What is Digg?42 Comments
- Bukowsky, on 07/08/2008, -0/+25When I was in college... I would find random pieces of furniture sitting next to a dumpster, all because somebody was moving out & didn't want/need it anymore. So, my buddies & I would always pick the one's that were in good condition, and haul them off in his truck. Dump it on the side of our house and put them on Craigslist for sale.
I know it sounds strange, but it worked... There is no better way to make beer money, then selling other peoples, uh.. trash. What didn't sell after three weeks, we took to the local Goodwill and donated it so we could write it off on our taxes. :)
The point being, is that we probably sold around 30 pieces of furniture we found, and ALL of those would've just ended up in a landfill somewhere. - ProfessorApe, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5Yes, there are better ways. The first is to change how and why you buy things, that's really the easiest way and it saves you money.
What I mean is to really think about why you're buying something BEFORE you buy it, even food items. Are you buying that table because you really need it or because you want it? It's ok to buy for want but spend some time looking for a table you really like and (most importantly) is made from high quality materials. A great example of not buying something because of poor quality is furniture from department stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Ikea and places like that. Most of that stuff is made from pressed particle board and will certainly break apart from wear after a year or after you've moved a couple of times. I quit buying anything made of particle board a few years ago and I'm happier for it. You will pay a bit more for a real wooden table instead of particle board one but that table will last 10 or 20 times longer than the cheap Wal-Mart table.
Everyone I know throws out food that wasn't eaten or even opened. Do the same here as with household or personal objects, Ask yourself, "do I need this extra loaf of bread when I normally throw out half a loaf because it went bad? Maybe I could just buy another one after the first one is used up." Anything perishable is a good example of something you have to use quickly or its wasted money, not just trash.
Thinking about your purchases on a "do I really need this" or "is this a high quality product" basis will save you money and it helps the environment because the amount of trash you personally create decreases, thus, less goes to the landfill.
It's easier and better to use less from the start than try to figure out how to deal with all the waste. The only drawback to this approach is that it's an indirect effect and takes time to (globally) see results. Meaning, if half the population uses less, companies will make less, overall producing less waste. Either way, buying and using less is the easiest way to help the environment while saving money and owning better quality products. - Pittance, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5I can't view it here, but does he really propose a way to build a non-energy consuming storage item that cools to below freezing temperatures? Otherwise you still need a fridge.
- inactive, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5The current state of design, recycling is nowhere near “sustainable.” On the other hand, reusing materials and not thinking of them as “waste” leads to a more ecologically-responsible lifestyle.
- Duositex, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4Here's the problem: There's no place to put all this ***** you collect. Nor do we all have the time to go rummaging through trash playing MacGuyver. As much as I would love to do this, I think I'm not alone when I say that I just can't. I'm totally for the whole "one man's trash is another man's treasure" policy, but I'm afraid that the reason it's trash in the first place is that most people don't have room for it. Not because they're just trying to waste things.
Viral marketing for Wall-E? - willr001, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4So do i just suck at google, or is this "draft box" refrigerator thing pulled right out of the authors ass. Pics or it didn't happen!
But seriously, what is a "draft box"? - inactive, on 07/08/2008, -1/+4dumpster diving ftw. paying for ***** sucks.
- inactive, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Simple. Two tanks with a condenser between them. The "cold" tank is placed below the condenser, but above the "hot" tank, in the area you want to cool to freezing temperatures. Fill the "hot" tank with anhydrous ammonia a 30-50% mixture. Whole thing needs to be made out of carbon steel.
Put some heat on the "hot" tank, say from a solar water heater, and the ammonia will boil out of the water and give up its heat in the condenser and precipitate into the cold tank. Stop putting heat on the "hot" tank, and the ammonia in the cold tank will begin to evaporate and seek the water, taking heat out of the cold tank as it returns to the water.
Scale it up, and put the "cold" tank in your furnace instead of your freezer box, and you have a solar powered whole house air conditioning. Except for the minimal cost to pump the hot water around (you could use pv) and you are now providing refrigeration and air conditioning to your house for a tiny fraction of what it costs to do it with centralied electric power. - parallax7d, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3actually not all of it would have ended up in the garbage, much of it would have been taken
- duewydo, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3He has some interesting points, but I am not about to go dumpster diving for lunch...
- Hincapie, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2i think some more eco-friendly packaging would be helpful, too. you may make wise selections about what and how much you buy, but when products come wrapped in ten thousand layers of plastic and tape, you waste more than you end up keeping.
- Rikkochet, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3So in order to be environmentally conscious, the author suggests you rummage through trash like a homeless person.
I think there's probably a better way, guys. - suckanucka, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3We are also burying ourselves in an avalanche of people.
- Caulfield, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2BuyNLarge!
- Danskiii, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Better, easier, whatever. Being environmentally conscious isn't about one way, it's about finding many ways.
- bushout, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2>Only if the bitch doesnt have the ***** meatloaf on the table when I get home
You don't use crockery in your house?
And why do you tough guys always marry bitches, surely a nice girl would suit you better, what with your inability to handle minor inconveniences? - fmorel90, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Once it's out as trash, it's everyone's property.
- bushout, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2"I’m gonna rise up,
gonna kick a little ass.
Gonna kick some ass in the USA.
Gonna climb a mountain, gonna sew a flag, gonna fly on an eagle.
I’m gonna kick some butt, gonna drive a big truck. I’m gonna rule this world. I’m gonna kick some ass. I’m gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass. Rock, flag, and eagle!"
That's how it should be eh!
Do you beat your wife too because you're such a "man"? - wattersm, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Most of my garbage is packaging, I recycle what I can though.
- executorzz, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1That's considered simple?
I couldn't even get past step 1: ". Two tanks with a condenser between them" - inactive, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1That would be me, but I don't think I ever had a problem finding the play button... I had trouble setting the clock, and it wasn't because I couldn't set the clock, it was because there are lots of infrequent little power outages around these parts, and I just didn't need the clock on the VCR that much, and the flashing 12 didn't bother me. But then, I don't think I recorded a TV show even once before WMC, it was always to much a PITA for a tv show...
Actually, I am far more concerned with the number of people who screw up colloquial wisdom, like prostitution being the SECOND oldest profession, and people being unable to set the clocks on their VCR. - marx2k, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1What about for people who can't find the "Play" button on their VCRs?
- Gazoo2001, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1I corrected your comment so that it makes sense:
"They aren't.
They might have penises, but they sure aren't Neanderthal men." - marx2k, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1That reminds me of peolpe who say things like "Do they expect me to take the bus? Like a poor person!??!"
- greysun, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Prisoners should sort trash...
There are ways to keep them from shanking each other with disposable cameras, but we have a captive population that isn't doing crap for us... might as well use them! - inactive, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1That's a tough nut to crack, I think.
- marx2k, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1All the local merchandisers in the area locking their dumpsters sucks :(
- malex, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1I agree with everything you said except for categorizing Ikea alongside Wal-Mart. I've had the same set of "Billy" bookshelves since 2000 and they're holding up quite well.
- marx2k, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Then the best idea would be to buy stuff that you know you will not be throwing out in the next year, 2 years, etc. Don't buy more than what you need and buy items that last. For instance, if you buy a toaster, don't use price as your main deciding factor. The toaster will end up in the trash in a year. Buy one that's made in a country that's known for making consumer goods that don't crap out in a short time. Buy one with a name that's trusted (not just well known). Buy *one* that will last you for a long time.
And if something breaks, try to fix it before just buying a replacement. - VelhoBias, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0I actually furnish my first place with 80% "garbage furniture" in Portugal, like ten years ago, me and my wife used to walk around Estoril, Sintra and Cascais to find the obvious: the wealthier the neighborhood, the bigger the chance of finding excellent pieces.
We only bought the bed and the fridge, I even managed to restore an old oven
And we still remember the fun we had finding that stuff.... - ProfessorApe, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0I was going to note the some things at Ikea are worth buying. We have a Nikkala sofa that's held up fine along with some wooden shelves and a few other things and they have all held up pretty well (our Ikea ceiling light's transformer died after 2 years so that counts against them). Thing is, you just have to look carefully at Ikea furniture. A lot of it is made from particle board but they have a lot of real wood items and alot of metal/glass items too. Not sure about the plastic stuff, if any of that has PVC plastic in it or not.
- inactive, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1Only if the bitch doesnt have the ***** meatloaf on the table when I get home.
- ProfessorApe, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I'm in total agreement. I have chosen not to buy something based on the packaging, or rather, because of my state's (IN) lack of recycling any plastics over a 2. Packaging can and should be a big factor in why you do or do not purchase something. The catch is, if you don't buy something you really want or need because of the packaging, you have to contact that company and tell them you didn't buy because of the packaging, not price or the product itself. If any company gets enough complaints and lost sales because of non-recyclable product packaging, they will most likely change what is used to package their products.
Consumers can only force companies to change by one of two ways: 1) Complain to them about a product. They won't change a product or practice if no one is complaining. 2) Don't buy from them. Buy from a competitor or don't buy a particular product at all. Again, be sure to tell the company why you are not buying from them. Companies make changes when it hurts their bottom line. - marx2k, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I thought they made license plates or like... dug ditches or something.. ? Or is that just in movies?
- inactive, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1They arnt.
They might have a penis, but they sure arnt a ***** man. - mnchrist, on 07/09/2008, -2/+1For all of you socialists out there-think about this-if you stopped living wouldnt that be the ultimate act of sustainability? Since you wouldnt be eating, polluting, excreting waste, and using up valuable resources. It just makes sense to me. In the epic, global, utopian, enviro-communist scheme of things you would all be "sacrificing yourselves to a much greater ideal" by not living any more. If you insist on continuing to live go scream at your mother for not aborting you. You could either take that course or join reality with the rest of the world, learn simple economics, and embrace freedom.
- mogebier, on 07/08/2008, -4/+3It is also cheap and easy for the average person to go to the store and purchase a refrigerator, stove and water heater.
- freeyerself, on 07/09/2008, -1/+0Hey. I'm the author. I also know that it's not on google. I have no idea why it isn't, when the other two inventions (solar cooker, shower) are so popular. I read about a draft box in Food Not Lawns. There's a brief description and a little drawing. I took it from there and decided to make my own. Like I say in the post, you can see it when the Sust Enable episode comes out, and decide whether you want to make one for yourself! I just built it tonight. It was easy, it took about 3 hours for everything.
- Rudegar, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1is it not illegal?
it is here
not that it would had stoped me though - CreateSomeNoise, on 07/08/2008, -6/+1And how do you know that it didnt just end up in a landfill anyway?
- CreateSomeNoise, on 07/08/2008, -7/+2I hope none of you are males.
- scotq, on 07/08/2008, -6/+1We are burying ourselves in an avalanche of trash... for more on the impact of trash on our climate, check out stoptrashingtheclimate.org
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