Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I'm a resource whore. I love my SUV. I like to let the water run while I brush my teeth.
I do turn off lights, but I still get Christmas cards from Penelec.
What do you guys do consciously to try to save Mother Earth?
What don't you do that you probably ought to?

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I have always been good at keeping lights off for the most part.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

So you're the guy I'm compensating for! :r

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

In the last two years, we have really gotten into recycling.
We went from barely being able to fit our trash into the can every week, to having to ask for an additional recycling bin (since they only pick up recycling once every two weeks.)

Also, we try to take our own bags to the grocery store, instead of using plastic bags.

I've also replaced almost all of our lights with CFL bulbs. Except in the baby's room where I have a dimmer.


We do a pretty big Christmas light display every year, so I am only adding LED lights. No more incandescent. That's partially because my house can't handle much more.

I am guilty of driving a SUV, though.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I recycle tons of materials every day
conserve water
conserve electricity
no unnecessary driving
I hold in all flatulence

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I fly in Al Gore's private jet to shop at Whole foods.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

You should set up a containment system and use it to power your house. :tu

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I really could have cared less about recycling until my son was born. Now I try to be conscious of what goes in the garbage can at home.

Almost all the bulbs (wherever we can use them) in the house and the bakery are compact fluorescent because of the cost savings, not the energy conservation.

I also try not to let the water run un-necessarily and shut off lights not being used, but again for cost savings. When you start paying utility bills you understand why your parents were always up your ass about stuff like that.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

If it's yellow, let it mellow...

If it's brown, flush it down!

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

:r

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I'm trying to reduce my dust footprint.

According to my wife, it seems that every time I walk outside, I track in dust and leave footprints on our hardwood floors.

I am going to work hard on improving this problem.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I conserve water by peeing in the shower :D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I drive whereever I go REALLY fast b/c the less time on the road the less carbon your car spews.....now I just need to get that v10 M5 with 500hp to get there REALLY REALLY fast! See the Toyota Prius is really slow so you spend more time on the road therefore emitting more carbon into the atmosphere...:tu

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

We should set up a carbon-trade economy here. Where those with large carbon footprints send cigars to those with small carbon footprints.

Did I mention I drive a two cylinder car only on weekends (that runs on discarded kitchen grease), don't own a single light, only use water heated by the radiator of my car, and am posting this purely by telepathic powers.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I conserve water by peeing in his shower as well.

[/joke]

I've gotten into recycling fairly recently, I replaced all of my bulbs in the house with CFL's and so forth.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

We've done a few things with the intention of saving money, and a side benefit of reducing energy consumption, For example we try to combine trips, errands, etc to drive fewer miles. We started doing this, though, to save money when fuel prices were so high, and not so much to save Mother Earth. We've continued doing it just because it makes sense. When we replaced our washer & dryer we got ones which use less water and electricity. Many of the light bulbs have been changed to VFL's. We recycle, but are forced to by the city we live in.

Of course I commute about 90 minutes per day since we moved into our house, so I'm probably killing any benefit I may have created with the other stuff.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I think you're winning. :tu

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

Well, we recycle our beer cans every semester to fund our keg, does that count?

I drive very large diesel truck with no kitty cat or muffler, so I don't think I'll be on Al Gore's Christmas card list any time soon.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I only smoke cigars made by hand!!!:D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I never really cared until I started working in a plastic factory. The amount of plastic parts/granules/dust/purge that we throw into the landfill is truly disturbing. We've gotten better (MUCH better) over the past couple of years, but it still made me wake up and realize that it only takes a little effort to be less WASTEFUL.

I recycle my paper/cardboard
"If it's yellow, let it mellow...." yeah, I do that :r
Canvas grocery bags
Reuse plastic bags

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I conscientiously avoid stepping in carbon. :D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I recycle paper, bottles, plastic jugs etc.

I try to conserve utility use, but not so much for "Mother Earth", more for my bank account. Electric is a tough one in my house, with a 9-year-old son, a wife that has got to leave some lights on while I'm gone (I work 24 hr shifts and travel a bit) even with an 80 pound Boxer on constant watch. Who the hell is going to break in...turn the lights off, woman!!! :mad:
Sorry, I'm getting carried away. ;s

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

:tpd:

I think my parental admonitions--from pretty much the time I could walk--are more of a reason I do the things I do, rather than any sort of altruistic motivation to "save the planet." The planet is going to be here long after my great-grandchildren are gone. :2

My wife always complains that "we're not living in the Great Depression," but there are just some habits I can't shake. To that end we:

recycle everything we can--our bins are almost always more full than our trashcan
turn off the lights when leaving a room
turn off the water when brushing teeth
take short showers (at least I don't turn the water off when I'm soaping up, as we used to do when growing up. or when camping.)
wash pretty much all of our laundry in cold water
have natural gas heating, water heater, range & oven
use an environmentally sound, oxygen-based sanitizing product in my homebrewing equipment
upgraded all appliances to energy efficient models in the past 4-5 years
drive cars that get 20+ mpg (but no Prius/hybrid crap)
eat leftovers
compost really old leftovers

And I'm trying to build a nuclear-powered home generator, but these unmarked helicopters keep circling. :tf

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I help put out fires...... thats gotta help some right?

Um.. we swapped all the bulbs in the house to FL, i work from home now for my computer job and hardly keep any lights on during the day... the 3 computer monitors and laptop and other gizmos more than make up taht difference :p

Oh and I hunt... eat what ya kill, only kill what you'll eat.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I only use biodegradable plastic bags to dispose of the bodies anymore

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I regularly wipe my feet on the door mat to avoid footprints.:D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

Yup, that's basically it!:tpd::tpd::)

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

The "Good":
We recycle. The state gives us the bin and takes it all away for free.

We use compact florescent bulbs which is good for energy consumption and saves us money.

We turn off lights when not in use.

I police my brass and reload my own ammo. That's recycling right?:D

The "Bad"(Ass):
I drive a 15 year old jeep with a lift. I love my clunker and I'm not giving it up. Unless anyone wants to trade for a new Rubicon:dr

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I usually walk to the public transportation I take to work every day...

I do drive occasionally on the weekends, but my car gets 25 city/31 highway.

I have a mix of CFL and incandescent bulbs, mostly because there are dimmers all over my apartment.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

WTF is a carbon footprint anyways :ss

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I have no car, no house, no wife, no kids, no pets - well, pretty much no life. If I wanna flush the john or toss a beercan in the trash, WTF?

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I use the left over carbon in my ashtrays as fertilizer.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I put liberals in the hospital.....or just shoot them...

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

As the incandescent lights burnout, I replace them with CFL. Since Im Jewish, I don't do Christmas lighting. I use non-drip candles in my Menorah.

I ride a motorcycle to and from work all year round. I telecommute once a week.

I try to use plants that don't require much h2o

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

Is that a Vibram sole?

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

:banger

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

lol, so do i:tu

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

We recycle glass, paper and plastic. Reuse plastic bags, observe watering laws and most often water for only 30-50 minutes per zone.

On the down side, I drive like I want to and enjoy it. If you're in a Prius and taking off nice and slow, I'm the guy flying around you using up the gas you're saving. And I'm all for enforcing the "slower traffic keep right" signs to the fullest extent.


----------------
Now playing: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Back My Bullets
via FoxyTunes

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I never say the word "plethora" out loud.

I stopped listening to the Electric Light Orchestra

I stopped being afraid of the Bing Cherry Monster and therefore, stopped using a night light.

I've reduced the amount of gravestone rubbings I do per year.

I stopped bathing in asbestos.

I use Sklee instead of gasoline.

TARDIS

MCS

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I recycle pretty much everything that I can. Turn off the lights. Don't run the water when brushing my teeth or shaving. I also have a valve on my shower head that allows me to turn off the water when I am soaping.

You must have a hard time walking then.:D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I AM the door mat. :r

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

Man I needed that today.:r:r:r

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I think people should stop smoking cigars and thus reduce their carbon footprint.......

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I pee off the porch, otherwise I drive SUV with V-8. Oh yeah, I do have some Compact Flourescents in 2 lights that I leave on a lot, fire hazard issue.:ss

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I recycle everything possible, I turn of any lights not in use and ***** at anyone who leaves them on, I open windows for a breeze rather than running the A/C 24 hours a day, all of my outside lights are solar powered, I feed my worms scrap food as to not fill up the trash can with it, etc.

This is MY planet. :D

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I can't do the "yellow let it mellow" thing. I feel bad enough about peeing in my cat's water dish, plus he won't drink the yellow stuff.
He appreciates the sentiment, and every time the toilet flushes, he goes and gets a drink. Occasionally he falls in. I can tell by the puddles on the toilet seat.

It hadn't occurred to me, but I do use compact flourescents everywhere except the bathroom vanity lights, because they don't fit. They sell the flourescent round ball kind that would match, but I'm not paying 10 bucks for a light bulb. Ever.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I enjoy taking public transportation or walking as opposed to driving (but a lot of that has to do with living in the city), I like to open the windows instead of running the A/C when possible, we recycle everything that is possible in our area, stopped buying bottle water, drive fuel efficient vehicles, reduce the amount of waste we create by using re-usable as often as possible (no plastic plates or cups, reusable grocery bags), go "green" with our correspondence by opting for paper-less billing. If we had any outdoor space we would definitely compost but for now we put as much food waste as possible in the garbage disposal to cut down on landfill usage.

It's about doing a lot of little things that really add up.

The nice thing about most of those things is that they save us money as well. Win-win.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I pee outside when and where I can. I'd do it anyway even if it wasn't conserving water.
I have a HUGE compost bin. We compost grass clippings and anything in the kitchen that can go out there, including Kleenexs, tea bags, coffee filters, etc.
I don't throw out tree or shrub limbs or clippings, I make a giant pile and let nature get rid of them.
I use grass clippings to carpet my garden. Good for moisture retention and weed barriers.
I raise hell about any light being on outside of room we're in, as well as any outside door being left open, or frig door for that matter.
I change the oil in our cars and take it to the recycle center.
We recycle cans, paper, cardboard, batteries, and plastics. The recycled cans go to the Youth Group at church and the rest to the county center. I don't write our name on the can bag, lots of barley pop cans in there.
We eat veggies from our garden year round and try to eat venison and fish we caught at least once a month or more.
I try to breathe as little as possible.

Re: Reducing your carbon footprint.
 

I sit in my Dodge Ram Hemi and rev the engine as much as I can. It's too damn cold around here.