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Thread ID: 84782	2007-11-18 06:32:00	My Solutions to Global Warming	Digby (677)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
612746	2007-11-18 17:58:00	On the Federal level, the US has quite a lot of the things you proposed . 1) Vehicle emissions testing, smoke abatement, safety and security devices too are tested . Waste oils, fluids, filters and tires must be receipted and recycled . Auto repair shops must keep records of waste products and the number of products sold must equal the numbers of things recycled each month . This includes batteries, tires, antifreeze, oil, aerosol paint cans, wiping rags and uniforms for the employees . Counts and inventories are checked regularly by official inspectors . 2) Use of natural gas to lower electric grid loads . However, wind credits and solar credits have not proven to be a benefit to owners as the returned energy does not offset the use by much more than a percentage point or so . 3) "Green-points and credits" for incorporating ecological devices into home designs . ie: solar, geothermal, wind generation of electricity . . . financial imperatives and bonuses for such designs . These are paid by the energy companies to the homeowners by federal decree . 4) Green belts for each and every business to help offset eco-damage by buildings and parking lot footprints . Small parks and tree zones are getting to be more numerous as the policies are promulgated in cities and towns . 5) Strong recycling incentives for communities and homeowners via tax deductions and credits or no fees on the users' level . 6) Banned CFCs and other light/volatile gasses in painting and cleaning operations . Gone are: lacquer thinners, PCB, industrial solvents except on an absolute need to use basis which is licensed and regulated by an in-house representative of the Air Resources Board, on the company payroll . 7) Income tax (IRS) credits for families with <unofficially> "alloted" numbers of children . . not welfare, but tax exemption at the 2-child level that does not factor in for more or fewer children . Unfortunately, married couples are taxed less in this system . There is some local dissent with this program . The allocations are not obvious on the surface, but the cost incentives work out this way . 8) Trees are considered a national or local municipal heritage and if they are to be moved or destroyed for new buildings, then multiple new trees are to be planted to compensate . 9) Electric cars, trains, buses have not worked out well for the transportation requirements of this nation . Travel is usually over 50 miles each way for commuters and there are not sufficient motives for people to ride the public transportations corridors to/from work . . YET! This is changing soon with the cost of fuel . 10) Alternate fuel vehicles are making some headway . . but driving one from LA to New York is out of the question here . Hybrids are doing better . . but not for long distance driving yet . On the local/state level . . . there are incentives to integrate new technology all the time . Tax-free credits and tax relief are two of the methods used to help bolster the incorporation of such things . . but we have a very large and set-in-its'-ways population who cannot or will not make changes . They are dying and will be replaced with new people with their new ideas . Trash is recycled into three or four trash cans specifically for certain wastes: ie, Green waste, recyclable paper/containers, glass, animal and regular un-categorical garbage . I personally have four city supplied recycling containers . . actually two or three are recycling, the fourth is generally just garbage . "Presence sensing" electrical wall switches that turn on the room lights when you enter and turn them off in a few minutes after you leave . If you don't move or utter sounds, you can be in the dark when you are reading a book or just sitting still though! Triple paned windows and much higher R-values for insulation are required of all new homes and buildings . Retrofitting is money assisted, but not practical on all buildings at the present time . Typically foam injection is the retrofitting system employed . My home has triple glazed windows, an R-factor of 40 on the roof, 30 on the walls and 22 on the floor . These are very high numbers! This is a 10 year old home . . . the values are even higher now . On a municipal level, you are fined for wasting water or allowing your lawn to run out into the street when/if it rains . Use of fertilizers and lawn amendments are regulated . . at least you get frowned at by trying to buy them right now . Farmers are required to use plastic sheeting on row crops that require large amounts of water . This is to keep the evaporation of the water to a minimum and let the plants or crops get all the water they are given and not waste it . The plastic sheets are recycled for credits at the end of the growing season or harvest . You can be fined or charged with punitive taxes if you have an unlicensed or unregistered auto in your ownership . They use taxes as the thumbscrew for this; tax evasion is a jail-able offense . All vehicles must meet Federal/State and local smog testing criteria and be currently licensed or destroyed with a receipt to prove it was done so . They must also be insured at all times and have no outstanding citations on them for defective/modified/missing emission devices . There may be NO smoking violations on them or they must be repaired and signed-off or destroyed and recycled by a licensed facility . Yeah, it's fairly Draconian but there are reasons for all the laws and rules . The US considers itself more responsible as an example to the rest of the world and must act accordingly in it's own eyes . I don't fully agree . . but this is the way it is . I rather feel that the newer . . currently emerging countries and societies should be brought into compliance with the new green-things . Since they are just currently building a modern infrastructure, it is a lot easier to do so in a higher technical-oriented way than letting things get out of control and out of hand and THEN try to make the necessary changes . The new-emerging country should, of course, be assisted financially and technologically by the larger and more up-to-date countries to make this work without penalty to them . I don't however see any of this happening . The olde countries won't go along with this at all . . . the young ones will not want to be hamstrung by laws and rules that other countries are exempt of because of age and they therefor will not comply either . A pox . Somehow, all the rest of the world gets this very brown-eyed opinion of the great Satan: the US . They only see it as a great consumer and waster of resources and energy . While that may be true on a per-capita basis, there are great strides here to make things better for the rest of the world . There is a lot of foot dragging and filibustering in the political ranks . . but in the end, even though I don't see much of anything substantial from my vantage point, in the long run it is a good idea and waste is certainly decreased from what it was . OK . . that was a little long . :cool:	SurferJoe46 (51)
612747	2007-11-18 18:03:00	Great comments guys ! Very well thought out and I'm glad you all stuck to the topic. Keep it coming ! Regards Digby	Digby (677)
612748	2007-11-18 18:09:00	Surfer Joe Great Post "My home has triple glazed windows, an R-factor of 40 on the roof, 30 on the walls and 22 on the floor. These are very high numbers! This is a 10 year old home...the values are even higher now." I was astounded to read that you have TRIPLE glazing. I have always thought that double glazing would be good for us here in NZ as it does get a little cold. But in California ? and Triple ? Could you provide comments as to why ? Regards Digby	Digby (677)
612749	2007-11-18 18:32:00	Think of heat . Heat here is the one most invasive energy loss . We use air conditioners 24/7/365 if we sense the slightest rise in the ambient temp . I don't use AC though . . I have a swamp cooler which just uses a little current to run a squirrel cage blower to pull outside air thru a matrix of wet-by-water elements and the resulting heat exchange keeps the house cool . I use a little water and some electricity . . but not anywhere near the value of a heat pump or of older AC/refrigeration units . Some homes use $800USD/month in electricity . . . I use about $40USD/month . The triple panes are good for energy conservation in whatever direction the energy flows . . in to out or out to in . Triples are required now for all local new homes and buildings . Doubles used to be the standard . Keeping heat out is important too . We see temps at 110F/44C all the way down to 17F/-8 . 5C at this latitude/altitude . This home was built to Arizona R-levels anyway . . that's where it was supposed to be set . I have a snow load rating for areas with heavy snow loads . . and we don't see snow of that level where I am currently . We might get a snow dusting, but nothing that even sticks around for 24 hours . I had an energy profile done by the Edison Company (electricity) last year or so and I rated in the upper 99 . 9% for air leakage/heat efficiency/energy usage . The utility companies here perform these audits for free and they even give you free lights and repair any cracked windows or door seals .	SurferJoe46 (51)
612750	2007-11-18 19:20:00	Weather you believe in man made global warming or not here are my suggestions for cutting down on green house gases. Why? The planet will still be here regardless of heat/cold/storms whatever. The planet has periodically had new lifeforms on it too. Ask any dinosaur. Probably about time it was our turn.	pctek (84)
612751	2007-11-18 19:44:00	The ideas are all there, it's time to do something significant, regardless whether global warming was caused by humans or not... it's no doubt being accelerated by us. I'm stumped as to why recycle bins are so pathetically tiny in Christchurch. It's a wonder so much valuable waste can be so easily dumped into the ground. Does anyone remember the wave energy proposal for Cook Straight a year or two ago (maybe more)?	jermsie (6820)
612752	2007-11-18 21:53:00	Somehow, all the rest of the world gets this very brown-eyed opinion of the great Satan: the US . well thanks to statistics, the fact that despite your best efforts you still use alot more than anyone else does (england, canada and australia aren't far behind on that though), constant invasion of other countries, people have grown to dislike the states, and a lot of appalling media we get from there it's practically fashionable to do so:lol: very good post though public transport in the auckland region has the same problems as you mentioned, plus it is unreliable and for at least the west auckland to central commuters taking a car is faster and cheaper if you have parking available i do like that green belt idea of buildings replacing what they destroy . over here in NZ there's these ridiculous permit and "resource consent" processes that can take longer than the construction itself, cost a small fortune, generally aggravate people, basically prevent any major engineering/utility/infrastructure works, waste alot of money on design alteration(one motorway had to be tunnelled through a hill when it would be cheaper to just make a large cutting - motorway delayed for years), and give us some of the most well managed environments/waterways in the world but unlike in the us where you need to replant a tree, over here if it's a native over 6 metres tall you need special permits to remove it . i heard a story from the north shore of a tree on a roadside that was going to fall over and the council wouldn't remove it . 3 months later tree falls, crushes car and takes power lines with it . so i dunno bout over there, but over here our systems are fraught with beurocracy and greenies opposing any progress at all . only problem is that it does seem to work:annoyed:	motorbyclist (188)
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