Are you green?

[monster]

We reuse and recycle and generally only generate about two grocery bags of landfill a week -not too bad for a familly of 5. I hate the light from the fluorescent bulbs so we mostly use regular ones and we keep our house at a comfortable temperature. We grow our own veg in summer -but mostly because it's fun.

Water and paper may be "renewable" , but it takes energy and creates pollution to recycle the water and make the paper. Renewable is not necessary green. Also putting paper into landfill trash instead of recycling increases the amount of land needed for landfill and the time before land used for landfill can be reused. (Obviously not such a big issue if you live in an area where trash is burned or where there is so much ugly countryside that no-one cares if you render it uninhabitable).

I hate taking the children to the bus stop on trash day. I feel like such a garbage nazi because I hate to see people's trash cans filled with compostable garden waste, styrofoam, cardboard boxes etc. because they are too damn lazy or too stupid to care. It's not like we don't have free curbside recyclables pick-up at the same damn time -all they had to do was separate it out...... (I have yet to go so far as to interfere.....yet....)

[Drax]

Originally Posted by monster

Water and paper may be "renewable" , but it takes energy and creates pollution to recycle the water

Why recycle something nature can renew? Can you even recycle water? I need some explanation here.

Originally Posted by monster

Also putting paper into landfill trash instead of recycling increases the amount of land needed for landfill and the time before land used for landfill can be reused.

After reading this, I would have to agree that recycling paper is better.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by Drax

Why recycle something nature can renew? Can you even recycle water? I need some explanation here.

Yes you can recycle water.
Water reuse is a way to turn septic into either drinkable or groundwater for your yard. This is actually great if you have septic inspections because people with these types of systems usually pass because it insures that no septic water seeps into the groundwater and a proper leech fiield. It doesn't take that much energy, just microbiotic bugs. I think it's fascinating. Of course my husband does this for a living so naturally I would.

See Fuji systems, the slud*ehammer etc. Water recycling can be done on larger scales with very little energy consumption. That is the way they are designed and their selling point. They can also be used at your business like rest. etc. to clean your grease traps or home. Governments are going to start using the small scale systems to create larger systems for areas that have trouble even getting water, or water that is not potable. They are going to start selling plants to 3rd world areas at a price point (loan) so they will be able to then, sustain themselves.

Here's a water recycler for septic tanks...It's better than a tank oozing with crap. Cleans up your shit...and Tom Cruise's apparently.
http://www.sludgehammer.net/Press/Su...tMagazine.html

Not everyone has great access to potable water. Not like we do here...it's going to become even more scarce for lots of states even in the US and worse...the people who can't afford to even waste it.

Nature can't renew septic water. lol! Silly schmutz. Some of it is full of human disease.

I like their tag line: Nature called. We answered.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ah ha, the truth is out. You've been hanging around for a year and a half just waiting for a chance to spam for Sludgehammer.

Seriously though, that sort of thing is going to become critical, as the Ogallala aquifer gets drawn down faster than it can recover.

[Dingleschmutz]

Originally Posted by Cicero

lol! Silly schmutz.

What do I have to do with anything? I will not endorse your product.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Drax

Why recycle something nature can renew? Can you even recycle water? I need some explanation here.

You're shitting me? You don't even know the basics? I thought you liked all those educational tv programs.

How does nature "renew" water? What do you think happens to the water that goes down your drain? There is not an infinite amount of water sat up in the sky waiting to fall to earth, or buried underground waiting to be pumped up. Oh, you know what, here: http://www.kidzone.ws/WATER/ Water is finite. it follows a cycle and is used time and time again. Therefore it is recycled, right? Now, do you put all your waste in the back yard for the liquid to evaporate? No you sent it somewhere else to be cleaned and release back into the cycle. Recycling. Water is not a "renewable" resource in the sense that paper is. You don't just grow more. it is recyclable. It's the best example of recycling around. When nature does it. But modern human water use dirties/contaminates it, requiring cleaning that is not as "green" as not dirtying it in the first place.