Since the current events thread is getting a bit partisan I thought I would open up a different thread dealing with Freddy's ideas about changing the world. I am going to ask EVERYONE up front to refrain from turning this thread into a political slugfest.

Well here is what I have done:

1. Bought a smaller more gas efficinet car. We got rid of the SUV, for the simple economy of the situation. I found that my Chevy Aveo payment was equal to the ammount I was spending in gas each month! It uses 2/3 less gas.

2. We moved to a new town and made sure that we were no farther than 5 miles from where I will be going to school and songchick currently works. In the metro detroit area it is common for people commute 75 miles or more to work.

3. We only turn on the AC after Sonchick comes home and we close off the vents in rooms that we don't use. I'm looking to buy some magnetic vent covers to make them even more efficent. We augment it with a couple of fans, really makes a big diffference.

4. I'm looking at taking public transportation to school, possibly even biking in durring the warm months.

Oh and don't let this post fool you. I'm not eating granola or wearing sandals. I am the same gun toating conservative you all know and "love". fact is my interest in conservation and the environment comes from my long term interest in hunting and outdoorsmanship.

I gotta get some work done so I can't contrib right now, but sorry if I offended you Heroic. You seem interesting and intelligent and though I do identify Dem/liberal, again, I am interested in hearing all sides. I still feel like the new kid here so I don't comment a lot, but I read. I would never call you a bore.

mk

quote:

Originally posted by Mkidd:
sorry if I offended you Heroic. You seem interesting and intelligent and though I do identify Dem/liberal,

No offence was taken at anything. I have no idea why you would say that.

My intent was to see what people are doing personally to make changes for the better. I just put the disclaimer up so everyone has a clearer idea of what type of input I was looking to explore.

Of course I seem interesting and intelligent, beacuse I am, it just means you have good judgement and observational skills (j/k)

Heroic, I'd kiss your big conservative mug if you were in front of me right now!

OK, how's this?

1. We quit our jobs and now run a business less than six blocks from home, meaning we walk to work every day and use our cars less than 2000 miles per year.

2. We now buy recycled paper goods (even though the TP doesn't feel as soft on our tushies).

3. We try to eat organic at all times, consuming meat only occasionally, thereby reducing pesticides.

4. We wear our clothes an extra day or two to cut the wash loads.

5. We live close to the coast, so we don't even have an air conditioner and we use our heat very little in winter.

6. We shower together to save water (and it's a great way to get up close and naked!).

One question I'd like to ask, though, is are there any ways of getting rid of ants that don't involve toxic pesticides? I'd love to start changing the world that way!

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:
Heroic, I'd kiss your big conservative mug if you were in front of me right now!

1. We quit our jobs and now run a business less than six blocks from home, meaning we walk to work every day and use our cars less than 2000 miles per year.

2. We now buy recycled paper goods (even though the TP doesn't feel as soft on our tushies).

3. We try to eat organic at all times, consuming meat only occasionally, thereby reducing pesticides.

4. We wear our clothes an extra day or two to cut the wash loads.

Just to warn you Freddy my lips are soft and electric, one you kiss em you might not go back....<j/k>

1. Despite the fact we live closer to work and our drive time is down to 10 mins as opposed to an hour and 20 mins, we won't be giving up our weekend road trips.

2. Can you recomend some brands? I never thought about that.

3. Organic is the best! Studies have shown that the yeild between organically fertilized and de-bugged plants is equivilant to modern methods. Oh give some of the alternative meats a try. We are big fans of Buffalo. Ostrich is good if cooked correctly.

4. Freddy you guys need to get a wonder wash! They use about one cup of water that you nuke. Pressure does all the rest. We use one for camping.

http://camping.about.com/od/campinggearreviews/gr/wonderwash.htm

quote:

Just to warn you Freddy my lips are soft and electric, one you kiss em you might not go back

I don't know, what happens when red lips meet blue might actually cause pink, which would be gay. I guess we could hook up that way, but I get to be the "topper."

I'm a big fan of bison, that's the same as buffalo, right? Delicious, especially in a lasagna. Haven't tried Ostrich but I think we liked emu. One meat I tried once and liked was venison. Pretty strong and came right up through my nasal passages, but in a good way.

I read about a new fish farming method in Popular Science about a year ago that could go a long way in solving the environmental destruction caused by fish farms.

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:
One question I'd like to ask, though, is are there any ways of getting rid of ants that don't involve toxic pesticides? I'd love to start changing the world that way!

Boric acid works wonders! It is generally considered pet safe. just sprinkle some in the area you want protected and poof, they will not come back, it desolves thier exoskeleton, so litteraly they have no legs to come back with!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid#Uses

Boric acid was first prepared by Wilhelm Homberg (1652-1715) from borax, by the action of mineral acids, and was given the name sal sedativum Hombergi. The presence of boric acid or its salts has been noted in sea-water, whilst it is also said to exist in plants and especially in almost all fruits (A. H. Allen, Analyst, 1904, 301). The free acid is found native in certain volcanic districts such as Tuscany, the Lipari Islands and Nevada, issuing mixed with steam from fissures in the ground; it is also found as a constituent of many minerals

It is often used as a relatively nontoxic insecticide, for killing cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, and many other insects. It can be used directly in powdered form for fleas and cockroaches, or mixed with sugar or grape jelly for ants. It is also a component of many commercial insecticides. In this use, especially in the case of cockroaches, the boric acid in the form of a powder is applied to areas frequented by the insects. The lightweight particles cling to the legs of the insects and eventually cause fatal chemical burns. Boric acid for this use in residential apartments is sold commercially in urban areas afflicted with cockroaches.

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:

I don't know, what happens when red lips meet blue might actually cause pink, which would be gay. I guess we could hook up that way, but I get to be the "topper."

I'm a big fan of bison, that's the same as buffalo, right? Delicious, especially in a lasagna. Haven't tried Ostrich but I think we liked emu. One meat I tried once and liked was venison. Pretty strong and came right up through my nasal passages, but in a good way.

I read about a new fish farming method in Popular Science about a year ago that could go a long way in solving the environmental destruction caused by fish farms.

Looks like it won't work out. I pitch I don't catch, LOL.

Bison/Buffalo are the largely the same.

Oh if your interested in raising your own fish to eat I have info on that as well.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Heroic,

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/3c24573fa430a010vg...0004eecbccdrcrd.html

Great article Freddy!

The deep see dredge fishing absolutely needs to stop. Cod fishing off the north east USA used to be a sustainable industry. Due to the deep sea dredge fishing methods those resources will dwindle away to nothing in the near future.

That and the nitrate polution of the Mississipi have completey destroyed the gulf ecosystem. There are so many nitrates in that water that it has a dead zone where nothing can even grow.

There was another article I'm trying to find in which a giant round net, almost 1 mile in diameter, is planted with fishlings and towed across the ocean, food being dispersed slowly as it goes. The fish grow up over a period of a couple months, the environmental impact is minimal (the wastes are dispersed as if a large school were swimming behind the ship), and the net is simply hauled in at the end and the fish are harvested. The net protects the fish from predators, has no hooks to snag other species, and the eventual stocks have that "wild" taste and color that we all have forgotten in the era of artificially colored, Costco/Walmart packages.

We sold our sporty car (twin-turbo V6) and bought a much more economical one.

We use cloth nappies (diapers) on our baby.

We bought an inflatable pool for cooling off in the summer, rather than air conditioning.

We don't shower together often, because that tends to use more water than showering separately, for some odd reason...

We support the ban on nuclear power in New Zealand, even though it means the US government won't negotiate a free trade agreement, maintains oppressive tarrifs on our goods, and doesn't count us as an "ally". Bastards.

We recycle.

We eat no meat from animals traded with growth hormones.

We buy free range eggs.

We increase the amount of love in the world by raising golden retrievers.

We buy veggies from the local produce market rather than the supermarket, to reduce food miles.

We buy New Zealand made products, given a choice, to reduce freight miles on goods.

We buy from Freddy and Eddy, to allow them to afford organic produce.

We never litter.

We're courteous to others, except when they are being complete tossers.

We take telephone surveys when convenient, and are not rude to the poor bastards trying to make a living that way.

We give the the Salvation Army, because they do a lot to make the world better. Even a little goes a long way.

Speaking of ants, if they end up inside the house, like by the door and around the sink and stuff, you can use bay leaves for that.

Otherwise, personally, we use generics when we can including boxed food and things (when you're broke you have to do something for a while).

Walk whenever we can

When we go out and about we try to hit as many places as we need in one trip

Drive vehicles that are more economic especially with gas prices now-a-days

Give back to our community

Give the kids something to look forward to in their future

My sweet husband forgot to mention that we also considerately keep pace with other drivers on the road, thereby reducing road rage and possible resulting accidents.

He also didn't mention our dual-flush reduced capacity toilets. We don't use the same kind of toilets you in the states do. The shape is different and there is a small well of water at the bottom rather than a full bowl of water. Upon pressing the button, water comes rushing in to flush away the waste rather than draining IYKWIM. Anyhoo, our loo has two buttons - one for if you just did a number one (which only flushes half the water), and one for if you do a number two. It's also the most water efficient system. Many families (particularly if they're on tank water) have the maxim "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" - only flushing for faeces, but Kiwi thinks that's manky, so every visit to the toilet is accompanied by a flush.

We use an induction cooking top/hob (as opposed to gas/electric/ceramic etc) because it's the most energy efficient and safest.

For any appliance purchases, energy consumption and efficiency is taken into consideration.

We're currently considering adding solar-powered water heating to our house. My parents have just done that and are finding it works great.