Going Green; What Are You Doing or Seeing?

**WildChild** · 05-05-2009 11:03 AM

I'm really happy that the USA is getting serious about this. I wonder, what is going on in different places with getting green and taking better care of our Earth Mother? What are you doing or seeing other's do?

I get a daily "Good News" email from Ode Magazine, that pulls stories from all over the world. This morning included an article from The New York Times (now follow closely-I'm trying to be source accurate) which quoted Sam Kornell from Miller-McCune magazine, who in turn took his information from the journal Climatic Change. The journal Climatic Change was quoted on a study, "by current and former scientists of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, concludes that “painting urban surfaces in warm parts of the world white or a light color could offset the carbon emissions of all 600 million of the world’s cars for 18 to 20 years,”

The article in the New York Times went on to say that this could help counter the loss of the reflective Arctic ice and reduce the environmental effect of cars and ACs.

What struck me was a comment posted, that this could bypass governements entirely, if people just knew about it around the world. So there you have one simple step: warm climate, lots of sun? light colored roof - less AC, more reflecting heat away from earth, better for everyone!

**acerousme** · 05-05-2009 11:23 AM

WC- Im glad you wrote about this.
Many places in the world have "green roofs"
basically- its a roof that has grass. There are two types of green roofs...(intensive and extensive)
one supports only grass, and small shrubs, while the other supports everything.

Because of all the pollution in a city, the heat gets trapped causing (dont quote me, but correct me if I am wrong) something called the "urban jungle effect". As a result, many buldings now have green roofs, because it helps reduce carbon emmisions as well. It also helps with flooding. Think about this for a moment...grass needs water to live...if it rains too much, the grass shall only get greener...saving our city streets, and our pocket change (lets face it...nobody likes taxes). AND BONUS- Oxygen!!!!!

Personally- I think it is sad how people take advantage of our earth.

**WildChild** · 05-05-2009 11:58 AM

Funny you mention that, years ago when I was studying construction management, I already had a degree in drafting but they insisted I had to take a drafting course (go figure) I dug my heels in and refused to do a standard tract home and instead designed an earth bermed, partally underground home with a sod roof. They had to bring in an architect consultant to grade it because no one in the university had any background with that type of structure. I thought it sad - as a child I spent time on some elderly relatives homesteads where they had lived in sod homes with sod roofs all their lives. True green buildings. Visiting those sites now that they have been abadonded for many years, there is almost no sign that a home was there perhaps for 50 years or more, they've returned to the earth whence they came. Although I think one is still cared for and lived in, they will last if maintained.

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 05-05-2009 05:53 PM

Australia, is simple I think...

They have banned all plastic bags, so that the sealife can breathe and live instead of being trapped ( only problem is remembering to take a shopping bag with you), or having to spend $1 per bag if you don't.

We have 3 rubbish bins as well, one for cut grass, shrubs, one for cans/waste and the other for paper only...

We also have water restrictions, and mostly builders now lay false lawn..

Guess it's a help...

Everything helps.

CW

**Joy** · 05-05-2009 07:22 PM

The grocery bag thing is big.... I forget my bags too so now i always put them in my car trunk. Recycle everything you can I think it is so important. I think it is soo sad we have species going extininct and we take so much from the earth and there are so many of us.

**happy ending** · 05-05-2009 10:29 PM

i try on a personal level ie dont take the car if its a less than 3km round trip, dry my washing outside, put on a jumper rather than a heater,open a window rather than air-conditioning, only wash cloths in cold water etc. i would like to grow vegetables but cant due to having a brown thumb!!

**WildChild** · 05-09-2009 12:34 AM

I carry a bunch of shopping bags in my car...and often to forget to take them in and have to run back out for them.LOL. Recycle all I can, no pick up with trash service but the Shriners have community bins a couple blocks away. I walk as much as possible for errands. Don't use any poisons in my yard work and do a lot of reusing or refurbishing rather than buying new.

I'd really like to do much more. The types of structures we live and work in force us into wasteful energy consumption patterns. If they are poorly insulated we have to use more energy in heating or cooling. Old appliances use more energy but a new one represents a huge resource consumption just in it's manufacture. A poorly designed building can create all sorts of resource drains, add in huge, poorly designed vehicles and cities that grew up without planning to reduce consumption and we have some challenges to deal with! We have to start living more consciously in all areas.

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