather small efforts but it's better then no effort at all. Maybe others
will slowly follow.
Sonja
