How to fight climate change... for reals.

[begreen]

True, but I think it'd be easier to convince people to turn their thermostat down a few degrees in winter, than to actually affect any long-term self-imposed change in one's driving habits. Put otherwise, folks who buy 500 hp cars are rarely spending that extra money with the intent of driving like your grandmother.

With gas way over $5 a gallon the drop in speed was immediately noticeable locally, especially for trucks.

 

[stoveliker]

Buy local. Pass on the French wine and get something from the US, preferably made in the state. Pass on buying strawberries out of season, etc.
Recycle responsibly. Find out where your recycling goes and choose the most responsible path. (Hint, choose another if connected to a landfill company)
Make clothing last and don't shop for the latest fashions. Buy natural fiber clothes, they are much more recyclable when worn out.
Drive less, walk and bike more. Use public transit when available
Live simpler.

Actually, for West coast people the "no French wine" is valid. For east coast people the opposite is true:

(broken link removed to https://www.drvino.com/2009/04/14/the-carbon-footprint-of-wine-in-national-geographic/)

Courtesy of the trucking habit of the US (as opposed to river barges that are not easily going W-E here, or rail, that has been neglected).

Wine from your own state wins though, most likely. I'm not enamored by NY wines though (yet?).

 

[begreen]

That appears to be a flawed study. A lot of truck containers travel by rail across the country instead of all the way by truck. This was not accounted for according to the authors. There are also several decent east coast wines that should have been accounted for. And the Bordeaux region trucks a lot of wine to port. How is that accounted for?
(also note that this article is 13 yrs old.)

 

[stoveliker]

The latter part (Bordeaux transport) is accounted for in the paper.
This is the original paper:

Red, white and 'green': the cost of carbon in the global wine trade

Downloadable! Climate change is altering a wide range of human activities, including wine making. While wine may appear to be one of the most natural alcoholic beverages, it is not without carbon inputs and emissions, which contribute to the very change in climate that is altering both wine and...

ideas.repec.org

I do agree that I see no evidence that they took into account the distribution of transportation mechanisms in this country, which they should have. (I still doubt that the fraction of rail transport is significant from coast to coast. In particular considering the need to avoid overheating the wine, as noted in that paper. I believe the latter (cooling) is easier with a truck - though very energy intensive.)

They did a few case studies, it appears to me, rather than a study involving accurate percentages of transportation mechanisms.
Nevertheless, the blanket conclusion "US wine is better on the CO2 balance than French wine" is not correct imo.

 

[woodgeek]

I'm making a switch today that might be relevant.... FOOD.

I've been reducing my meat consumption for years, and modified many of my favorite recipes to work well with Impossible Burger. This makes most of them (ovo-lacto) vegetarian. My kids are veggies, and so I have also been buying some (very nice) fake chicken nuggets for them we eat sometimes. This reduced the climate impacts of meat production in my diet.

That said, Impossible is also high fat (coconut, to be precise) and I still eat a LOT of dairy, so this diet not necessarily any healthier, and the dairy still has a large climate impact....

The problem: I think straight veganism is not super healthy AND restrictive AND a PITA when going to restaurants or dinners at friends houses. And ovo-lacto vegetarianism (which I am getting close to) is not that better for you if you are heavy on the ovo and lacto.

The plan (inspired by a radio interview I heard with Bittman):

Step 1: Bittman called it Vegan before 6PM. That is, breakfast and lunch (and any snacks before 6PM) are full VEGAN. After 6, you can eat what you want. I think part of the idea is that vegan substitution 'leaks' into your after 6 eating a lot of the time too.

This is not too hard for me, bc those meals are pretty easy. I just need to find a good non dairy milk for my cereal/oatmeal breakfast, and to put in my coffee/decaf. And alter my lunches a little to make them full vegan.

Step 2: After 6PM, when eating by myself, I will eat ovo-lacto vegetarian OR vegan. So I can make the meals I have been enjoying for the last few years that are richer and more flavorful. But not eating those leftovers for lunch will make my diet healthier.

Step 3: Eating out with other people or invited to their homes after 6 PM, I can eat meat. Whatever they are cooking. Kinda like how I drink alcohol socially, but not when home alone, or before 6PM.

I figure you all think this sounds nutso, but I'm really excited to try it. I think it combines the best features of all these meals. Most of my meals will be vegan. I will have a non-vegan meal every day (if I want). Sweets and desserts (non-vegan) will be limited to after dinner, not midday snacks. And when I go to a (dinner) restaurant or a party I have complete freedom.

I think the result will be healthier for me and the climate, since my dairy will go way down.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[begreen]

We eat locally raised chicken, once a week and regionally caught fish once a week. The rest is vegetarian. Eggs come from down the street. Cheese, however, has traveled. That may be our big carbon sink, especially the imported stuff. Fortunately, there are some good cheesemakers in the PacNW, so the imported stuff is not a common item in comparison, but we do like a good feta and parmesano/romano.

 

[tlc1976]

With gas way over $5 a gallon the drop in speed was immediately noticeable locally, especially for trucks.

I haven’t seen it here. Even at over $5 a gallon there’s more tourist traffic here than ever. Everyone complains but nobody does anything about it.

Big difference to when gas went way up in the late 2000s. Tourism went way down. Campgrounds were practically empty. Some weekends I was the only one there. People were driving easy or not at all. Others were pulling old Geo Metros and VWs out of fields and selling them for thousands.

 

[begreen]

The tourists are usually the slowest drivers here, gawking at the views. And so many people are out on the highways camping that traffic is often traveling at 10-20mph below the speed limit. I don't even try to go out on hikes or camping on the weekends. Judging by the license plates, most seem to be in-state.

 

[Poindexter]

With great reluctance I will suggest keeping a couple or three chickens. We raised so many chickens on the farm when I was a kid that I pretty well never (hardly ever) eat chicken anymore - however - chickens can turn kitchen scraps into eggs. You can compost that stuff to keep it out of the waste stream, or you can know what the next chicken in your stew pot ate for the entire life cycle while it was laying eggs for you. Or you can grind up your vegetable peels to feed the bacteria at the water treatment plant.

If you got enough acreage and enough kids and therefore enough vegetable peelings you could think about one pig and two chickens. Both pigs and chickens are very social creatures, I don't recommend getting just one and have to deal with it being lonely.

I wonder if anyone has found a successful way for inner city residents to get their potato peels onto a compost heap.

 

[EbS-P]

True, but I think it'd be easier to convince people to turn their thermostat down a few degrees in winter, than to actually affect any long-term self-imposed change in one's driving habits. Put otherwise, folks who buy 500 hp cars are rarely spending that extra money with the intent of driving like your grandmother.

And I think that is where taxes and legislation come into play. In general, individual choices could be much much greener. I’m not advocating limiting choices, but maybe taxing them. I think we should should pass a fossil fuel tax. Maybe just a national sales tax on everything but food. 1/4 of one percent?

Like we established, the wallet is the driving factor for change. I’m sure there is a point where the desire for speed and power becomes to costly for an individual.

 

[EbS-P]

With great reluctance I will suggest keeping a couple or three chickens. We raised so many chickens on the farm when I was a kid that I pretty well never (hardly ever) eat chicken anymore - however - chickens can turn kitchen scraps into eggs. You can compost that stuff to keep it out of the waste stream, or you can know what the next chicken in your stew pot ate for the entire life cycle while it was laying eggs for you. Or you can grind up your vegetable peels to feed the bacteria at the water treatment plant.

If you got enough acreage and enough kids and therefore enough vegetable peelings you could think about one pig and two chickens. Both pigs and chickens are very social creatures, I don't recommend getting just one and have to deal with it being lonely.

I wonder if anyone has found a successful way for inner city residents to get their potato peels onto compost?

Countertop composter 500$
Lomi | Electric Kitchen Composter | Turn Waste to Compost with a Single Button by Pela Earth https://a.co/d/gEjtGWk

Vermont has a state law banning food waste from the trash.

 

[begreen]

Vermont has a state law banning food waste from the trash.

Seattle does too. There is a separate collection bin for yard and food waste. Locally I met a woman who loves composting. She lived in NYC for decades and composted there too. Bokashi composting or a worm bin pail is a solution for apartments.

 

[woodgeek]

Seattle does too. There is a separate collection bin for yard and food waste. Locally I met a woman who loves composting. She lived in NYC for decades and composted there too. Bokashi composting or a worm bin pail is a solution for apartments.

The New Yawkers I know like to compost bc for many years it was illegal to have garbage disposals in NYC. Don't know if that is still true.

 

[peakbagger]

Seattle does too. There is a separate collection bin for yard and food waste. Locally I met a woman who loves composting. She lived in NYC for decades and composted there too. Bokashi composting or a worm bin pail is a solution for apartments.

VT sends all its trash to one landfill owned by Casella up in Newport VT, the landfill leaks into a large fresh water marsh that runs into fresh water lake that is partially in the US and partially in Canada. Leachate collected from the landfill goes to the Newport VT waterwater treatment facility which is fairly primitive small community system, primary to settle out the solids and secondary to clean up BOD. It doesnt really touch contaminants. There is plume of contaminants entering the lake from the treatment plant discharge which happens to be on the outlet of the fresh water marsh. The Canadians are very upset about the contaminants going in the lake but they cant do much.

VT passed a law to exclude compostables from the waste stream. There was a firm that tried municipal composting but their waste stream was contaminated with pesticides laden organics and caused all sorts of issues until they went out of business. A new firm arose and started to get serious and divert the compostable wastefrom the Casella landfill. Casella bought them. VT is not a shining example at this point.

 

[stoveliker]

What a shame, knowing the leaching of pollutants and not fixing the problem at its cause.

 

[EbS-P]

Today we started cloth diapers.

Told my wife she could pick a new girl print. She picked a two cover starter set for 100$ Definitely not a money saving venture.

And I started a compost bucket. Will figure out a bin later this week.

So there are my August and probably September green commitments.

October maybe a wood fired hot tub.

 

[begreen]

We were fortunate to have a good baby diaper service in Seattle with our boys. That was worth every penny.

 

[EbS-P]

We were fortunate to have a good baby diaper service in Seattle with our boys. That was worth every penny.

Now I need an elastic replacement service. Couldn’t remember when we stopped with cloth. It was some time around the age of two for the third boy. All the elastic being washed (but never tumbled dried) once or twice a week for probably close to seven years and there’s no stretch left. Grandma and her sewing machine to the rescue again. The stuffed animal hospital calls will will have to wait line after the diapers.

 

[Ashful]

With gas way over $5 a gallon the drop in speed was immediately noticeable locally, especially for trucks.

On the commercial side of things, yes... I'd believe it. But for passenger cars, all I noticed was people driving less, not slower. In fact, if anything, the reduced road congestion seemed to allow traffic to flow more quickly than any other time in recent memory.

 

[Ashful]

I’m not advocating limiting choices, but maybe taxing them. I think we should should pass a fossil fuel tax.

You and I think alike, at least in this regard. Choices should not be limited, but pay to play is fair.

However, we already have pretty substantial federal and state taxes on every gallon of fossil fuels, nearly $0.80/gallon in my state. That doesn't sound like a lot in the face of $5/gallon gasoline, but remember it was in the $2's prior to 2021.

At the same time, we have tax rebates for those buying EVs, which is arguably an effective tax penalty on those not buying EVs. Seems like we are already where you propose we go.

 

[semipro]

On the commercial side of things, yes... I'd believe it. But for passenger cars, all I noticed was people driving less, not slower. In fact, if anything, the reduced road congestion seemed to allow traffic to flow more quickly than any other time in recent memory.

You're right - average vehicle speeds did increase during COVID-19 when fewer vehicles were on the road. I got the info straight from the state DOTs.

 

[peakbagger]

I agree when the roads were empty, a lot of the highways were racetracks. I didnt see the slowdown until the volume and gas prices went backup. It will be interesting to see if the speed creeps up as the gas prices drift down. I still see plenty of 3/4 and 1 tons hauling 10,000# trailers loaded with ATVs from Mass driving up to my town in Northern NH every weekend. My house is just off the top of 500 foot hill on the main highway. Its got a runway truck ramp on the downhill side. I will pull my plug in EV into the slow lane at the base of the hill and go the speed limit and watch the fully loaded ATV trucks floor it up the passing lane to 10 to 15 over the speed limit. They must be able to see the gas gauge moving as they head up that hill

 

[Ashful]

I think you'd have to be a very uniquely and especially frugal individual, to have a level of self-control sufficient to change your driving habits for more than a few minutes, based on gas prices.

Driving less? Easy.

But driving slower? I just don't believe it's a phenomenon affecting the masses.

 

[semipro]

I think you'd have to be a very uniquely and especially frugal individual, to have a level of self-control sufficient to change your driving habits for more than a few minutes, based on gas prices.

Driving less? Easy.

But driving slower? I just don't believe it's a phenomenon affecting the masses.

Funny - Since I've started to drive an EV with at best an 80-mile range I've become painfully aware of the relationship between vehicle speed, the non-linear losses associated with wind resistance, and impacts on energy consumption.
It's really frustrating to have a car that wants to go faster than I'm willing to as a driver.
I guess the converse might even be more frustrating though.

 

[EbS-P]

I think you'd have to be a very uniquely and especially frugal individual, to have a level of self-control sufficient to change your driving habits for more than a few minutes, based on gas prices.

Driving less? Easy.

But driving slower? I just don't believe it's a phenomenon affecting the masses.

When the colonial pipeline shut down I was able to change how I drive and went from 15 mpg to 18.5 around town. When most of the gas stations are closed and the lines are blocks long at the ones with gas you change how you drive.

After Katrina when gas went up. I didn’t use 2nd or 4th gear.

And my bleeding heart Environmentalists views have been transformed by almost every mom driving a full sized and SUV and dad in his 3/4 ton truck (Upper middle class southerners….. still haven’t quite figured them all out) I’d be fine with doubling the gas tax as long as it went to good use and not the NC DOT.