Comments greentrain has made
Biofuel Dialogue
I am fairly certain that most everyone who reads grist is now convinced of the utter implausability of replacing our current fuel consuption with biofuels. Obviously reduction is key, to start. Perhaps I am mistaken in my inerpretation, but I don't think the Big Green bus crew are disputing that, but rather spreading their fuel message and opening up a very important dialogue that may very well result in new innovation. (keeping in mind they also utilize wind and solar power in their vehicle makeup) I say: "Keep on Truckin'"On The Big Green Bus rides again posted 2 years, 3 months ago 14 Responses
Irradiated Food
While our friends down under may have smaller fridges into which they put less, they also irradiate perishables because of the reality of their location. You can find dairy and eggs that can sit on the shelf indefinitely because they may very well have to before someone can buy it. Leaving North American eggs out of the fridge to conserve energy is a well tested recipe for food poisoning. On Umbra on refrigerator downsizing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses
Sustainable Kitchen Development
The average UK home is also much smaller than the average North American home. Somehow, the Brits, for the most part, manage to get along just fine without laundry,dog grooming, scrapbooking or gift wrapping rooms. (Or atleast they did when the majority of their homes were built) Amazing. Though the cupboard size fridge does not necessarily represent an energy savings, to me it represents something far deeper and more important to eco-attitudes: an ideology. Specifcially, the urge and desire obviously prevalent in North America to over-consume, the sense of entitlement to lots of personal space and the complete refusal to accept that sustainable development may mean giving up shoddily built 5 bedroom, 3 car garage homes. (Though from the news of a second downstairs fridge I'm worried the "give me my acre" attitude is spreading more rapidly than I am comfortable with)On Umbra on refrigerator downsizing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses
Unfed Red's
To suggest that government involvement in agriculture causes citizens to starve sounds more like McCarthyism than it does a legitimate libertarian stance. The Soviets starved because the country lacked the proper infrastrucure to deliver food to its people across its huge land mass. Produce rotted in railcars at the end of unfinished lines. While this does point to serious flaws in the Soviet regime, it does not necessarily villify government controlled agriculture. In North America, there are already many quota systems (for dairy and eggs) and subsidies in place to ensure that food is always afforadable for citizens. I think boosting this control to a level which would also ensure that our food is mostly supplied from local growers and that these foods are as healthy and affordable as possible sounds more like agricultural utopia than iron curtain idiocy.On Why the FTC is right to block Whole Foods' buyout of Wild Oats posted 2 years, 4 months ago 28 Responses