| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you recycle in your home or workplace? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| Not using - Much better than recycling | Jun 28, 2009 |
When I think of recycling I always think of those water fountains some people have in their offices, even very environmentally-focused people. They are the perfect example of how ridiculous we can get.
Instead of grabbing a glass or a cup, going to the tap, and drinking from it (most tap waters are good enough and in many areas it is comparable in quality to mineral water), we get one of those machines and:
- Waste energy and resources manufacturing the machine.
-... See more When I think of recycling I always think of those water fountains some people have in their offices, even very environmentally-focused people. They are the perfect example of how ridiculous we can get.
Instead of grabbing a glass or a cup, going to the tap, and drinking from it (most tap waters are good enough and in many areas it is comparable in quality to mineral water), we get one of those machines and:
- Waste energy and resources manufacturing the machine.
- Generate carbon footprint with the truck that brings the bottle to us.
- Generate waste (or recycling effort) as the machines require filters that have to be replaced periodically.
- Generate waste (or recycling effort) when the machine is old and we need a new one.
- Waste energy cooling down the water (when water tastes better and is healthier at room temperature).
- Use those ridiculous little paper cups WE THEN THROW IN THE RECYCLE BIN.
And we feel great because we recycle the paper cup!!! Aren't we humans a jolly funny bunch!?
[Edited at 2009-06-28 16:51 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Tomás, agent provocateur | Jun 28, 2009 |
And thank goodness he is here to do it!
You touch on some points which I think are very important:
The myths and misconceptions floating around in the green world: this idea that you can get a clear conscience over air travel by forking out a bit more money to rebalance your carbon footprint, the people who say that all the stuff we put in the separate bins is then dumped together at the municipal tip, the money to be made out of the "green Euro" (don't know if the ter... See more And thank goodness he is here to do it!
You touch on some points which I think are very important:
The myths and misconceptions floating around in the green world: this idea that you can get a clear conscience over air travel by forking out a bit more money to rebalance your carbon footprint, the people who say that all the stuff we put in the separate bins is then dumped together at the municipal tip, the money to be made out of the "green Euro" (don't know if the term exists, but if not, then I'm coining it), the situation in the EU which forces organic farmers to import their soy requirements from Latin America (thus using up husge resources of energy) etc. etc. Just a few of the things which make us uncomfortable but which we tend to avoid thinking about.
Conscience is an important point. We do little deals with ourselves don't we? I can drive my gas guzzler an unnecessary 500 yards to the market, because I will use a cloth carrier bag there instead of the plastic ones they offer.
And industry takes full advantage of this!
And, to assuage my conscience, I shall tell you that I have never watered my garden (caught my neighbour doing it for me once and upset him by giving him a round telling off), so if anyone wants to know which plant varieties will thrive in a Castilian climate, of extreme temperatures (and my house is ridiculously built directly due south/north), just get in touch! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Little deals | Jun 28, 2009 |
aceavila - Noni wrote:
Conscience is an important point. We do little deals with ourselves don't we? I can drive my gas guzzler an unnecessary 500 yards to the market, because I will use a cloth carrier bag there instead of the plastic ones they offer.
Exactly. Our society will always find things that make us feel bad, so we need to make these little deals to be happy as we are bound to have someone criticising our way of life for some reason. Thank God we have recycling!
[Edited at 2009-06-28 17:09 GMT]
| | | | | I do not recycle | Jun 28, 2009 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Instead of grabbing a glass or a cup, going to the tap, and drinking from it (most tap waters are good enough and in many areas it is comparable in quality to mineral water)
Lucky you are... In Ukraine one would laugh after hearing that, because the quality of tap water here is just below any civilized standards.
As for the recycling, I envy you guys that you can do it. Our government does not seem to care of it and there is no any national program I am aware of... There are no bins for collecting different knds of waste, and if I ask officials for them they will think that I am nuts. There are some collection points, but such places here are normally gathering of homeless people who gather paper on dumps to get some money for a living (or, more often, for a drink). Metal is normally picked up (and stolen) by jobless poor people or the above mentioned bums... Common people would not even approach those collection points, just to avoid troubles...
And that's all recycling here. Sad but true.
| | |
|
|
|
Caro Maucher 
Germany
Local time: 06:27
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
| I recycle characters | Jun 29, 2009 |
In fact I often go as far as recycling letters (as in, characters) on the pc. When I realise I want to use a different word than the one I first wrote, quite frequently I don't just delete the word and type the new one but try to keep parts or individual characters of it and type the new ones around them. Even if simply deleting and writing the new word would usually be quicker. Please don't ask why.
| | | | Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 06:27
Spanish to English
+ ...
| recycling water | Jun 29, 2009 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: Indeed: we are all crazy about recycling everything, but when the moment comes to design our homes we rarely mind about orientation (which is vital for energy efficiency), garden design rarely considers the use of trees and shades instead of air conditioning in the house, we are always short in thermal isolation, etc. etc. But of course we have good old recycling to keep our peace of mind! 
Not to mention water systems! Why can't grey water be reused to flush toilets, water plants, clean floors etc. At the risk of sounding a nutcase, after my very occasional bath, I fill the bucket with used bath water and mop the floors - they smell better than if I used one of those cleaning products too! And that's another scam, they really play on fears and stupidity when it comes to the obsession with cleanliness. I rarely buy cleaning products, vinegar and lemon, and just water and soap is usually adequate.
I got the recycled bath water habit in Spain about 2 years ago, when there was a major water problem and I got to saving water in all sorts of odd (unaesthetic!) ways - showering and collecting the water in a big basin, saving washing up and washbasin water to flush toilet, water plants.
And since always, I detest carwashes, even though I know they use recycled water. But I can wash my car perfectly well with a small bucket of water, I don't need some vast energy-guzzling machine to do it.
The heating/air-conditioning attitude is offensively wasteful - that's my planet's resource too, hey! EG, mid-winter, snow on the ground ... and Ana Rosa Quintana and her ilk and practically everyone female on any TV channel in Spain perennially in "summer" clothes - what an example!. It's as someone else says, in offices, people are invariably dressed out of step with the weather, and rather than wear another layer, they'll up the heating.
I am also scrupulous about turning off lights and unplugging devices. Thing is, I think people think I'm an obsessive freak!
| | | | | I'm a freak too! | Jun 29, 2009 |
Lia Fail wrote:
I am also scrupulous about turning off lights and unplugging devices. Thing is, I think people think I'm an obsessive freak!
If you an obsessive freak, I am in the club! It's two obsessive freaks already. Let's build a majority of freaks so that energy use gets freakily sensible!
| | | | | Our "air conditioning" | Jun 29, 2009 |
As we have some computers switched on over night to be able to work from home in the evenings when needed (and that is almost every day), our office is warm in the morning. This keeps us from turning on the heating in winter (when we built the office we made sure we had a thick layer of isolation all around, in the cealing and in the floor), but on the other hand it makes our office a bit hotter in the summer.
Every morning, our "air conditioning" is opening the door of our office t... See more As we have some computers switched on over night to be able to work from home in the evenings when needed (and that is almost every day), our office is warm in the morning. This keeps us from turning on the heating in winter (when we built the office we made sure we had a thick layer of isolation all around, in the cealing and in the floor), but on the other hand it makes our office a bit hotter in the summer.
Every morning, our "air conditioning" is opening the door of our office to the corridor of the residential building to which it belongs, and opening all our big windows, thus creating a natural flow of air through the building and cooling down our office and the entrance and the staircase of the building. Add shades in all windows to it, and we rarely have to switch on our air conditioning.
Yes, it feels a bit ridiculous to have the door open and force our neighbours to listen to our music when they go collect their mail (mailboxes are right beside our door). But it is a compromise we gladly accept (and I hope our neighbours agree) to save energy. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 06:27
Spanish to English
+ ...
| thinking people are nuts | Jun 29, 2009 |
Vladimir Kukharenko wrote:
if I ask officials for them they will think that I am nuts.
Boy, do I know the feeling! I've been using cloth bags ofr shopping for at least all the years I've been in this provincial town (5), to date I've not met a single other person at supermarket checkouts who does the same (markets might be another story, older people traditionally use baskets, younger users are a bit more environemntallly minded)-
I also have other examples of where people see as some kind of freak, I'm not really, just a lil' bit more environmentally conscious than they are.
As for the "plastic bags", in Spain, they've decided to allow business to "self-regulate" until 2011 ... well, what d'ya think? Will they bother? Won't they just go on while the going's good?
[Edited at 2009-06-29 21:15 GMT]
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you recycle in your home or workplace? | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
