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Can You Afford to "Go Green"?

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Can You Afford to "Go Green"?

from JoeUser Forums

I watched GMA this morning and, like a lot of other talk realted shows recently, they focused on "gowing green".  They showed all sorts of "green" products for the home.  All the while I was wondering what everything cost.  At the end of the segment they addressed the cost issue with the answer of "All of these products are comparable to regular products on the market".

I don't know for sure about those products but I do know that a lot of the "environmentally friendly" products at the supermarket cost sometimes up to double the average price.  Not only that, but it isn't easy to find sheets made with bamboo fiber or VOC free paint.  I'm not even convinced that those products are all that helpful.

I just wonder if all of these celebs that are pushing the "green life" are living it.  One instance that made me chuckle was the Cheryl Crow tour where she is going to college campuses to talk about going green and she is contributing by riding in a bus that burns corn oil.  What about the pollutants that the corn oil is producing.  Sure, it's an alternative fuel but is it a good alternative?

I hope people aren't just gobbling up these "green" products as a knee jerk reaction and as a way of being able to say "See, I'm doing my part!"  Don't get me wrong, I think there are plenty of things that we should do to conserve resources.  I just think that people need to use their brains about it.

I think we need to get away from being such a disposable society but in order to do that, two things need to change 1) We have to have products that we can repair and then reuse and 2) We have to have products that cost less to repair than it costs to just by a new one.  Right now, far too many products in our lives are easier and less expensive to merely replace than to repair and reuse.

I also think that we are going to have to slow down.  As of right now we are expected to go, go, go all the time.  Where is the time to make your own ___, repair your ___, or even make changes in our homes in order to save energy and resources.  Anymore, if it isn't simply a matter of a phone call, stop at the store or visit to a website, most people don't do it.

We used to make our own clothes, patch them and hand them down.  Now, we don't have the time and it often cost less to buy an article of clothing than to buy the materials and make it.

I guess I can't complain too much about the steps people are taking since I don't have any answers to the problem myself.

8,069 views 38 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top

There is a really good example of a simple way for people to "go green", but they dont out of pure laziness.

Don't use plastic bags at the supermarket!

Reply #27 from JoeUser Forums Top

There is a really good example of a simple way for people to "go green", but they dont out of pure laziness.
Don't use plastic bags at the supermarket!
This isn't entirely true.  I often forget to bring bags and even when I do, it seems I always have too many groceries to fit.  I reuse the plastic bags over and over again though.  Also, my supermarket uses more bio friendly bags and whenever I can, I get paper bags but it is really difficult to handle a baby and paper bags that have no handles.

But I do agree that you should bring bags whenever you can and most people simply never do.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top
think that recycling hard to manufacture (or easy to recycle) things is a good idea, too. I mean, why throw out cardboard when it can be recycled so easily? I think the garbage in the dumps will overwhelm us before man made "global warming" ever has a chance.


I agree and that's where I focus most of my own attention when it comes to reducing waste. I recycle my old clothing for cleaning rags and such instead of just tossing them out. I use my own mug when I buy coffee to avoid disposable cups, use a backpack instead of the plastic shopping bags most store use these days, etc.

I try to not throw away anything that can be reused in some fashion. I try to buy products that are bulk packaged when I can and store them in glass jars so as to avoid throwing out a lot of packaging.

A lot of these things can actually save you money as well as reducing waste. I know riding my bicycle instead of driving sure saves a lot of gas money. (but I'll admit that lately I have been seriously considering buying another Harley)

Reply #30 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have NEVER seen anyone bring their own bags to the grocery store. Tell me more about this.
Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top

I have NEVER seen anyone bring their own bags to the grocery store. Tell me more about this.


I see it all the time where I live. I just use a backpack as I am only shopping for myself (and riding a bicycle to boot), but I often see people who bring their own canvas or cloth bags for their groceries. I think it's far better than those terrible plastic bags every store uses these days. I have a small backpack that I carry in my rig that I use when buying things in truck stops. The only time I let them bag stuff in those plastic bags is when I need the plastic bags to use as trash bags in the truck (a handy way of reusing them and saving money by not buying trash bags).
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top

I often see people who bring their own canvas or cloth bags for their groceries.
I have a couple of canvas ones that I got over the years from magazine subscriptions and I have a couple of cloth ones from Stardock.  My local market also sells them right there for $.99.  I also use the plastic bags as garbage bags.  Rather than purchasing special bags for poopy diapers, I put a used softener sheet in a plastic bag.  Seems to cover the smell long enough to get it somewhere away from the general population to dipose of.

No, I don't use cloth diapers.  I've never had the patience or the stomach for them.  The disposables I use are supposed to be pretty biodegradable compared to the old ones that were completely plastic on the exterior.

 

Reply #33 from JoeUser Forums Top
double post and it won't let me delete
Reply #34 from JoeUser Forums Top

I often see people who bring their own canvas or cloth bags for their groceries.

I do that.  I have 5 bags that were made from recycled plastic grocery bags and one insulated bag to put my frozen stuff in.  Typically, stores will also give you $.05 a bag off your bill if you bring your own bag in, too.

No, I don't use cloth diapers. I've never had the patience or the stomach for them.

We used cloth during the day, but used disposable at night and when traveling.  It's not as easy as it used to be to get cloth diapering supplies, and almost impossible to get a real diaper bucket now that they have decided that it's a drowning hazard (I can't even start to tell how stupid I find that....I mean, how many generations had cloth diapers?  Have you ever heard of anyone drowning in a diaper pail??).

Reply #35 from JoeUser Forums Top
We used cloth during the day, but used disposable at night and when traveling.


Use Cloth during swimming too! You wont beleive what those disposables hold!
Reply #36 from JoeUser Forums Top

Use Cloth during swimming too! You wont beleive what those disposables hold!


You're showing your age Dr Guy. They have actual swim diapers these days (disposable ones).
Reply #37 from JoeUser Forums Top
You're showing your age Dr Guy. They have actual swim diapers these days (disposable ones).


Why you young whipper snapper!  

Guess I am. I have never heard of them. When I take my grandkids to the pool or ocean, I will remember that tho.
Reply #38 from JoeUser Forums Top
I saw biodegradable diapers on television this weekend. The outer plastic part is reusable and the inner part that actually holds the waste can be flushed down the toilet. Naturally they are "slightly more expensive" than standard ones. They didn't define what "slightly more expensive" actually was though.