I think I am tired of being "Green".

T McGibney said:
That's a weird take.

If you buy a McDonald's drive-through meal, almost all the packaging is cardboard.

That fact doesn't make it any more palatable to see on the road verge in the morning.
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I'm not intimately familiar with said product, but I'm sure the high roads and by roads of my country are full of plastic fast food rubbish, thrown out the windows of ignorant lazy people.
 
MrEarl said:
One of the worst examples ever, on AAM - do you not see the regular news reports on the numbers that are done for speeding? (and that is probably in no way reflective of the true numbers that do actually suited, many of whom are on rural roads, which relating largely unregulated by the Gardai, or private sites vans).

I fear that you may not be able to see past this rediculous idea, despite what anyone else on this discussion might say to you.
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Sorry for being a bit too abstract for you. Is speeding another one of your privaledged Saturday victim themes?. Stick to the thread please.
 
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tallpaul said:
Until the large emission producer nations are reigned in, everything else is a waste of time.

Just look at the COP28 shenanigans for goodness sake.
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So your answer to this is what??
Just carry on as normal without a care for the repercussions that are coming our way and for future generations
On one hand I agree with you, what's the point if we're all not singing the same tune and you're right COP28 was a classic example of everything that is wrong with how we are dealing with this issue
But on the other hand we have to start somewhere simply because if nothing changes , well then nothing changes
and the simplest change we can make is to be aware of consequences of our consumption has on the planet etc etc
 
@tallpaul is making the point that no matter what we do in Ireland is insignificant and will have least bearing on green global problems. I agree with @tallpaul 100%. Until China and Russia (and probably India) get their green act together everything else doesn't matter much. So, we have to start somewhere. Like I said earlier on this thread teenagers are wrecking your head failing to clean up and you do your Cinderella act and clean up after them no matter what. The resolution to the teenage behaviour is to do nothing and leave the mess. Eventually, they'll cop on and Cinders can wait for her prince.
 
The most consequential individual action most of us can take is voting green in the next few local/national/EU election cycles. If you believe we’re dealing with an environmental crisis it is worth parking your views on their leadership or other social policies.
 
How much of the emissions from China and India are due to Western demand for cheap disposable products.
Printers annoy me. New printer with ink cartridge almost the same price as ink cartridge on its own. Phones can last years but software updates stop after 2 years, so hardware becomes obsolete before it's end of life.
 
Cervelo said:
So your answer to this is what??
Just carry on as normal without a care for the repercussions that are coming our way and for future generations
On one hand I agree with you, what's the point if we're all not singing the same tune and you're right COP28 was a classic example of everything that is wrong with how we are dealing with this issue
But on the other hand we have to start somewhere simply because if nothing changes , well then nothing changes
and the simplest change we can make is to be aware of consequences of our consumption has on the planet etc etc
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By all means purchase your EV, take up a 'green' energy package, reuse, recycle...whatever. At the end of the day the only effect that this behaviour will have on the overall picture is salve your own conscience. It won't help future generations, it won't help the planet and it will make absolutely no difference to the global emissions problem.
 
losttheplot said:
Phones can last years but software updates stop after 2 years, so hardware becomes obsolete before it's end of life.
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This is patent rubbish and a terrible example. iPhones get nearly a decade of updates. Android phones don't suddenly, magically, stop working once firmware updates end.
 
Zenith63 said:
The most consequential individual action most of us can take is voting green in the next few local/national/EU election cycles. If you believe we’re dealing with an environmental crisis it is worth parking your views on their leadership or other social policies.
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Alot of people waving green flags now were previously waving red ones. If you scrape off the green paint you will see the red and if you scrape deeply enough you might encounter a hammer and sickle. Look at Greta Thornberg initially she was an innocent looking young girl protesting outside her school, now she is a radical left wing activist. We dont want the failed theories of radical socialism dressed up in their new cloths of greenism back dictating policy again. Look at the old soviet union it was perhaps the worst offender in terms of pollution and nature degradation that ever existed
 
joe sod said:
Alot of people waving green flags now were previously waving red ones. If you scrape off the green paint you will see the red and if you scrape deeply enough you might encounter a hammer and sickle. Look at Greta Thornberg initially she was an innocent looking young girl protesting outside her school, now she is a radical left wing activist. We dont want the failed theories of radical socialism dressed up in their new cloths of greenism back dictating policy again. Look at the old soviet union it was perhaps the worst offender in terms of pollution and nature degradation that ever existed
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What I find amazing is that during the 70's and 80's, all the Greens (such as they were) thought that nuclear power was the devil's work. Now they think it is the panacea to all our ills. No consistency policy except to simply tax and levy everything. What I find most interesting is that it is those that have comfortable 'middle-class' lives that are the most vociferous Greens - they have little else to worry about except the 'global apocalypse'. Those that have to make ends meet or who have plenty of money have no time for them.

I will not be wasting my vote on any Green Party candidate in any forthcoming elections.
 
Great topic, multitude of ideas and opinions and views.

Yes, our individual actions count for nothing but when your grandchild says to you what did you do you can say, I reduced, reused, recycled. I saw my grandparents live a very sustainable lifestyle myself and I tried to go back to, buying local, reducing packaging, taking less flights, not changing my car, cycling everywhere, returning cans and bottles.

There are so many things we can all individually do but sometimes we only have a choice because we are wealthy enough to make the choice. I can go to the green-grocer with the loose fruit and veg, so I can buy 1 pear loose rather than a pack of 4 shrink wrapped in a styrofoam tray, but it is rather expensive. I can go to the farmers market and buy the locally produced honey rather than the mass marketed one in the shops.

We would love to buy locally produced clothing but no one produces it, the fast fashion lasts no time being very thin and easily torn/stained. Shoes are compound materials so you cannot reheel or resole them,

We are pushed to buy the newest and latest phone or smart TV because the software is no longer updated or supported. (Just bought a new TV for this very reason). Marketing is very slick and makes the consumer buy more than the need.

And eating less meat sounds great but what is in those meat free burgers

Rehydrated Pea Protein (60%), Rapeseed Oil, Onion, Bamboo Fibre, Pea Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Stabiliser (Methylcellulose), Natural Flavourings, Barley Malt Extract, Tomato Paste, Salt, Pea Fibre, Wholegrain OatFlour, Potato Starch, Mushroom Powder, Tomato Powder, Onion Powder, Antioxidant (Extract of Rosemary), Herbs

This is something that is highly highly processed

Is the meat burger better

INGREDIENTS: Beef (93%), Rice Flour, Water, Salt, Spices, Onion Powder, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Dextrose, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Bay, Spice Extract, Anti-caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide), Flavouring, Bamboo Fibre

So are you better going down the butcher, getting the mince beef and making your own? (If you can afford it)

The thing is we can’t all be experts in everything, we do rely on the various government departments to give us valid information we can trust and use to help us make our everyday decisions.

But we can question the governments decisions too, they want to cut agricultural emissions by 25%, but Ireland is a very efficient sustainable (grass!) producer of dairy products, and there is a global food crisis so why not let Ireland produce dairy food for that sector. For example take potatoes, Ireland was self sufficient in potatoes but cheaper potatoes were imported from Cyprus and gradually the domestic market disappeared. Denmark could see that they had great potato growing conditions so they developed a potato starch industry thus retaining potato growing locally.

Anyway I have been too long winded as normal straying for topic to topic probably with half formed thoughts but I do agree being green can be very tiring.
 
I was looking through some old photos over the Christmas with visiting family members. I noticed in one of the photos I was sitting with my then 8 year old grand daughter. She is now 20 years old. The sweater I was wearing over Christmas was the same one in the photo.

I have the same kitchen in the house as I had 30 years ago when I bought it. The tiles on the wall in my bathroom are the same. My wife drives an 03D car. We still have an old laptop that once belonged to our son that we use for downloads. (We also have modern ones). It is so old that it no longer gets updates anymore

It has always been a "if it's not broken then don't fix it type of household" or a "make do and mend". Or maybe the Christian Brothers just beat the fear of God in to me.

I am not sure if I am Green or just a mean old git or suffering from PTSD.
 
tallpaul said:
This is patent rubbish and a terrible example. iPhones get nearly a decade of updates. Android phones don't suddenly, magically, stop working once firmware updates end.
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They don't stop working, the apps stop working as they'll look for more recent versions of the OS. I have an original iPad, still works. Most apps won't as the OS version is too old. Can't upgrade the OS as the hardware is too old. Apple typically give updates for 5years from launch. Most iPhone users I know update much more frequently.

Same with some Smart TVs, some older Samsungs won't run the Disney app.

www.wired.com

How to Tell When Your Phone Will Stop Getting Security Updates

Every smartphone has an expiration date. Here’s when yours will probably come.
www.wired.com www.wired.com
 
tallpaul said:
By all means purchase your EV, take up a 'green' energy package, reuse, recycle...whatever. At the end of the day the only effect that this behaviour will have on the overall picture is salve your own conscience. It won't help future generations, it won't help the planet and it will make absolutely no difference to the global emissions problem.
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So your answer is to do nothing, carry on and keep calm, sure it will all work out for the better in the end??.
 
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Cervelo said:
So your answer is to do nothing, carry on and keep calm, sure it will all work out for the better in the end.
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That's an eminently reasonable position. Existential doom mongering has been part of human experience for time immemorial and history has shown us that dire claims of imminent flood/fire/pestilence/general ruin should be treated with the utmost scepticism.
 
T McGibney said:
That's an eminently reasonable position. Existential doom mongering has been part of human experience for time immemorial and history has shown us that dire claims of imminent flood/fire/pestilence/general ruin should be treated with the utmost scepticism.
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Agree, except for the fact we are far more knowledgeable about our effect on the planets ecosystem now then in past
But we should ignore these new scientific facts because you don't agree with them
 
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tallpaul said:
What I find amazing is that during the 70's and 80's, all the Greens (such as they were) thought that nuclear power was the devil's work. Now they think it is the panacea to all our ills. No consistency policy except to simply tax and levy everything. What I find most interesting is that it is those that have comfortable 'middle-class' lives that are the most vociferous Greens - they have little else to worry about except the 'global apocalypse'. Those that have to make ends meet or who have plenty of money have no time for them.

I will not be wasting my vote on any Green Party candidate in any forthcoming election
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So 40 to 50 years ago they were mistaken and therefore you'll never vote for them again. Sounds reasonable.

Luckily all the other parties never change their policies. I'd still vote for Charlie or Bertie if possible.
 
Cervelo said:
Agree, except for the fact we are far more knowledgeable about our effect on the planets ecosystem now then in past.
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Are we? David Bellamy was one of the most famous environmentalists around and lost his career because he expressed scepticism about the so-called consensus that catastrophic anthropogenic global warming.

The only reason there was ever a "consensus" was the effective outlawing of dissenters.
Cervelo said:
But we should ignore these new scientific facts because you don't agree with them
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No, we should always be sceptical of people who tell us the world is in danger of ending.

Whether we instinctively agree with them or not.
 
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