Why do YOU do nothing to reduce your impact on the environment?

Question

The vast majority of people, on this forum or elsewhere, do nowhere near enough to reduce their impact on the environment; reduce, reuse, recycle, put up solar panels/wind generators, travel less, etc. Why is that? Does nobody care?

What the majority do is indicated by increase in flights, cars, energy usage, carbon emmisions, increasing landfills, lack of demand for domestic wind generators & solar panels, etc.

Answer 1

I do my best. Our council only started roadside recycling last year. We are very carefull about sorting it all out. We've managed to get it so that we produce only one or two carrier bags of non-recycled waste every week. We've done our glass waste for years.
Our car is a crappy 1.9 diesel, but it's all we can afford at the moment. My partner needs it to work. No car = no job.
I'm not keen on the financial punitive approach to getting people to drive less. It only ever seems to impact on the poorer people. It would be better if everyone had rationing. That would take a few of the bigger wastefull cars of the road.
The council flat we rent isn't ours, so I can't do anything about solar power or stuff like that. Every bulb is a saver. My electricity and gas bills are a fraction of a lot of peoples, as we don't waste it.
I cant cycle, I have a bad neck. We need a car as this is a rural area.
What else can I do?

Oh yeh, Ive never been on a jet in my life. I've only ever been abroad by ferry. I haven't had an exotic holiday ever. We haven't left the UK for 18 years!

Answer 2

Taking that kind of adversarial stance is just rude and aggressive. You have put yourself on a pedestal above everyone else and now want to point the finger.
A better question would have been WHAT do you do to reduce your impact on the environment. That would have generated ideas.
Since the majority of us are on lower than average incomes, solar panels et al are a dream for when we come into some money. Some of us rely completely on public transport. Some of us recycle everything that we can and buy second hand. Some of us garden, compost and grow our own veg. Some of us use energy efficient lightbulbs, switch stuff off instead of leaving it on standby and all the rest.
Don't rant at other people from your pc. Its hypocritical.

Answer 3

I'm not quite sure why you're accusing the general population.

There are people who do what they can. For example, my sister lives in a place where recycling is not encouraged. She had to purchase her own bins and deliver the recyclables at her own expense. I live in an area where bins are given to us and they come pick it up when we leave the bins at the end of the driveway.

I re-use a lot coffee cans and bottles because of gardening. I use coffee cans to help germinate seeds to get more flowers. I use large bottles to save rain water.

Right now, a lot of things are expensive. I know solar panels/wind generators seem like -the- solution but I can't afford them. Wind generators would be useless to me because it's not windy at all here.

As for driving, I can't help that. I live off the side of a highway where the nearest store is 15 miles away. It helps that there's a gas station here but it only if I need ice or gas.

Answer 4

I do I never leave anyhting on standby, recycle everything I can, I dont own a car, I take cold showers, by heating is on very low and I dress warm in winter, never leave lights on, use energy saving bulbs, have "A" and "A+" rated appliances. I tried to get solar pannels but my local council wont let me, I buy local produce, I do what I can so dont point the finger.

Most people dont know what imact they are having, some people like the idea but have trouble breaking old habits but some really dont care.

How much energy are you using posting unconstructive comments ona Q & A site? Read a book in the dark before you get all judgemental.

Answer 5

I do. I don't own a car: I take public trans or walk. I make sure to turn off any aplliances I am not using; I recycle materials in my life and in my artwork; I purchase high quality items that will last ( ex, good leather shoes rather than rubber/foam shoes), and am in the process of writing a business plan for a business that will incorporate recycling .

Answer 6

I agree we should all do more . It is a mixture of Ignorance , Lack of leadership and commitment by some authorities and an ongoing need to educate and not preach in a holier than thou manner. I could argue that using the computer adds to your carbon footprint . We all need to be less critical and more active in doing our bit . Well it's back to making some more paper briquettes ! (really)

Answer 7

No, noboby REALLY cares. Not even the 'tree-hugging greenies'.

Concider: World conference on global warming attended by several THOUSAND scientist from all over the globe....travelled there by plane...car...or some other fossil fuel burning death machine. Hmmm, I bet they could have all stayed in their own countries & offices & video conferenced.....reducing the global impact.

The very fact we are on our PCs now using around 1000watts of electrical energy shows that we don't care either.....

Answer 8

i live in the uk and i read on the news yesterday that the council encourage recycling and people do it then the council dont even bother recyling it they send it all overseas were its dumped great hey i try to reduce the eletricity i use and recycle and only by recycled products if its avilable

Answer 9

I can't speak for everybody but, even though i'm not totally 'green' i do recycle all of my bottles, plastic, paper etc. I know its not a lot but its better than what some people do!

Answer 10

Well....... I can't speak for everybody...... But I kinda *like* the smell of burning rubber.

That's why I always get a half-dozen old tires and a couple gallons of gas and light 'em up on Earth Day ☺


Doug