Climate Change?

skedaddle

Barefooters
Sep 3, 2011
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We listened to the tribal communities about the benefits of being barefoot, now maybe we need to listen to the same communities about living in harmony with the earth.
Please don't take this thread as a political forum, i have little interest in such shenanigans, but i feel strongly that i should be doing more to reduce my impact on the environment, but not sure what.
Any suggestions for a greener life, Words of wisdom? Do you feel the same? No, i'm not going to stop farting, that's a Co2 emission i can do little about.
I don't want to argue over thermometers, there's already enough of that going on, i just want to live a better life.
 
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No, i'm not going to stop farting, that's a Co2 emission i can do little about.
Of course you can! Stop eating baked beans! :D
The real problem is: how are we going to stop elephants from farting? :D
What means "to live a better life" for you? what is "better" compared to what exactly in your life as it is just now?
In my own life I chose to produce myself the maximum of things I wish to consume (for instance grow my own organic beans instead of buying a can of baked beans )
That's probably bad for the economy of my country, and all that goes with it, but good for the environment and my life.
 
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Thanks Hobbit.
I just feel climate change is one of the most profoundly important issues of our generation, yet we act like rabbits caught in the headlights, powerless to act.

I've been reading a lot about the Kogi people recently, i suppose i'm supping at the table of their wisdom lately, much like i did with the Tarahumara.

Maybe posting this thread is a positive step, an acknowledgement i needed to make for myself more than anything else. I see it as an argument for our children and their children's future, they will ultimately be the ones who will pay for our inaction.

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/colombia-kogi-environment-destruction
 
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I drive an all electric vehicle, I recycle nearly everything, I donate clothes, I turn out lights I'm not using, and I pickup trash that I see.
 
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That's awesome TJ.
I actually haven't owned a car for twenty years, i run everywhere. I also donate clothes and unused goods. Everything is recycled.
If i even so much as look at a plant it dies;) I certainly need to do better on that front, my green fingers are decidedly malfunctioning but at least the slugs and snails have a good munch.
They make fun of me in my local store because i always refuse plastic bags, honestly they think that more strange than barefootedness.
It's heartening to hear what others are doing.
 
Thank's Ahcuah

This is the sort of stuff i know very little about, no one thinks a pair of shoes could directly effect our climate, or at least it's something i haven't considered.
I know we've got to live in the modern world and even the Kogi recognise and acknowledge that, but there must be so many areas that we can do so much better.

I don't think i've fully woken up to what's really happening yet, climate change still seems something hovering around in the future and is very fuzzy in my mind, probably because i lack the education, but there are so many conflicting views out there it's hard to know what to believe or how to act.
I also don't want to be alarmist, just attentive and responsible for my little bit of space on this planet.
 
I actually haven't owned a car for twenty years, i run everywhere. I also donate clothes and unused goods. Everything is recycled.

Cars are good for carrying the kids around; otherwise, my back would break. ;)
 
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producing/eating meat and producing/buying stuff are the two biggest causes

go vegan, like Scott Jurek (or vegetarian, or simply reduce)
and stop buying shoes, like many people here (and stuff in general)

and speak about it with your friends, so they can understand you are not crazy nor extremist nor radical nor terrorist
just normal, healthy and thinkin about the future

well, this is what I do
 
Thanks Sly
I eat a 95% plant based diet, but i do add a little oily fish from time to time.
As far as talking to my friends, that's what i'm doing now, so i suppose i've got that covered too:) We should all talk more.
I wish i understood the science, but the water seem to be muddied so much, it's hard to know where to hang your hat beyond common sense.
It's not so dissimilar to the science presented by anti barefoot running lobbyists and shoe compony propaganda. They tend to be the ones labelling people with the extremist or radical badge.
 
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I drive an all electric vehicle, I recycle nearly everything, I donate clothes, I turn out lights I'm not using, and I pickup trash that I see.


I drive a Pry-Us, like I stole it, in the left lane, and don't get anywhere's near the 49/50 mpg. Whenever I'm at Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods), arriving in my Pry-Us of course, I always ask for plastic bags because paper kills a lot of trees and takes up way too much space in my Pry-Us. I don't donate any clothes...well...because who would really fit them? My kids leave every darn light on and I'm too lazy to turn them off, so I just yell at them to do so. However, my good deed for the day, which was purely for personal benefit, I picked up not one but two insulation staples at a new construction project, so I wouldn't have to call AAA when my Pry-Us got a flat. I did use the neighbor's trash can to throw away said staples.
 
I drive a Pry-Us, like I stole it, in the left lane, and don't get anywhere's near the 49/50 mpg. Whenever I'm at Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods), arriving in my Pry-Us of course, I always ask for plastic bags because paper kills a lot of trees and takes up way too much space in my Pry-Us. I don't donate any clothes...well...because who would really fit them? My kids leave every darn light on and I'm too lazy to turn them off, so I just yell at them to do so. However, my good deed for the day, which was purely for personal benefit, I picked up not one but two insulation staples at a new construction project, so I wouldn't have to call AAA when my Pry-Us got a flat. I did use the neighbor's trash can to throw away said staples.

You freaking crack me up! :swimmingtears:

Maybe you could donate your clothes to a children's home, or just hand them down to your own kids? :mooning:
 
now maybe we need to listen to the same communities about living in harmony with the earth.

Ahh that is the ultimate goal. I think we used to live in harmony with the Earth... before technology. As much as people think we are more advanced then ever and that the human race has evolved, has it? I think the Earth is far worse off now that it has ever been. And most people don't care, or don't want to change their lifestyles.

Just some random thoughts as this is something I ponder a lot... seems to me there are two vastly different ways to lead to a more Earth-friendly lifestyle. One is going back low-tech, living off the land as much as possible in sustainable ways and not relying on technology so much. Biggest issue I think this does require more land use per person and the Earth is just too populated anymore for everyone to live like this (and many wouldn't like the idea of actually having to do physical work just for basic things to stay alive like splitting firewood or bending over getting your hands dirty in the garden). And eliminating a large chunk of human population isn't something that would probably fly. The other is to concentrate humans into higher density cities, living in small efficient apartments where there is little need for huge resources. Much like some of the sci-fi shows where there are massive cities and residents live in one small room or compartment. All food is manufactured, since large scale industry is far more 'efficient' at producing just what you need to survive than farming, storing, and preparing food the old fashioned way.

Personally I like the old fashioned way. I try to utilize my own land, grow my own foods in the ground, hunt for wild game (only what is in surplus locally), cut my own firewood to heat my home (only what is sustainable to keep the woods healthy) etc. Now I don't fool myself into thinking I am anywhere close to sustainable yet, but it is something I am working towards so hopefully by the time I retire I'll be off grid with large enough gardens and orchards and woods to live on with little impact to the world. Currently I'm in a way too big and inefficient house, and can't wait to move. Though I may have to wait several years unfortunately. I'd love to start on orchards and berry bushes, etc, but these things take years to grow so no sense starting at my current house - I just do annual vegetables (plus one already established pear tree). Ever since I was separated at the beginning of the year, my energy usage has gone WAY down. My electric bills have dropped by more than half, some months I actually pay less in electricity than the fixed fees for having the service. I've reduced my trash down to a fraction... one small plastic shopping bag a week lately. I compost anything compostable and recycle anything recyclable. I stopped my trash service and just drop it off at my work in a trash can, or drop it in my ex's trash can when I get my son (she doesn't mind, it's only like 1/10 what she has). The only other utility I pay now besides electric is internet and cell phone, and the internet I have very few options but do the cheapest one (dsl) and for cell I've found by offsetting much of my calling and text with a google voice phone number, I've been able to lower my regular phone usage down to a $10/mo plan. To be honest I'd just ditch the cell plan altogether but I'm not quite ready to get rid of it yet. However to live out here in rural country I have to drive quite a ways into work if I want to keep my good paying job. So that is a real big inefficiency there. About 80 miles round trip, and I currently drive a big V10 truck. I'm wanting something more efficient just for work and back but hard to justify another vehicle payment and insurance to save money. I might be better off saving up and buying land. I really want to ditch the ICE altogether and get an all electric car, but the economics just don't make sense, at least with the new vehicles out there I have looked at. Especially with the cheaper gas as of late. I'm not quite at the point financially where I can spend significantly more just to save the planet with no or little return on the investment. I suspect as they become more popular the cost will go down. For more local errands I'll use my bike.
 
Thanks for the thoughts Tristan :)
It's good to read how people are searching for a more clean, sustainable life.

I think we can live modern lives, we just need to move away from carbon and the combustion engine and bad framing practises. Why burn the sun's 'stored' energy when we have the technology to harvest that energy directly.
Maybe we are at the beginning of that awkward transition stage, moving away from one system to another. Ultimately technology will get us there, who knows what discoveries lie around the corner. Cold fusion?
I like to believe we'll get there, and hopefully the world will be more united because of it. If cop21 wasn't all smoke and mirrors, to get a global agreement on climate change was a massive achievement.
It's strange how it costs so much more to live a simple, sustainable lifestyle. I think that's about to change quite rapidly now. I'd love to live off grid, i admire your ambitions.
 
DH and I got solar panels installed on our house in August. We both drive Priuses (and I do get about 53 mpg, he gets around 48). Would love to do more gardening, but we end up feeding the deer rather than the humans.
 
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