Is being green the new black?

beer2006

moonrakerz, you can't make your rubbish fit in one wheelie bin!
Thats terrible, all that stuff your being forced to buy, with all that non recyclable stuff packaging it, what a nightmare. You think other people don't have the same choices, yet other people manage to throw away a hell of a lot less.

My sympathy for you = none.

Cut down on your waste and then come back and moan about recycling not being worth it.

Charlton_Taz

Beer2006....I don't think moonrakerz is moaning about recycling...just the stupid fact that their council now have a dedicated recyling centre. The problem with that (as moonrakerz points out) is that people have to make special trips there in their cars! Not very green! It would make a lot more sense that the council collect as much as possible from your door-step instead as this would use a lot less car journeys...unfortuately this solution would add to our council taxes and most people don't want to pay more for that do we?

beer2006

Oh I thought he was talking about normal rubbish, I was in a bad mood last night :rolleyes:
Sorry if you were taking about your recycling rubbish moon. Hope you were.

I agree the council should collect as much recycled stuff as possible. Ours does actually, we only have little boxes, but they will pick up extra bags as well.

Our glass does only get collected once a month though and the bin is usually overflowing, I time taking it to the recycling centre if I have to, with going to the shops next to it.

SaverSarah_2

beer2006 wrote:

Now everyone is doing it, Great.................. or is it?

It seems to be the new fashion to be green, celebs driving enviromentally friendly cars (then jetting around the world in a plane of course) programs on tv everywhere about it. It has the makings of the DIY boom that came with changing rooms that now dying out.

Hey, don't knock it... like you, I've been doing all this stuff for years, and trying to convince my friends and neighbours to do the same with varying degrees of success. But if increasing awareness through TV programmes is making people think, even just a LITTLE bit, and to become more conscious of their own impact, how can this be a bad thing?

Think back to the days when bottle banks were first introduced... they were slow to catch on but now most people wouldn't dream of chucking their bottles in the bin. So I think it does stick, it just takes longer for some people to get it. And let's be honest, some still don't.

But really, if getting celebrity endorsement helps just a fraction of the population think "Well, they're doing it, I guess I better" who are we to knock that? As long as the result is thought-provoking.

I hear you on the hybrid-driving celebs who jet around the world, and obviously we all think they should stop flying, but wouldn't it be worse if they were driving gas-guzzling 4X4s AND flying? At least they're making some conscious decisions to minimise their impact.

I'm not sticking up for the higher profile members of society (!) it's just that's it's so easy to knock others, and are we all sure we've put our own houses in order before we do so?

It's easy to feel smug because we're doing so much for the environment, but that doesn't help anyone. Better to guide others who have just started their green journey, surely?

beer2006

Yeah well, I have to be honest, I do like sticking my finger in the pot and stirring it a bit

Don't like people to get complacent.

xx

SaverSarah_2

No, hey, good for you! That's what this forum's for I guess. Nothing personal (cos I don't think you were doing this) but I don't like the green snobbery that exists, how some people seem to think they're superior just because they're drinking the right coffee or offsetting their flights or whatever, and that it gives them a license to look down their noses at other people who've just started becoming conscious of the issues.

We've all got to live together (well, figuratively speaking) and I don't think this achieves anything. I'd far prefer to gently enlighten people in an encouraging way – after all, we've all gotta start somewhere.;)

Have a good day!

SaverSarah_2

BTW, 100 posts now, don't I get another star?!!

Linda32

Well we've started to look at ethical green living, I'll admit since its been in the media more. We've been recycling for years, either by taking our stuff to recyling points or council collection which started about two years ago.

If it does go out of fashion lets call it then we shall still carry on in our ways. Simple things really like refusing extra carrier bags and using a bag-for-life.

We are not into gadets so don't buy alot of things really, only when somthing is worn out (clothes) broke (electrical), although we will next time that happens, look at second hand first.

Its a big learning curve, but interesting and exciting times to discover new things about the way we live.

As it happens, we have no interest what so ever in going abroad, so thats one thing sorted.

starlite_2

Goodness..

This reminds me of a big debate between me and my o.h the other day about David Cameron...
He very publically rides a bike to parliament every day..yet neglects to mention he has two cars following him..one with security staff , one carrying his briefcase!?

My o.h said it's good as he is a big public figure, so he's doing his part by showing you can, which may encourage others....
I thought it's all a big p.r stunt ( especially with the conservatives'..and indeed his own political history)

HappySad

I went green (greener) by accident.

Brought up to not waste because of money.. therefore don't waste electricity, hot water (not cold water), food. Buy good quality stuff that would last and don't throw something away.. mend it and adapt it. Borrow from family stuff. Not wasting is environmentally friendly but my family did it for saving money reasons. My out lots of our own toys from junk and boxes....

Did not really know anything about being green.. what is that? and why? "The good life"??????? What's that all about?

Then in my teens my sisteer used to come home with fantastic looking clothes. Where did you get that from? "Charity only 50p" Then started to buy some clothes in charity shops.

Many years later used to recycle new paper, glass and cans because I learnt that they can be reused. This was around the time over 10years ago when all of a sudden we learnt that toilet paper where almost all made from recycled paper. So then when all toilet paper was going on and on about how green they were I then learned about recycling paper, glass, can and started doing it then.

7 years on from then I then lost a lot of weight and wanted to buy new clothes and decided to buy secondhand for most of my clothers. I was buy then giving money to charity to my wage and love the idea of buy clothes at a low price and giving to charity at the same time.

Tried compossing just because I know it is a great way of getting good composs.

5 years ago starte learning about the benefits of not consuming so much. The benefits is that you have more saving to spend of things that add value to your lifel..not just stuff and also you home is less cluttered. YOu can see I am gradually getting greener witout knowing it. DEcluttered and gave most of my books to the library and now hardly buy any books .. instead order them from the library.

3 year from now. Got a book called. "Save Cash and Save the Planet"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/000719420X/ref=pd_ir_imp59/202-0712184-1172635?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Got this book purely to learn about more ways to save money. Read the book from cover to cover and learnt about what Organic was, why chemicals in our food/environment is not good for us, why we want to save the planet and how to do it. I found that I was already doing a lot of the GREEN things already. So I used this book to spring board me onto a more consious much greener person.

BAnd wagon it is and a fashion which means that it is very likely to go out of fashion. I remember when model after model said "I would rather go naked than wear fur" and now many are wearing fur again!!! So while it is in fashion I hope there are enough changes in our habits and the way companies operate that when the fashion is over we will be left with many lasting changes.

I hope and feel that things will change for good. My friend used to go on about organnic food and I used to hear other go on abou being green but once I learnt from myself (reading books, internet, programs) then this was what I needed to make the changes in my life that will last.

We ALL MUST RECYCLE more otherwise out council tax bill will go up my hundreds of pounds. We must use less energy or out bills will it the roof. HOpefully air travel will be taxed environmentally fairly and this is the only way to stop us (me also) from jumping on the plane.

NOw when I buy second hand or recycle I do it because my families values of not wasting is carried forward in the green issues. I can now say that it is greener to buy seond hand.. and people are less likely to turn their noises up at you.

For me been green is good for everyone, me, family, friends, animals, plants plant. I now feel that it makes sense to be as green as you can.

I went of a lovely holiday for the weekend. Friends, sun, laughter, great accomodation, country walks. It was just 1/2 drive away in the local woods with my son's play group families.. we camped. Cost little in money and cost little to the environment. I plan to do more UK holidays like this (already camp yearly). It keeps the money withing the country and is good for our economy.

I have found friend of the earth website very informative for myself being a novice green person and also all those new being green book that are going out. http://www.foe.co.uk/index.html Also like the idea of OnePlanetLiving http://wwf.org.uk/oneplanetliving/

Now I recycle as much as I can. Am organic or no artificial ingredience. Do as much old style cooking as I can. Holiday mainly in the UK. Buy mainly second hand when I can. Consume as little is buying stuff (new or second hand) as I can. Lend my possessions to friend. Gave up a car for public transport. Look for life locally (shops, dentist, doctors, friends(yes friends), nursery, school, hair dresser) so don't have to drive, just take the bus. I still need to make time to work on my food miles. Going greener is a large task and just find out about your local famer's market and working a scedule that fits into the busy week in my next goal.

My reasons are not always for being green but also to save money and to impove the quality of my life.

Going ALL green is a large task to take on but if everyone just does one little thing every week or every month then over time it will accumulate and before time you will be saving loads of money and also saving the planet and your environment also.

Sorry everyone for going on and on. I'll post sorted in future.