On Aug 26, 2009, at 12:55 PM, Lance wrote:
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i'm a serious advocate of recycling that works!
i use reusable canvass bags for shopping because i think it works (contrary to some frivolous reports about that). i try and only purchase tomato sauces in Ball (or similar) jars so as to use them as drinking glasses, or for canning (of course, i don't personally can, but many others do).
i have been trying to get my Diesel SAV (Suburban Assault Vehicle ;-) converted over to run waste veggie oil, but i'm having trouble getting my mechanic to finish the procedure. one day i hope i can finally do with my big'ol truck what i had planned on doing from the onset! 8-)
my personal take on being a conservationist/environmentalist (i realize some disagree these are one in the same, and perhaps they are correct! ;-), is to minimize my personal footprint on this earth while i am here to walk upon it.
i am not in favor of petitioning the federal government to govern in this area, because frankly, most of what the federal government gets its hands into turns out to be largely inefficient, and in many cases, blatantly wasteful.
from what i gather based upon various stories i've heard from friends coming out of the military is that our federal government is one of the largest contributers to waste and pollution -- i can certainly believe that, if managing our failing economy as being any indication of its modus operandi! ;-)
... and let's face it: if the government was really concerned about improving the conditions of our environment, it would have re-legalized hemp by now, when hemp isn't even a drug! it is a renewable resource which is good for the ground in which it grows fast! i won't go on about the myriad of uses for hemp and the good this God-given plant is for US, because frankly, it's bloody obvious to anyone with a brain! 8-)
the fact is for anyone who has not thought about this all that much, government is not helping to make our earth greener, but it is doing just the opposite in keeping hemp illegal. that would be the first step toward a greener "America", but apparently this "new" administration is no different from the last in this way as well as so many others.
regardless of the hurdles we face in the area of conservation of natural resources due to an un-libertarian government, i'd like to see locals (people within their communities) strive to improve the methods of recycling, and better yet, reuse of natural resources, without the necessity for getting government involved in areas it really has no business, unless someone is polluting someone else's property, water supplies, the air we breathe, etc.
here is my reply to the pizza box article:
i generally inspect used pizza boxes prior to throwing them into my recycling and make a call. if they are not that bad, i put them outside face up to get rained on an cleaned. usually, that takes care of the problem, as far as i can tell. but regarding the cost of recycling, i have been under the presumption, based on various studies in the past, that most recycling doesn't work very well anyway. from what i understand, ONLY aluminum is worth recycling via the current process and most all other forms (glass, paper, plastic) operate in the negative cost, and the processes used are actually bad for the environment (sort of like "green cars" having expensive batteries which need to be replaced every few years and are bad for the environment). ALSO, that much of the recycled material actually just winds up in the land fills. i've just been going along with it for years living in a house with 9 people, but feeling like i'm not really helping in doing so, and merely just "following the law". is this still true, or is there some new and improved recycling method that actually works well? i would not be surprised in the least, for nearly everything the government becomes involved in doesn't work!
8-)
bernard baruch carman
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