Unsought Input

I find in interesting that Seattle is planning on banning bottled water.  Recently we had a post on prescription drugs in the tap water which featured a video from Penn and Teller that told how ridiculous bottled water is.  I mean, you spend 8 dollars a gallon for bottled water, which to any normal person bitching about 3.50 at the gas pumps should seem relatively ridiculous.

Seattle decided to ban bottled water for it’s city workers as a branching off from the banning the use of plastic bags in the city.   I really wish this whole thing would catch on.  Obviously people are too stupid to think that paying 8.00 a gallon for bottled water (most of it just tap water repackaged or water that does not even meet tap water regulations) is a bad thing for them, much less for the environment.

Here is the deal.  Buy reusable bags.  Buy a water bottle and drink the tap water you already pay for by paying taxes.  Save the environment.  Save yourself some money.  It’s a win-win situation.  It just makes sense, don’t you think?

Just when you thought it was safe to drink water you hear about this. This headline on yahoo.com today strikes fear into the hearts of all Americans who thought it was healthy to drink water. Yes, conspiracy theories aside, there was a five month probe to find out what was actually in our drinking water. And do you know what they found out? I think you might since I put in in the headline of this article but allow me to reiterate. They found prescription drugs and other stuff in minute concentrations in our drinking water. Minute. I.e. small amounts. Very small. But still present. And what do our utility companies say? Is our water safe? Should we be allowing our selves and our loved ones to drink this water? This aqua pharmaceutical cocktail that comes out of our taps and into our glasses, into our showers and baths and food?

First off, let’s talk about media hype. It’s built up around times when people are getting too worried about other things: war, elections, terrorism, etc, to distract everyday people like you and me from these intense subjects by worrying about something else. In magic it’s call slight of the hand. The magician makes you look the other way and does the trick while you are distracted. Then, viola! You didn’t even know what was happening and now it’s already over and you are just left to wonder how it was done without you noticing.

So, the media creates hype and fear about your drinking water while there are several other important things to be reporting to the good people of America about so that you are distracted. Yes, something in the water is very scary. You need water to live and you trust the water that comes delivered to you. So, I agree, it’s a scary idea that there is something in the water. (more…)

Recently I read an article over at Thedailygreen.com where I read that China is putting a nationwide ban on free use of plastic bags.  It is said that this will reduce the country’s dependency on oil while helping them to cut their emissions down just in time for planning and executing the Beijing Olympics.  This is a good thing, even if it is being done for the wrong reasons.  I am not saying that it is, but it does seem suspicious that it’s being pushed into place just in time for the Olympics, doesn’t it?  I mean, China wants to set a good example.  The government wants to show the world it can change. And I say, good for you.  I can only hope that America’s need to change would spur such a difference here at home.

Not only is China cutting back on the amount of oil they use (37 million barrels of crude oil on plastic bag production every year), they will be cutting back on the processing and production pollution made while making the bags, and on the overall pollution of their landscape and landfills after the bags have been used.  There will still be plastic bags for sale but they will not be given freely as they currently are now.  The idea is to make people bring their own reusable shopping bags each time they shop.

I think this sounds feasible here in the States.  I think something similar is definitely what we need.  A good old kick in the pants to get people to be slightly less environmentally selfish and to get our nation to start actually acting like they care what they are doing to the planet we live on.  I mean, I think everyone is aware that there is a problem.  But how long can we go on ignoring the signs?  Something needs to be done and this could be something that would not be that hard for people to adjust to and very very good for the environment.

Some retailers have already started selling reusable bags in the States, major chains like Walmart and Giant Eagle.  Here is a little info about Walmart’s bags from sustainableisgood.com:

The new Wal-Mart shopping bags are made from a fabric containing rPET.  The bags are made from 85% recycled content and hold more than twice the amount of an average plastic bag.  The bags will sell for $1 and be located near checkout aisles in Wal-Mart stores.  Wal-Mart will also take the bags back at the end of their life-span for recycling.

I am not trying to preach here.  I just think that most people are not going to do something like this on their own.  That if there were laws put in place that put a heavy tax (for example an environmental tax where the money went into environmental sustainability programs/research) on things that are wasteful (insert the plastic bag here) that people would start to actually consider their impact on the planet.  And if not, they would still be forced to either be environmentally friendly in a small way or pay a tax for the environment.

I am sure there are all sorts of negative comments people can make about this, that it’s not fair for the government to force this on people and no new taxes  and blah blah blah but we need to face reality.  And preferably sometime soon.

I have to laugh at Brendan I. Koerner’s recent article over on Slate arguing that manually shifted transmissions are better for the environment than automatic transmissions. While in a sense, he answered the question correctly (though not completely, as Martin Schwoerer argues over at The Truth About Cars: Koerner completely disregarded the fuel efficiency of a spate of new transmission technologies - CVTs, DSGs and automatic clutches among them - that have cropped up in new cars over the last several years), he missed the entire point.

Sure, buying a manual trans car may be better for the environment, but what’s best for the environment is not buying a car at all, and if you do have to buy a car, it’s still best not to buy a new car. Regardless, Koerner’s suggestions seem to come back to buying a brand-new car. Only once does he seem to say otherwise:

This calculation, however, doesn’t include some less obvious benefits of manual transmissions. The brake pads on stick-shift cars, for example, tend to wear out less rapidly than those on automatics. And manual transmissions are relatively cheap to fix and replace, so you can wait longer to buy a new vehicle. Manufacturing auto parts is energy-intensive, so anything that can be done to curb their production has to be a plus.

Bingo. Study after study shows that just as many pollutants go into the atmosphere during the manufacture of a vehicle as during the vehicle’s lifespan once it leaves the factory. But at no point do we hear Koerner or any of the greenies advocate buying a used car. Instead, in marketing-fueled America, the message is to buy green - whether it’s Toyota’s emphasis on hybrids, Chevrolet’s emphasis on E85-powered cars or any number of consumer products (shrink-wrapped in plastic and entirely non-biodegradeable) that claim to be better for the environment.

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In keeping with the theme that D Wallz started with his article on Tin Tin, I thought I would mention a few banned books that I have read and appreciated and why they were banned. I do encourage people to comment about their favorite banned books as well in the comment section below if they feel so obliged.

Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This might be one of my favorite books of all time. I don’t know what it is about this book but I cry at the end every time. The part where our main character takes his kid sister Phoebe to the marry-go-round and he is narrating, he says that he wishes he could catch all of the kids before they went over the edge; that he would be the catcher in the rye. I don’t even know why but I almost cry every time I get to that part of the book.
This book was banned mostly in school libraries because of it’s themes of impropriety and scenes of sexual situations. I must have bought about seven copies of this book because each time I meet someone who hasn’t read this novel, I force a copy on them. Honestly, this novel is about growing up. Growing up is about themes of impropriety and sexual situations. I really feel that when books like this get banned, the adults who are banning them have just forgotten what it was like to grow up and be a confused and upset teenager.

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Does sorting bottles and cans really save the earth? You may have heard the rumor that the whole thing is a big sham - either a misguided to make ourselves feel better about our wasteful lifestyles, or worse a conspiracy of crystal-wearing, tree-hugging hippies.

You may have noticed a number of geeky environment-related posts on Unsought Input. Some of our writers like to think of themselves as environmentalists. Now, before you click your back button, I should explain: no one here will ever tell you to stop driving and live in a cave! We are positive, progressive environmentalists who come to our green views through a love of innovation, efficiency, scientific progress, and yes, even market economics.

So, is recycling a bunch of bullshit designed to make us all feel better about ourselves? Does putting glass and plastic in a green bin actually damage the environment more than help?

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If you have missed the first two articles on this topic you can read them here and here. In this grand finale, if I may call it that, I will show you the best of the best (in my opinion) of the concept cars recently reported on on yahoo.com. These I thought were either really cool looking and futuristic or had really cool ideas or that I just kind of liked more than the others. Anyway, without further ado, let’s start the “Hey, that’s cool” category.

In third place we have the Toyota Volta:

This car looks like it could go very very fast. It also looks like the maximum height you could possibly be to drive in this vehicle is 5′5″ and that is pushing the limit. I don’t know if this is the fastest electric hybrid on the market but with dual electric engines (one for each front tire) this car boasts that it has a 408 horsepower hybrid engine, the safety of all-wheel drive and can do 0-60 in just four seconds. Look at those desert dunes. This car is ready to climb them, but I am a little worried that the hills are too steep and those don’t really look like tires that get the best traction. So, maybe it’s not good to drive in the desert, but since no one really off roads their vehicles like they do in the commercials, I think this car might be OK. (more…)

So yesterday our cars of the future article was on “Didn’t they do this already”. I think today’s category is “Wouldn’t be Caught Dead in This”. You can try to persuade me that people buy cars based on power and performance all you want but I am pretty sure that the look and style of the car is pretty important, too. Just like no one will ever want to be seen in the environmentally friendly Hummer, I can imagine the same will be said of most of these vehicles.

In third place we have the Ford Mercury Meta One.

You may argue that this car isn’t necessarily the ugliest car you have ever seen, in fact it’s okay. Work with me here for a minute, if you please. Think back to that movie about the cars that try to kill people. You know the one, the really bad Stephen King movie, Maximum Overdrive? This car will eat you. And your children. And then your neighbors and their families until it runs out of gas, which will take a little longer than a normal SUV since this runs on nice and clean ” hybrid transmission with a twin-turbocharged V-6 diesel engine calibrated to run on a bio-diesel blend”. You can see how I feel this is potentially hazardous to everyone, right? Just look into those headlight “eyes”. Those are the headlights of a killer. (more…)

So a recent article on yahoo.com’s main page is all about green concept cars. It has some of the main players and a lot of pretty pictures. Here are the cars listed with a brief description as to alleviate you having to go to another site to read all about them. I am saving you time, thus saving you money as well so you can save it up to buy one of these awesome cars when the time is right.

I am going to break these down into three categories: Drivable/hey that’s cool, Wouldn’t be caught dead in this, and Didn’t we already do this?

Um, Alex, I would like to start with Didn’t We Already Do This for 200 please.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you the 2010 VW Microbus, um I mean Chameleon. So, yeah, apparently the late 60’s are back and we are all going to be peace loving pot smoking patchouli smelling hippies. At least we have the perfect vehicle for it, I mean this “new” vehicle is all electricity powered with 10 count them 10 30v batteries in the floor to power the vehicle. Oh, the surf boards are thrown in free of charge, they are fitted with solar panels for recharging the batteries. This is the vehicle for those fifty somethings to relive their youth in a perfectly environmentally friendly manner. (more…)

Apparently, sales of the Hummer H2 are falling so fast that GM might even stop making them. Environmentalists will probably cheer this news, but there’s another reason I would never buy a Hummer H2 or H3 for that matter.

It’s complicated, so I’ve put it into a diagram:

Lately we have been uber-enviro-nerds with the talk of wind turbines, deep lake cooling and environmentally friendly roller coasters. I just felt the need to put up another nifty energy saving device that was invented by a Bloke from the UK named Peter Hughes. He has created a ramp that absorbs kinetic energy from breaking or slowing down while driving your car over regular roadways. The idea is simple, use the cars wasted kinetic energy to power the streetlights and stoplights. There are a series of plates installed under the road which the cars will drive over, more than likely around stop lights or other areas where the traffic will be slowed. The weight of the car slightly shifts the plates, causing kinetic energy to be created. The energy is stored and then used to power whatever. It is better described on the official site, so I will just do you a favor and quote it here.

The ramp is unobtrusive, silent in operation, causes no
discomfort to the vehicles occupants and is entirely safe in
operation. The Ramp is designed to require the minimum
of maintenance and may be used for generating electricity
to power street lighting, traffic lights, road signs, with
the surplus being fed into the national grid. It also has the
capability to store electricity within a storage battery
facility.

I also found a video that you can watch that shows this in action.

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In the past we’ve talked about some things that you can do to make your house more energy efficient. Some things are easy, like putting in Compact Florescent light bulbs, while others are on their way in the near future, like your own personal wind turbine.

There’s only so much you can do at home, though, and many of us live in large, air-conditioned office buildings. How could a glass-covered skyscraper possibly use less power for cooling in the summer? If you live in Toronto, it’s easy - just tie into the Deep Lake Water Cooling System.

The system, by Enwave, draws water from Lake Ontario, deep below the surface where it’s always a chilly 4 degrees Celsius. The water runs through huge heat exchangers before making its way into the city’s normal water supply. A separate cooling loop transports water chilled by the incoming lake water to various buildings in the financial district where it is used in the air conditioning system. Here’s a diagram of the system at work.

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So, as you may or may not know, here at unsought we are really kind of environerds, some more than others. Either way, while stumbling on the internet I came across a page about an environmentally friendly roller coaster. Needless to say, my love for the environment, for the zany, for all things Japanese and for roller coasters overtook me and I read the entire article. Since it was in Japanese, the English translation is a little lacking but you get the general idea if you go to read the site. If not, you can just read my interpretation of it, and I will even put up some of the pictures of this “green amusement ride”.

Not to dissuade you from ever wanting to actually ride this roller coaster, the general gist of the article is “fear”. To be honest, they use the word “fear” 18 times in the article. Though they felt the fear, they do recommend the ride after all is said and done.

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One of the latest theories for the mass disappearance of bees recently has to do with cell phones. It is theorized that the radiation given off by cell phones interferes with bees’ navigation system making them unable to return to their hive. There is some research to support this as German researchers have found that bees’ behaviour changes near power lines. German research has also shown that fucking a chicken is possible, so I don’t know how credible it is.

So it looks like teenage girls desire to talk non-stop on cell phones will be the dmeise of us all. It seems like there is only one solution, talk to people in person. I know what your saying, that’s crazy I can’t talk to some one face to face. I don’t even remember how that works. It might be hard at first, but I think with practice people will remember how to do it. Don’t stand too far away because then you won’t be able to hear each other. Also don’t stand too close because then you’ll be kissing.

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Recently it has come to my attention that all of the nations bees are seriously threatened. I know, it’s hard to believe that it would be a big deal, and in fact, no one has really made a big stink about it yet. But it’s important. Why, you might ask? Well, even if you didn’t ask, you should probably read on since this topic definitely affects everyone, even if you don’t like honey or bees.

Most people know that bees are responsible for honey and bee stings but what you may not know is that they are a much more important member of the agricultural community. Bees, especially honey bees, are responsible for the pollination of flowers (you might be saying duh, here but follow me on this one, please), and said pollination causes plants to actually bear fruits as the method of their reproduction. And said fruits are important for not only human nutrition, but also for that of most of the animals we raise as pets and most of the animals that we eat.

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