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 Want to reduce Global Warming?Moderators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Wellness -> Diet and Nutrition | Message format |
Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098   Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| Orbilia |
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| yogagirl |
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| What's happening to the world literually i mean Edmund Hillary, the first climber to conquer Mount Everest with his Sherpa guide, on Monday urged that the world’s highest mountain be placed on the United Nations’ list of endangered heritage sites because of the risks of climate change. Himalayan lakes are swelling from the runoff of melting glaciers, environmental campaigners warned as the 29th session of the U.N. Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee got under way in Durban. The warming of the environment of the Himalayas has increased noticeably over the last 50 years. This has caused several and severe floods from glacial lakes and much disruption to the environment and local people,” Hillary said in a statement. “Draining the lakes before they get to a dangerous condition is the only way to stop disasters.” What is happening here is it all the pallution what ???  | |||
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| Orbilia |
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| From what I remember from my minor in Oceanography, the earth's most common state over the millenia has been without ice caps at the poles. Technically, we're still in an inter-glacial period, i.e. we're still in the last Ice Age, as we still have ice at the poles. The cycles of freezing and warming are related to the erratic orbit of the earth around the sun and the changes in angle of the Earth's axis. These changes mean that certain times in Earth's history, we have been closer or further away from the sun. This has been ascertained by looking at the relative ratios of the two isotopes of oxygen present at different levels in ice core samples taken from those parts of the world with permafrost. The less common isotope is present in greater quantities when temperatures have been lower at the time the ice was deposited. What is different this time is that the earth is warming up faster than on previous occassions. The evidence now strongly indicates that man's activities are to blame. When we burn fossil fuels or otherwise release certain chemical types (e.g. CFCs, CO2), the composition of the air changes. These changes have two effects broadly speaking. The first is that heat generated on the Earth's surface does not dissipate into space as freely. The second is that more UV radiation reaches the Earth's surface from the sun. The nett effect is that the planet heats up. This situation is aggrevated by wide-scale deforestation as plant life absorbs free CO2 and locks the carbon away. It is thought that pollution of the world's oceans is also causing more carbon to be in it's free forms as pollution affects the amount of phytoplankton. As phytoplankton forms the bottom of the food chain, this means that there is less life as a whole present. As life locks up CO2 and other free forms of carbon, guess what, this means more global warming! There are many, many similar interactions between the oceans, the atmosphere, and life on Earth. The quantity of these interactions makes it very difficult to model how the Earth 'works' and so, exactly what any one of man's activities is responsible for what effect. Most scientists now agree that we are cr@pping on our own doorstep and just argue over the size of the heap  Unfortunately, certain top politicians are still refusing to accept it's man causing the problem so won't sign their countries up to environmental targets designed to cut emissions and so, hopefully reduce the rate of heating (reversal's going to take longer than most of us will live, let alone the longevity of the average political term). Personally, I think they are missing the point. It doesn't really matter to what extent man is fouling his nest, as a basic principle we should have more respect for ourselves and the rest of life on Earth and not leave our mess lying around. After all, you don't let your kids off from cleaning their room just because you don't have to sleep in it. Fee Edited by Orbilia 2005-07-12 10:29 AM | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| yogagirl |
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i hope the world will stop fighting and come togeather maybe then we can fine cures and new stuff that can help us    | |||
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| jeansyoga |
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| Not to devalue the very valid points being made here, but wouldn't we produce a lot less pollution if we quit driving SUV's? The U.S.A. is repeatedly recognized for being one of the top polluters and contributors to global warming. Do we really eat THAT MUCH more meat than the rest of the world? Or is it that most of us just have to have 3 or 4 gas-guzzling trucks and sport-wagons in the driveway? Present company excepted, of course. Everyone knows that yogis only ride bikes or drive hybrids, right?  With recycled tires and environmentally-friendly paint. Of course I could be way off on this, maybe it IS the meat . . . after all we do like large portions around here! No small beef patties for us, only triple-quarter-pounders with cheese (hey, my brother eats those)! And this WAS a report from the U.K. - do they realize how big our cars are? Have they seen the Ford Escalade? That thing is a monster. | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442    | Hey - watch it on the SUV thing! It is one generalization that gets my back up. My DH drives an SUV because he NEEDS it. His job requires a vehicle that can carry tonnes of computer equipment plus he usually takes along his mountain bike, road bike, kayaks, canoes, running gear and/or a gaggle of friends to do all that exciting stuff. Why doesn't anyone ever b*tch about mini-vans? We have families at my school who have two of them, all loaded up with car seats and enough juice boxes and toys for the whole school. And I'll bet their gas mileage is worse than our SUV... I get a little defensive whenever the average householder is "blamed" for pollution, waste etc. Yes, there is a lot we can do and a lot of us are doing the best we can to get "green" and be better caretakers of the planet. We rarely seem to go after the big guys - the REAL heavy polluters and wasters. I bought eggs awhile ago at Safeway. They came from ALBERTA. I live in BC on the coast. That is like getting eggs from Montana to truck out and sell in Seattle. Crazy!  The cost in environmental terms is absolutely absurd. I know we have enough local farms to produce eggs for my area. And you gotta figure they probably grow an egg or two fairly close to Seattle. And if they don't, they should. Back in the 60's when we got McD's in town, they bought all their meat locally. I remember watching our local butcher proudly making the patties with a fancy new machine he bought - so the local economy benefitted and it probably went right down the line to the closest beef rancher. Then some bright accountant got the idea to centralize and not only reduced the butcher's income but made a poor environmentl choice, as well. Some things have to be imported - we just can't grow bananas in Canada and I doubt there are many places in the US that can grow them, either. And let's not even consider the idea of doing without chocolate and coffee...  And waste is just getting worse and worse. I went in for a little medical test today and was appalled at how much stuff went straight to the garbage in order for me to have an IV. The nurse was wearing a plastic apron (reminded me of those awful plastic baby bibs from fast food joints) and they had a disposable cover on the pillows in spite of the fact that the cotton cover was removed and the pillow sanitized after each patient was done. There are studies now that are showing that using all this disposable stuff does not reduce infection rates any more than the old fashioned sterilization did so it is just waste, plain and simple. And this is in "aware" N. America. I hear it is worse still in 3rd world countries  So while I agree it is important to do what we can, we really need to call the big corporations to task and make sure they start getting the message that we want to buy locally and from companies that value eco-friendly practices. They ARE beginning to make less-polluting cars using fewer raw materials because of consumer pressure. We won't be able to get a hybrid next because the hybrid Escape is built on a car chassis and will frankly not stand up the the mileage on and off road that Mr. tourist puts on his cars. (He has had a few small cars that he pretty much drove into the ground - it was like giving an elephant sized task to a little pony. The poor little things. If they could have committed car-acide, I'm sure they would have!  ) But we are looking at the Subaru SUV's because they can do the job, get better mileage and last as well as the big Explorer. There is no use just buying "disposable" cars every couple of years and making more fodder for the landfills. And no more eggs from Safeway! I'll go to the store tha buys locally or go back to driving out the farm and getting them there. But.... then I am polluting by all that extra driving....you can't win really, can you?  | ||
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| qlatina |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | zoebird - I agree! Giving up meat would be a cinch compared to giving up my car. My ten minute "commute" would turn into an hour and a half or more if I had to bus and walk. But where will you get fuel for the greasecar if nobody eats meat anymore??? | ||
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| yogagirl |
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| it's in my culture we like to make tamales and my family always like to barbacue and then my papa and mama make a tones of BEANS it's really good now...... i am hungry so bye .. | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | The BIG sacrifice issue...hmm what to do?? Well, if I gave up my car, I would have to walk at least 3 days to get to civilization...I would ride a horse, but some SUV would come along and knock me off the mountain,  So, what I did, was I gave up the big Suburban (yes it was justified because I travel and take my entire zoo with me sometimes), but now I'm back to driving my car which I've had for 8 years, drinks less gas, but it can't carry the zoo. Poor Yoda, he takes up the entire back seat, he eats my ipod headsets and Rudraksha malas that hang from my visor when I stop to get gas or do a quick run into a store - IT would not be this way if I were still in my surburban...but its okay, we are adapting. When I posted what I did previously, I didn't mean that we should all stop our lives completely and give up everything. I personally feel that it took many years to put this way of life into place and cannot be undone that simply. What I meant was looking at the future and as a whole group (the planet, the world, people) we should unite and look at ways to UNDO what we have done, make the necessary changes...but yet, be productive at the same time. Who knows what will happen, who knows if Mother Earth can sustain us at this point and how long she will continue, but we do have an opportunity to do something really major, healthier and for God's sake, we definitely have the technology to do it, we just have to get everyone off their stingy butts and stop hoarding everything and disperse our knowledge, technology, money, everything so that the entire world can benefit and so that the earth can be balanced. Also, if there are culture's that do NOT want to be a part of the technology, if they choose NATURE, we should also have respect for them to live on the earth in peace and in their NATURAL habitat's without any interference...which means we can't pollute the environment they need to survive. Anyway, this is the most complicated subject on the planet because their are so many things that need addressing and unfortunately, these things are NOT being addressed properly, if at all and most of the leaders are selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and downright greedy and meanspirited...so because of that, it makes it very difficult to address without someone telling you that you are wierd and are a liberal (which I'm not any of those categories)...or worse, when people think you are into yoga, alternative things, or basically just NATURAL PERIOD, you seem to loose your common ground in this strange society. Edited by Cyndi 2005-07-13 9:43 AM | ||
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| tourist: it runs on vegetable grease. i don't think it would run on animal grease (fat). greasecar.com has more information. yogagirl: guess what? my family BBQs too, and makes tamales (even though we're not latino/a or caribbean), and eats a lot of meat. It's a large part of 'my' culture too. and yet, i still manage to do it. so, i think it's possible. i'm not saying you have to, or that anyone has to do anything, but that it's possible. cyndi: it is a very complex issue. i strive to do little things every day that will decrease my environmental impact in general, not just with global warming. there's a great book called Your Money or Your Life that is about simplifying one's life in a myriad of ways that saves money, is creates far less waste, etc. It's a great book. I haven't 'gone all the way' as far as the book describes, but i've been able to do some things that really make a difference. For example, those cholox wipes are really popular. Well, instead of buying those for 'quick cleaning' i learned from a cleaning book (from the 50s or whatever) that i could use a vinegar and water mix in a fancy little jar or container and just keep a wash cloth in there. as long as i changed the mixture every few days (which only takes a couple of minutes) and change the cloth every few days, it's just as clean as using the disposable wipes. it saved me a lot of money AND it creates less waste, the chemicals for cleaning are less toxic, etc. So, it's cool things like that. I think that if more individuals just did a lot of little things, it would be a start in the right direction. Then, people would start to come together and make big changes. It takes a little thing, a little change in habit, to get big things rolling, i think. | |||
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| bigmamma |
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| jeansyoga |
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| Just to touch back on the SUV issue (I know it's sort of off-topic but I want to rectify any possible offense). Yes, some people do need an SUV or truck! 4-wheel drive is a necessity for some locations and lifestyles, and so is a big pickup bed. My dad has a big ol Dodge Ram and my mom has a Blazer (which she hand-painted purple and put flower stickers all over - don't ask). They live waaaay out in the country on a farm, and during Michigan winters could not get out of their driveway without those vehicles. Whether my mom should EVER take the purple-sticker-mobile out of the driveway is another question altogether! On the other hand, my neighbor is an engineer and works in an office, and his wife does not work at all. They do NOT need 3 pickup trucks, an SUV and a sedan. Unfortunately there are a lot more owners like him than like you guys. Didn't mean to make harsh generalizations there . . . some people really do need that type of transportation. But, there are not enough of them to justify the sales levels in the U.S.! Most of those vehicles are sold to suburban commandos whose most important goal in life is to have bigger toys than their neighbors. I've actually been asked to park my micro-machine down the block because it's Japanese and they didn't want to offend the other party guests ("We're Ford people here"). Shoot, I could park it in one of their truck beds and no one would be the wiser! Also agree that we could all ride bikes and it wouldn't make enough of a difference if the big corporations didn't quit belching pollution into the air. They certainly make more than their share of mess. | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Jean, You know what's really funny?? Is when an Corporate SUV person comes to the country and they have to drive it off road....they FREAK OUT!! I've actually heard them say, I can't drive my car on that road....I say, "Duh, you dingbat, what the he*^ do you think that vehicle was designed to do, LOL!!!!!!!!! It is so ridiculous to go to Buckhead, Atlanta, GA and see all these Hummers and SUV's...they don't have a friggin clue about what those vehicles are designed for...its all a show for the EGO!!! Meanwhile, me here in the mountains driving my car on my gravel road, pot holes and all, sometimes it scrapes, big deal. Sometimes I want to go back to the SUV, (husband drives the Grand Cherokee), but I really don't like having to spend $75 on GAS!! Anyway, my 4-wheelers get great gas mileage and I do use them in the winter time and they are fun, | ||
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| Orbilia |
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| I agree. There are a lot of little things we can all do : Only have lights we're using on Turn down the heating /air-con a few degrees Use both sides of the paper in a notebook Only use the water you really need Fix leaking water pipes/taps, etc, etc And remember re-use is more efficient than re-cycle. For the rest, we have to pester our politicians, and vote with our feet and money commercially. One thing I think is really cool is that there is a zero-emmissions electric small car on sale in the UK that is exempt from the Congestion Charge (a toll on driving in London). So, ok, it's not as fast/powerful as other cars but you get thanked for not polluting. A good partnership between the individual and government in action Fee Edited by Orbilia 2005-07-13 12:23 PM | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Cyndi - I love taking our SUV off road but honestly don't get the chance too often. A couple of years ago DH was in a big adventure race (actually, he did it a few times) up in the mountains. I loved being able to go up to the highest checkpoint with all four mountain bikes, a day's worth of food, spare clothes and all that loaded up in the Explorer. It was farm roads that washed out every winter - pretty rough! But I was able to get through and pass all sorts of folks in city type cars who were in ditches etc. I did like to "complain" to my team that the cd changer kept skipping on my way up there. LOL After those races the SUV always looked like they look in the commercials - covered with mud and dust and really happy | ||
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| yogagirl |
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zoebird - 2005-07-13 8:54 AM tourist: it runs on vegetable grease. i don't think it would run on animal grease (fat). greasecar.com has more information. yogagirl: guess what? my family BBQs too, and makes tamales (even though we're not latino/a or caribbean), and eats a lot of meat. It's a large part of 'my' culture too. and yet, i still manage to do it. so, i think it's possible. i'm not saying you have to, or that anyone has to do anything, but that it's possible. TRU .... i have a question if you go hunting (which i did with my grandpa we killed a deer ....a baby deer ) is that illegal ?? Just wondering | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | |||
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| jeansyoga |
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| Do you mean "illegal" in the criminal sense or in the spiritual sense? In most states it's not a criminal offense to hunt, although it is usually restricted to certain times of the year. As far as spiritually, that's between you and your higher power . . . A question for our cable-watching friends (sorry if this leaves out folks outside the U.S.): has anyone been watching the show "30 Days" on the FX channel? It is produced/hosted by Morgan Spurlock, the guy that made the Supersize Me film. The premise is, it takes people out of their element for 30 days and makes them experience a completely different lifestyle. Last night, it showed a pair of city-dwellers transplanted to an "off the grid" commune called Dancing Rabbit. They created all their own power, grew all their own food, recycled their own manure even. It was very interesting!! Also it throws in interesting tidbits about the subject at hand, so last night I learned about a dairy farm that converts all the cow-pies into power. The farmer not only makes enough power to run the whole farm, but enough surplus power so that the electric company pays him a dividend each month! Neato! | |||
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| jeansyoga |
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