Mad Chemist’s Recent Comments

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  I love the smell of turpentine.  It brings back fond memories of my grandfather. 

  Since turpentine is made by plants it is probably biodegradable, but don't dump it in the sewer anyway.  It is flammable and therefore a hazardous waste. 
  A better choice is good old paint thinner, aka Stoddard solvent or VM&P naphtha.  Granted it is a petroleum distallate, but it has low toxicity and is recyclable.  Your HHW facility may have a place specifically for paint thinner to be recycled.  It has low volativity so your inhalation exposure is low and its flammability is more like kerosine than gasoline.  The amount of paint thinner you are going to use is a minute fraction of the gasoline, fuel oil, propane, etc that you are going to burn so don't worry that we are going to run out of oil because of using paint thinner.

  On Ask Umbra on turpentine disposal posted 4 months, 1 week ago 4 Responses

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  GMOs and cloned animals are hidden from the public because many people have an irrational fear of them.  If people made informed rational decisions on this, there would be no need to hide this information.

  
  Monsanto doesn't go around forcing farmers to use their seeds.  Farmers have a choice.  Farmer use GMO seeds because they save them time, energy and money.

  On Food Inc. Director Robert Kenner speaks on the ills of the food system posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 2 Responses

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  Just say no.  Nobody has a gun to their head and is forced to drink soda or eat foods with high fructose corn syrup or lots of salt and grease.  People eat this food because they choose to eat this food.

  Junk food is not cheap.  A 12 oz soda costs most of a dollar, a glass of tap water costs a few cents.  If you insist on buying bottled water, most stores sell it in gallons for less than a dollar.  A one ounce bag of potato chips cost about a dollar.  You can buy three or four pounds of potatos for a dollar.  You can eat rice and beans like most of the world, but that would mean you would have to get off your arse and cook.

  Take charge of your life and stop being a victim,

  On No healthcare reform without food-system reform posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 8 Responses

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  We built our dream house 30 years ago with a Clivus Multrum.  Later we added another bathroom with a Sun Mar.  We're happy with these composting toilets.  The Sunmar is too small for daily use, but the waste is almost odor free.  The early design Clivus has waste that is stinky.  We compost the waste further in some barrels and the product is odor free and friable with no hint of its origin,

  I would recommend composting toilets to anyone.  You just have to be willing to get in touch with your inner self.

   

  On For some eco-pioneers, solving the sludge problem means getting their hands dirty posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago 7 Responses

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  Plastic wood is not as aesthetically pleasing as real wood, but then it is made with recycled milk jugs, detergent bottles and the like.  Since we all think recycling is a good idea and dutifully separate our recycleables we should support those who are in the recycling business and buy platic lumber. 

  Real wood requires cutting down forests and will rot away in a few years.  Plastic lumber will last for years.

  As for leaching toxic substances; plastic lumber is made out of the same  material that you poured your milk out of.  There are no phthalates or BPA to leach.

   

  On Umbra advises on gardens and kids posted 7 months, 1 week ago 2 Responses