Earth Day...........

[chicagoans]

My kids walk or bike to school every day.

I either work from home or take the train to our downtown office.

Most of our lights are CFL; I try to keep all the lights off during the day except the one in my office. (Theresa that CFL breakage thing has me a bit worried!)

We recycle everything that we can, and I use the reusable bags for grocery shopping.

I just told my son that I will not drive him to soccer practice; he has to ride his bike even though he thinks he'll be late.

We got a front load washer that uses less water and detergent.

So... we do a few things right.

The bad stuff:
We drive an SUV. We bought it before anyone made a hybrid with a 3rd row seat. Next car will be a hybrid, but we tend to keep our cars for a long time. (Luckily DH and I both work from home offices, so our driving is fairly limited and usually involves carpooling.)

I have a boatload of stuff in my office that stays plugged in: 2 phones, printer, computer, pencil sharpener, monitor... With all the little lights, even when it's dark in my office it looks like frickin' Vegas.

I agree that it seems like we're doing so little, but I believe that every little bit helps.

[loria]

loria - I think that was true on older carbureted cars. I reality, I probably let my truck warm up for 30 - 60 seconds. That is what Click and Clack say to do so I'm stickin to it.

Chet - I am going to get a couple of those cloth bags. I hate seeing those plastic bags blowing around the golf course.

oh, i thought you were talking minutes--most say 10 seconds-30 seconds and you are good to go!

glad you are getting reuseable bags--just remember to keep them in the car--I ALWAYS manage to forget mine so started storing them in the car!

[loria]

I wonder how much all our best intentions will help when countries like China and India are doing nothing.

I can't see them cutting out a piece of carpet if they break a light bulb.

Actually china is getting fairly aggressive on the green economy thing (though it is kind of hard to see) but they are developing green technologies (who knows if they are actually green while doing it though) faster than we are --

but you are really right there is a WHOLE bunch of issues there and in india--however, we should try to lead by example.

[JT]

I wonder how much all our best intentions will help when countries like China and India are doing nothing.

I can't see them cutting out a piece of carpet if they break a light bulb.

One of my favorite bumper stickers was:

Think Globally...Act Locally

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[Terry]

Doggie recycling...

Okay, here in our city we have pvc tubes at all the parks where folks put their recycling plastic newspaper bags or grocery bags in. They are used to pick up poop. Then they are thrown in the city trash bin.

Poop stored in a plastic bag??? Where does that bring us in the recycling world?

Does anyone here remember the days before plastic bags, ziplocs, etc?

Our newspapers weren't wrapped in plastic and thrown on our doorstep every morning, they were put in our mailbox. Saranwrap was invented in my lifetime and it was amazing or so we thought. Then again McDonalds, KMart and others were introduced then also. We used waxed paper to wrap sandwiches and put them in paperbags. Plastic anything was overpriced when I grew up. We couldn't afford "ziplocks" and if we did, we washed them out and dried them for reuse. Ewww.

What have we done in the last 40 years with the introduction of plastic?

[Chet]

We couldn't afford "ziplocks" and if we did, we washed them out and dried them for reuse.

We can afford ziplock bags. And we wash, dry, and reuse as often as possible. I bring lunch in those bags every day. It's good to work at the small things because it get's you thinking about the big things.

[soxfan22]

however, we should try to lead by example.

Um, why? So that hairbrained ideas like cap and trade can bring our economy to its knees while India and China continue to grow?

The Earth has actually cooled for the past decade. This is the greatest hoax on the US public since, well, acid rain.

[soxfan22]

We couldn't afford "ziplocks" and if we did, we washed them out and dried them for reuse. Ewww.

What have we done in the last 40 years with the introduction of plastic?

Not ewww...We do this in our home. No reason to use a new ziplock bag everytime my son needs some pretzels for the ride...Same bag will do for quite some time actually.

As for your other question - this is a joke, right? There is not enough room on this thread to list all of the ingenious ways that plastics have improved our civilization.

Terry, do you have a computer made of steel? Gold? Platinum? Silver? Is your PC made of timber (that would be bad too, I know)...My IBM I'm typing on right now is made primarily from plastic - yours?

[DaveS007]

Not to mention those pesky Jet rides to the VI. Boy if we stopped using those .... think of the light bulbs.... Al Gore .... Global Warming !!

[soxfan22]

Not to mention those pesky Jet rides to the VI. Boy if we stopped using those .... think of the light bulbs.... Al Gore .... Global Warming !!

Not sure if you read this Dave:

http://www.climatedepot.com/a/429/Repor ... al-Hearing

ALgore was on Capital Hill yesterday pleading for "unity" on his pet issue aimed at crippling the economy and forcing more folks into government dependency.

Anywho, Republicans thought it would be nice to offer an opposing view of the Global Warming Hoax...The man flew all the way to DC from England, only to be told upong his arrival that Dems would not allow him to testify alongside ALgore.

So, Dems handpicked our buddy Newt...Knowing of course that Newt in the past has appeared with plastic woman (Pelosi) on TV ads stressing the need to reign in Global Warming. This way, when Dems pass Cap & Trade (the most regressive tax on the American people in our history - and one that will punish the poor to a much greater degree than those "evil rich")...They can say that the Global Warming "consensus" on Capitol Hill was "Bi-Partisan".

Wow. And people thought there was no debate allowed in the past Admin!

2010 is going to be a bloodbath for Dems, and it can't come soon enough!

[Terry]

Sox,
I watch your hits and your hates and I feel sorry for you.

In reply to my Eww on recycling plastic ziplocks, it's not sanitary. Germs still exist on plastic no matter how hard you try to kill them. Your kid eats a pretzel from this ziplock bag and sneezes into it, those germs cannot be sterilized off plastic. Your kid shares a pretzel with another kid that just wiped their nose and picked a pretzel out of your ziplock? There are new stainless containers that are more adapt to sanitation. Like getting away from plastic drinking bottles and moving toward stainless bottles. Plastic drinking bottles left in a warm car create yuk and cause health problems.

Those were the points of the Ewww statement I made.

You seem to be a very sad person and you seem to be missing the joy of life. JMO.

What do you enjoy when you go to STJ?

[cypressgirl]

Sox,
I watch your hits and your hates and I feel sorry for you.

In reply to my Eww on recycling plastic ziplocks, it's not sanitary. Germs still exist on plastic no matter how hard you try to kill them. Your kid eats a pretzel from this ziplock bag and sneezes into it, those germs cannot be sterilized off plastic. Your kid shares a pretzel with another kid that just wiped their nose and picked a pretzel out of your ziplock? There are new stainless containers that are more adapt to sanitation. Like getting away from plastic drinking bottles and moving toward stainless bottles. Plastic drinking bottles left in a warm car create yuk and cause health problems.

Those were the points of the Ewww statement I made.

You seem to be a very sad person and you seem to be missing the joy of life. JMO.

What do you enjoy when you go to STJ?

Terry, you are right that it is very unsafe to reuse plastic bags. I heard that on Oprah, so it must be right.

As for dogs, we could go back to the good ole days when dogs shit on the ground and it stayed where it landed.

I really don't think Sox meant "bloodbath" literally, and I don't see him as hating anyone, just the corrupt policies of our government. And conservatives enjoy the same exact things on STJ as liberals.

[soxfan22]

Sox,
I watch your hits and your hates and I feel sorry for you.

In reply to my Eww on recycling plastic ziplocks, it's not sanitary. Germs still exist on plastic no matter how hard you try to kill them. Your kid eats a pretzel from this ziplock bag and sneezes into it, those germs cannot be sterilized off plastic. Your kid shares a pretzel with another kid that just wiped their nose and picked a pretzel out of your ziplock? There are new stainless containers that are more adapt to sanitation. Like getting away from plastic drinking bottles and moving toward stainless bottles. Plastic drinking bottles left in a warm car create yuk and cause health problems.

Those were the points of the Ewww statement I made.

You seem to be a very sad person and you seem to be missing the joy of life. JMO.

What do you enjoy when you go to STJ?

Hey Terry - no need to feel sorry for me, my friend. We have differing views of the world - that's okay.

I get a kick out of liberals who feel the need to label conservatives who do not share their idealistic view of the world "mean", "bitter", "angry", "hateful", etc, etc...

I assure you, I am none of those. I am a VERY lucky man to have a beautiful wife, a wonderful 3 year old son, and an adorable 6 month old daughter.

In fact, we just found out Wednesday that my daughter needs surgery to correct developmental hip dysplasia in both hips...You need not worry about my "perspective" or "happiness"...I derive both from my family.

As for my time on STJ? I enjoy:

*Waking at 4am to head out before the family wakes up, jump in the jeep, and head to the northshore beaches to take early morning photographs of nature - gotta get there before the seas rise from melting

*I enjoy hiking the many wonderful trails after enjoying a cup of coffee from the Deli Grotto

*I think Cruz Bay provides some of the best "people-watching" I've enjoyed anywhere

*Snorkeling, snorkeling, snorkeling

*Taking a nap on Maho with my son Jack underneath the cover of our sun tent

*I could photograph the beautiful Flamboyant Tree on the right side of the driveway to Caneel all day - great color on that tree - if you're there the right time of year

*For me, there's nothing like a 2:00 smoothie from the smoothie cart (columbos)

*One of my favorite stores in the world is St. John Spice...In fact, like many here, I can guage when I need a return trip based on how much Cruz Bay Grill Rub I have left in the spice cabinet - or, if my stash of fresh whole nutmeg has been used

*I actually enjoy Woody's Happy Hour...I know some here don't like it - but again...I enjoy sitting outside with a painkiller, watching the people...I've actually only done that twice in my 5 trips - but a good time, nonetheless

*Beach Bar...nuff said, ball in.

*Horseshoes at Skinny's with my pops-in-law...times well spent.

*Driving the East End - speechless everytime

*The "locals" - good people

*The thunderstorms

*Sitting at Maho or anywhere on the Northshore, looking out at the other islands, and thinking what Columbus must've thought when he first stumbled upon the islands - and then wondering why he ever left

Did I pass your litmus test, Terry?

[soxfan22]

Sox,Your kid eats a pretzel from this ziplock bag and sneezes into it, those germs cannot be sterilized off plastic. Your kid shares a pretzel with another kid that just wiped their nose and picked a pretzel out of your ziplock?

As for the ziplocks - I said in my original post that we reuse the bags for snacks when we go for a ride in the car. My son is the only one (other than us) who sticks his hands in the bag...He's three - no school yet. We will not be reusing the bags that go to school with the lad - yes, that would be ewww.

I also think the germ factor is overrated. Parents today are soooooo worried about germs. When I was in school, it was the kids who lived in the most sanitary homes (not a crumb or germ on the counter) that became ill the most often. I think (and science has proven) that we need to build up a tolerance to germs.

Another pet peeve of mine (while we're on the subject), is when someone says, "put a coat on, you don't want to get sick!". My wife says this all the time. You don't get sick from the cold, you get sick from a germ. JMO.