The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

Southie · March 17, 2014, 1:51pm

Re: The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

Calm down now buddy. I’ve been coming back to this thread and again and again. Where do you run off to?

IMO, and this is probably my own conspiracy-tin-foil-hat-theory, but the whole “it’s up to you to save the environment” is a ploy by the big coorporations/governments etc to get the responsibility of actually doing something off their shoulders and lay the blame game on the single individual. Then they have an excuse to say “yeah well, we can’t do much, our people/customers aren’t into the environment so why should we invest in protocols to reduce our emission/save the dolphins and the oceans”. Don’t mean to sound like Kevin O’Leary, but the name of the game is money. People do things because of money. And with money is attached prestige/show off-ing. People recycle because the garbage tags cost money, but recycle bins, no matter how many are free. People save water because water bills are through the roof. People do laundry in the middle of the night because you get charged less to do heavy duty things at night. People buy organic/pesticide/GMO free because they get to show people how “unique” and how “thoughtful” they are. It’s probably a handful of individuals now that do something to protect the environment. I was a visionary like you as well once. Not too long ago. But I grew up, and saw what motivates people. And it’s not the pretty butterfly that comes in their backyard. It’s the money that they get to put in their own pockets. Be it the individuals, or the giant corporation.

And I hold true to my earlier statement about multiposting. In real life, outside of computers and keyboards, two people can not have a conversation when it’s just 1 person talking constantly for half an hour. It’s a bit of a turn off really.

Thank you for your advice. There is a thread in Science and Nature where OP question if Global Warming is real. And if the “hysteria” is called for. And yes. There was interaction. With people saying maybe etc. So interaction means notn. Facts matter

One request, could you kindly visit our other threads? The bill Moyer thread in World Affairs needs a kick start. Bring ur knives and forks.

Cheers!

X2 · March 18, 2014, 2:54am

Re: The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

First of all my apologies, words have limitations at times..especially while posted on a mobile phone while in a terminal and looks like I irritated you. That was not my intent. My hope was to give you constructive feedback so more people can not only see the types of things that are a waste, but also pointers on what can be done about it, because this is an important topic.

I never said individually we can’t make an impact, I said we can’t make “immediate” impact. for example I can make an immediate impact on things that are in my direct control, not idling a car, shorter showers (or showering with friends ) etc, but for larger challenges it takes time especially if the behavior is seen in a group you are not in or dont have interactions with e.g. those in mega church are individuals but my ability to make an immediate noticeable impact is lesser than what is in my direct control. Does not mean its still not worth pursuing, and often the payoff is higher as well. That being said I will not get into arguing with the point about defeatist attitude since my statement seemed to have been misread.

We can disagree on interesting vs facts for adults and kids. That is okay. To me engagement is critical for any sort of messaging, including here. I can understand if it is not for you and I respect that. I would have loved to be able to make stuff interesting and thus more engaging for a larger audience and hopefully make a broader impact, but severe scheduling limitations get in the way and my usual drive-by short posts are a departure from my style when I had the time.

Anyways, carry on what you are doing. This is an important topic and one close to my heart. With my dad and one brother being environmental engineers and the other brother in renewable energy. While these days I am in a different area, a decade ago I led the design and creation of a top ranked (by industry analysts) global supply chain solution (test methodology, factory audit program, independent auditor certifications) and resulting database to source environmentally compliant materials and components, as well as those meeting composition regulations like prop65 or RoHs etc for one of the leading safety and compliance organizations in the world, certainly the premier one in USA.

I hope I was able to clear up any misunderstanding. You are a scholar and a gentleman and I am personally disappointed if my words came across as obnoxious or condescending.

X2 · March 18, 2014, 3:11am

Re: The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

btw I am currently addicted to edx and coursera, saw some great courses along these lines at courser that I wanted to share here

1-Climate Change in Four Dimensions

2- The Age of Sustainable Development

3-Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change

4- Sustainability in Practice

5- Climate Literacy: Navigating Climate Change Conversations

6- Global Sustainable Energy: Past, Present and Future

7- How Green Is That Product? An Introduction to Life Cycle Environmental Assessment

Southie · March 18, 2014, 3:14am

Re: The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

This is the X2 I know. That was an outstandingly nice post. I am humbled.

X2 · March 18, 2014, 4:13am

Re: The Env. Corner. Examples of waste that you saw today. And that you prevented

Thank you amigo