I think I am tired of being "Green".

W

WaterWater

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For many years I conserved water in my home. Saved water and used it to fill my toilet cistern, water plants etc.

I also have a compost heap. Grass cuttings, paper, leaves etc.

Separated glass, plastics, cans washed them thoroughly, had them hanging around the kitchen in separate containers until I disposed of them.

I didn't use garden poisons to kill weeds, bugs etc. nor did I spray plants.

I am seeing Eamonn Ryan and the Green Party every day saying something in the paper about taxing us more, punishing us more. I can no longer take a drive along the coast in DunLaoghaire because of various road closures, ramps, bicycle lanes and so forth.

I have noticed that I am not saving the water that I used to save. I no longer let it mellow.....

The work in maintaining a compost heap requires, time, energy and work.

I am not sure that I can live with weeds in my garden.....my flower borders will have to suffice for the bees.

I read that my endless washing and separating of plastics could be a waste of time as they all get dumped in to the same mix and if someone else has contaminated them they are not recycled anyhow.

Then there are the neighbours who are creating Christmas trees in our local park with their dog poo bags, not to mention that factory in China that is producing more pollution than anything a thousand households could save...
 
Hello,

I can certainly see why you might be feeling that way - and it sounds like you've been putting in a lot more effort, than most others (incl. myself).

I think that the Irish Green Party are far from the best champions, to represent better ways of living, and a more sustainable environment. They seem to get caught up with silly things, while missing the big opportunities, and that's before we talk about the really stupid stuff. I've seen far better stuff come out of green politicans in Northern European countries, and regularly wonder why our local lot can't just copy them?

The plan to start charging extra for plastic bottles, cans etc. has really annoyed me, as you'll now have to front the cost, and suffer the inconvenience of storing them and transporting them back to certain shops etc. The various drop off points for glass recycling etc. are far more convenient, and you don't have to pay another "indirect tax" (keeping in mind that very few people will return everything correctly etc.).

Reducing the incentives to move to EVs is another stupid move - with grants on purchase being reduced, grants on installing EV Chargers being reduced, discounts on toll brudges being scraped etc. These were all helping encourage people to buy new EVs, and while we're still way behind targets for 2030, they should have been retained, if not even increased!

My view is that I'll do my best, with regards to things that seem logical, don't cost me money (over the medium to longer term), and are reasonably convenient.

Using the green bin is a good example, or good reliable public transport rather than using my car for every journey, getting solar panels to help power my home (and perhaps a future car).

As for the Greens, I just can't wait for the next election ;)
 
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I'm sick of our so called Green policies too. The whole caper seems to be the biggest con job in the history of mankind. Before Christmas I saw an RTE news item where recyclable refuse was contaminated with left overs of take-away curries etc.

When I see coal not being used in China and Russia, then I'll become green. Until then, there's no point.
 
I have had perfectly good footpaths outside my home replaced for absolutely no reason. Absolutely perfect in every way. It really annoyed me so much that I contacted DunLaoghaire Rathdown about it.......and I was completely ignored. What a waste of money, energy, power, etc.

I am holding on to the local councillors leaflets and when I get the time.....just before the next local election they are going to get two barrels from me.
 
I have an interest in railways.

I read that China built an entire railway to carry 20,000,000 tonnes of coal.

After that, I said to myself, why do we bother?

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/chinas-coal-country-full-steam-ahead-with-new-power-plants-despite-climate-2023-11-30/
 
I started being more like Victor Meldrew a few years back. Rather than being Mr. Nice Guy to idiots that I didn't respect, I simply decided that I would not give these people/companies the time of day anymore.

A friend that I was always the one to contact for a "meet up" wondered recently was I alright. I simply said that I was waiting for you to contact me as I thought that I was annoying you, by always being the one to make the contact/appointments. I was also tired of being the one to put my hand in my pocket to pay for the coffees.

A neighbours front garden gate that would swing out on to the footpath when it was windy....I would always fix it for them. Now I just walk by.

The selfish person in the supermarket that blocked the aisle with their trolley....now gets pushed aside.

Yes I know....not nice. But it makes me feel better. And as for the Green Party.....reading Eamon Ryan state that people should not be cementing their driveways....I had to laugh. This was in the U.K. rag mags before Christmas. He needs to go back to sleep.

I will continue to fly on my cheap flights to the sun, cut my grass, water my plants and avoid people and places that I don't respect.
 
Eamon Ryan is a buffoon and has alienated a huge number of "green friendly" voters/taxpayers and set the green cause back many years. Of course I am still concerned abut climate change and try to do my best in terms of my actions: recycling, rain harvesting, composting, avoiding insectisides, pollinator friendly planting, reducing air-miles, eliminating unnecessary journeys, using public transport etc. Ryan, Leadin and their fellow travellers are a massive disappointment for the second time and voting for them in the future is most certainly not on my list of actions, but I'm not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
 
The anecdote of individuals feeling that they are already tired of doing environmentally-beneficial things, when Ireland as a whole has barely started acting in that way, is worrying. Perhaps getting climate active (meaning advocacy/activism, rather than solely personal behaviour change) might help sustain their hopes for a better world?

Politicians seem to want to keep everyone on side by not setting out the gravity of the situation we face, for fear of upsetting some voters, and so we sleepwalk in ignorance into climate breakdown (and that includes the Green Party in Ireland). There are also our favourably-viewed (but scientifically-illiterate) politicians and business leaders that would claim to be 'realists' and to reject the '(economically) harmful ideology' of environmentalism.

Other comments in the thread above remind me of this climate delay graphic.
dq1zccily2f61.jpg
 
Blackrock1 said:
I’m no eamon Ryan fan but the people to blame for that are Mary Lou’s mob.
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Many others would suggest the people to blame were Leo and Helen, but let's try to keep this thread on topic :)

Anyone with a garden could consider taking one simple step in the right direction, in the early days of 2024 - and plant a new tree. It's a long term play, but it's an easy, low effort, and relatively low cost, step in the right direction...
 
WaterWater said:
I no longer let it mellow.....
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Having the luxury of my own bathroom in our home, it was never a problem to let it mellow and save on the over flushing.

I noticed that I was using more bleach to clean as a result....not good. So, I am back to normal flushing now.

I have also stopped tearing those little plastic windows out of envelopes received in the post and putting them in the recycling bin.

Feeling better already.
 
Being green is like being kind, it should make you feel better.If it's causing you grief, then no point in doing it. Walk/cycle , you'll feel better than driving. Don't poison your garden with pesticides, get native pollinator plants, you'll enjoy seeing the birds/bees. Stop buying cans & plastic bottles, they're usually full of artificial junk anyway. Send less rubbish to landfill, you should feel better. Grow veg, plant fruit trees , you'll appreciate food more. The easiest way to be green is to consume less: buy less, eat less, drink less , pee less , wash your clothes less etc. anyway, everyone knows all this stuff already. I am very worried about climate change, & think within 5 years the govt will be allocating huge funds to annual disaster relief schemes, & i think the world will be more worried about how to feed the population than a declining population.
 
lukegriffen said:
The easiest way to be green is to consume less: buy less, eat less, drink less , pee less , wash your clothes less etc.
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Don't forget to add game less, stream less and post less!!
Think I heard once that a single google search uses enough energy to power a lightbulb for twenty minutes
Scratch that just Googled it myself :rolleyes:

fullfact.org

How energy intensive is a Google search? - Full Fact

It’s really hard to say exactly how energy intensive a Google search is, but a recent Sunday Times article overestimated the figure.
fullfact.org fullfact.org
 
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lukegriffen said:
I am very worried about climate change, & think within 5 years the govt will be allocating huge funds to annual disaster relief schemes,
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If they'd bother maintaining water courses and clearing drains on any sort of systematic basis, there would be considerably less need for flood and other disaster relief schemes.

lukegriffen said:
& i think the world will be more worried about how to feed the population than a declining population.
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There was never as much food availability in the world, so much that the focus has changed from maximising production towards more sustainable production of food.
 
Protocol said:
I have an interest in railways.

I read that China built an entire railway to carry 20,000,000 tonnes of coal.

After that, I said to myself, why do we bother?

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/chinas-coal-country-full-steam-ahead-with-new-power-plants-despite-climate-2023-11-30/
Click to expand...
You bother because Ireland has a poor security of energy supply issue. You bother because enriching the Sheiks and Putins of this world is endangering you and your families futures.
In case you didn't know Russia has Ireland on a list of unfriendly nations, regardless of what you think about neutrality.
Forget about others, let's try to decouple our lifestyles from the mullahs.
Let's build the bloody LPG terminal on the Shannon, let's install as much PV and offshore wind as possible.

Let's fund our Naval service correctly.

Let's try to copy Denmark and finally grow up as a country, rather than hiding behind Britain.
Stop moaning about politicians. They are the same everywhere, interested in one thing only and that is getting reelected.
Respect your environment and try to treat people kindly. Whatever you feel, often their lives are much much worse.
 
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