Going Green

[MIJeep]

At the risk of starting a thread of Texas proportions....and then going to bed.

I am getting really sick of this new catchphrase. Not that I don't want to be more environmentally friendly but I'm tired of hearing it. Now Discovery is starting a new channel called Planet Green, I think this is probably a great education tool but I was just checking out the website and they actually suggest drafting(i.e. tailgate) 18 wheelers to save gas. What the hell!!!! So we should kill ourselves on the highway to save the planet?

Oh, and by the way...I'm sitting in the Toronto airport a couple weeks ago and I'm reading an article that says scientists are finally admitting that the earth has not been getting hotter for the last 15 years, The summer of1998 that Al Gore points to as being the hottest on record....well it was, but we haven't had a summer that hot since. So what happened to global warming? Seems like we went through a warming cycle that may be coming towards an end and some scientists are actually starting to lean that way. Don 't get me wrong, we shouldn't be going back to the way we were but trying to motivate people to change by fear.....Isn't that what most facist dictators try to do?

I'm a hunter and a fisherman. I love camping and spending time in the outdoors and I am trying to do my part, I try to pick up trash that I see when I'm out, I switch over to those new energy efficient bulbs when the old ones go out. I try to keep the AC off as much as I can(while living with a Canadian that doesn't do well in the heat) as well as many other small things that will hopefully add up.

I'm just tired of friggin looneys in California and left wing lobbyist in DC trying to regulate how I live my life.

OK, rant over, forgot half the crap I was trying to say cause I type slow.... I'm tired, think I'm getting sick and I'm going to bed

[kwrangln]

The environment is a funny thing, mother nature has a way of working things out.

Did you know that a viable method of cleaning up oil spills is to introduce nitrogen rich materials to the effected soil which helps encourage the growth of bacteria that actually eats oil? Google it if you dont believe me, bioremediation is widely used.

Global warming falls under what is termed "consentual science", meaning enough scientists thought "sure enough, thats whats happening we dont need to do tons of research to prove it". Second hand smoke falls under the same catagory, we all know smoking is bad, so ergo, second hand smoke must also be bad, but because everyone believes this it hasn't been extensivly studied to determine how bad. The world has only been accumulating environmental data for about 100 years or so, which is a drop in the bucket in the general scheme of things in relation to earths lifetime, hardly enough to draw any serious conclusions. Add to that, most data centers are located close to populace areas, and subjected to local warming trends induced by large populations. New York city is going to be warmer than BFE New York juse because its all pavement and has 3 million people livign there running their heaters, driving cars, riding in taxis, etc. But, weather data logging stations are more likely to be located right there in NYC then they are to be put in BFE since it would take a ton of time to get there and do maintnance or download info.

Just like everything in the media, you have to take it with a grain of salt, do your own research and draw your own conclusions. There is no such thing as unbiased media, they all have an some influencing factor, or political adjenda.

[Tonka]

At the risk of starting a thread of Texas proportions....and then going to bed.

I am getting really sick of this new catchphrase. Not that I don't want to be more environmentally friendly but I'm tired of hearing it. Now Discovery is starting a new channel called Planet Green, I think this is probably a great education tool but I was just checking out the website and they actually suggest drafting(i.e. tailgate) 18 wheelers to save gas. What the hell!!!! So we should kill ourselves on the highway to save the planet?





Xin Lu of Wise Bread points out some uncommon wisdom: Driving behind large trucks, and taking advantage of something called "drafting," can save you up to 10 percent on gas.

The science behind drafting, she explains, is closely related to why driving slower saves you energy. "Basically, you have less air resistance in front of your car if a big truck has already passed through the air and your car is in the tunnel or 'slipstream' behind it," she writes. "A truck also blocks some of the air rushing at you."

The daredevils on Discovery's Mythbusters demonstrated that if you followed a big rig by 100 feet, you could decrease your fuel consumption by 11 percent. The intrepid duo pushed the envelope further by following a truck at only 10 feet--a dangerous maneuver we don't recommend viewers try at home!--and managed to decreased their gas consumption by 40 percent.

Editor's note: Over at TreeHugger, we note that drafting isn't for the faint of heart; it's a dangerous undertaking. "At 100 feet you have 1.25 seconds to respond if the truck slams on the brakes, (keep off that cell phone) and at ten feet you have .124 seconds. The reccommended distance at 55 miles per hour is 150 feet." Conclusion: Drafting may work for the daredevils at Mythbusters, but for teh rest of us, there are probably better ways to save fuel.

If you only knew my experience with Discovery... :rolleyes: (besides, their spilyng isn't any better).

It makes you wonder. If it is dangerous, why are they making the suggestion in the first place? They are not saying "Don't do it". They just suggest "there are probably better ways to save fuel".

[The Duke]

The world has only been accumulating environmental data for about 100 years or so, which is a drop in the bucket in the general scheme of things in relation to earths lifetime, hardly enough to draw any serious conclusions. Add to that, most data centers are located close to populace areas, and subjected to local warming trends induced by large populations. New York city is going to be warmer than BFE New York juse because its all pavement and has 3 million people livign there running their heaters, driving cars, riding in taxis, etc. But, weather data logging stations are more likely to be located right there in NYC then they are to be put in BFE since it would take a ton of time to get there and do maintnance or download info.
:ditto:

Although, I have to say I did lmao when I saw the comercial for the "Green Channel" with the convicts. Pretty funny :D

Sure, I have no problem with the green deal, but the extremists give being "green" a bad name(to me, at least).

[Tonka]

I am getting really sick of this new catchphrase. Not that I don't want to be more environmentally friendly but I'm tired of hearing it....

I'm a hunter and a fisherman. I love camping and spending time in the outdoors and I am trying to do my part, I try to pick up trash that I see when I'm out, I switch over to those new energy efficient bulbs when the old ones go out. I try to keep the AC off as much as I can(while living with a Canadian that doesn't do well in the heat) as well as many other small things that will hopefully add up.


Bravo! :thumbsup: As long as people do what they can, it helps.

I may not go to the new bulbs (they are more expensive, look ugly and still have environmentally unfriendly chamicals). But I do what I can. I also pack out with a little more than what I pack in when wheeling and/or hiking. I drive efficiently. Etc, etc....

For me, it is the addition of an extra layer of user and pass words to "prevent identity theft" that I don't like. I was wondering why I could not get into one of my on-line accounts. Later I was told that it was this extra layer of identification I needed to set up. When I asked who came up with this idea, it was "them", those in government.

[Tonka]

BTW, Sweet Dreams!!!!!!