They're destroying our planet

Cosmic

Manners maketh man
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Messages
12,888
Reaction score
951
FP$
29
Every day.

Every time you order Chinese takeout, you get plastic utensils, a plastic straw, and a Styrofoam cup. None of these items can be recycled, even if you want to... the same applies to many types of foods. Cereal boxes include plastic toys that you probably won't even need, trash. Every time you order a drink at a restaurant, you get a straw... trash.

These items don't just go away. They go into a landfills, and they don't degrade for one hundred years... yep, that's right, if you're lucky. One hundred years, one thousand two hundred months, that times thirty days...

One drink, tastes good... one hundred years of plastic.

Recycling is a must, but that's not enough. Many o these items simply can't be recycled! Business executives are so greedy that they produce disposable" items that are indeed not disposable. Would you buy a disposable fork if you could not throw it away, but had to keep it on your person for the rest of your life Of course not. And you don't. But the earth DOES...

They're killing our planet, slowly, but surely. What is now a planet of flush rain forests will become a planet of deserted barren wastelands, like wall-e.

What are your views...?!
 
E-va? Eeeva. :lol:

Technically, we do have solutions. Biodegradable materials already exist, but implementation is poor as there isn't enough competition. Further research in material science can increase our yields in more eco-friendly products. And the biotech industry is also promising in its studies releasing microorganisms in controlled environments to break down toxic materials. With the proper leadership, a careful policy combing the best of these concepts could lead to a zero or even negative pollution based society. How? Well, once we stop polluting more, we can start cleaning up our landfills.

Nature bounces back quickly with some help. Look at Chernobyl. People may not be able to live there for hundreds of years. But less human activity has meant more wolves (creatures more resistant to radiation). That, in turn, is creating a new ecosystem.

I think that teaches us a lesson. The earth and life will continue on without us. But it's humanity that will suffer the most from pollution.
 
Every day.

Every time you order Chinese takeout, you get plastic utensils, a plastic straw, and a Styrofoam cup. None of these items can be recycled, even if you want to... the same applies to many types of foods. Cereal boxes include plastic toys that you probably won't even need, trash. Every time you order a drink at a restaurant, you get a straw... trash.

These items don't just go away. They go into a landfills, and they don't degrade for one hundred years... yep, that's right, if you're lucky. One hundred years, one thousand two hundred months, that times thirty days...

One drink, tastes good... one hundred years of plastic.

Recycling is a must, but that's not enough. Many o these items simply can't be recycled! Business executives are so greedy that they produce disposable" items that are indeed not disposable. Would you buy a disposable fork if you could not throw it away, but had to keep it on your person for the rest of your life Of course not. And you don't. But the earth DOES...

They're killing our planet, slowly, but surely. What is now a planet of flush rain forests will become a planet of deserted barren wastelands, like wall-e.

What are your views...?!

Thanks for the public service announcement, but everything you said is common knowledge.

I do my part to be green and try not leave much of a carbon foot print behind, but I don’t feel guilty if I use a plastic fork and throw it away.
 
E-va? Eeeva. :lol:

Technically, we do have solutions. Biodegradable materials already exist, but implementation is poor as there isn't enough competition. Further research in material science can increase our yields in more eco-friendly products. And the biotech industry is also promising in its studies releasing microorganisms in controlled environments to break down toxic materials. With the proper leadership, a careful policy combing the best of these concepts could lead to a zero or even negative pollution based society. How? Well, once we stop polluting more, we can start cleaning up our landfills.

Nature bounces back quickly with some help. Look at Chernobyl. People may not be able to live there for hundreds of years. But less human activity has meant more wolves (creatures more resistant to radiation). That, in turn, is creating a new ecosystem.

I think that teaches us a lesson. The earth and life will continue on without us. But it's humanity that will suffer the most from pollution.
There need to be more biodegradables! There are few excuses to use a styrofoam anything these days. Biodegradables are just as good... Right now I am sipping from a paper straw. It's nice, and it composts. I also have some compostable straws that are indistinguishable from the normal kind, except they melt in high temps. I don't use them so much, as they don't biodegrade as well as paper, but they are MUCH better than plastic...

Every day.

Every time you order Chinese takeout, you get plastic utensils, a plastic straw, and a Styrofoam cup. None of these items can be recycled, even if you want to... the same applies to many types of foods. Cereal boxes include plastic toys that you probably won't even need, trash. Every time you order a drink at a restaurant, you get a straw... trash.

These items don't just go away. They go into a landfills, and they don't degrade for one hundred years... yep, that's right, if you're lucky. One hundred years, one thousand two hundred months, that times thirty days...

One drink, tastes good... one hundred years of plastic.

Recycling is a must, but that's not enough. Many o these items simply can't be recycled! Business executives are so greedy that they produce disposable" items that are indeed not disposable. Would you buy a disposable fork if you could not throw it away, but had to keep it on your person for the rest of your life Of course not. And you don't. But the earth DOES...

They're killing our planet, slowly, but surely. What is now a planet of flush rain forests will become a planet of deserted barren wastelands, like wall-e.

What are your views...?!

Thanks for the public service announcement, but everything you said is common knowledge.

I do my part to be green and try not leave much of a carbon foot print behind, but I don’t feel guilty if I use a plastic fork and throw it away.
Why not?! Some pople know it but some people do not, and some people just don't udnerstand the gravity of the situations... While the fork may be nice for a single meal, it will be propegated on our earth for hundreds of years, if not more ;(
 
I love the earth. That's why I drive a super diesel and burn my trash in my yard. You're welcome, earth.
 
I love the earth. That's why I drive a super diesel and burn my trash in my yard. You're welcome, earth.
But do you burn french fry grease in the super deisel or do you buy nasty deisil feul?! I'm not sure if that makes the earth happy
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
I do not take such a view! It can be done we must simply recycle, and pay close attention to what we put in the environment
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
I do not take such a view! It can be done we must simply recycle, and pay close attention to what we put in the environment

It’s a lot more complicated than that. Everyone recycling won’t even put a dent in solving all the issues that are currently killing this planet.
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
I do not take such a view! It can be done we must simply recycle, and pay close attention to what we put in the environment

It’s a lot more complicated than that. Everyone recycling won’t even put a dent in solving all the issues that are currently killing this planet.
Perhaps so but I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home. Perhaps to save this planet we must get the oil barons and business executives to stop exploiting this planet...
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
I do not take such a view! It can be done we must simply recycle, and pay close attention to what we put in the environment

It’s a lot more complicated than that. Everyone recycling won’t even put a dent in solving all the issues that are currently killing this planet.
Perhaps so but I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home. Perhaps to save this planet we must get the oil barons and business executives to stop exploiting this planet...

Okay so go live off the land in the middle of the woods. Anything short of that, you’re contributing to the destruction of this planet.
 
My take on the garbage is this - the more people there are, the more garbage. Pardon me if you are an environmentalist but I don't think that motto of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle would be effective to control the garbage entirely although that awareness helps. Humans are just creating so much garbage that is directly related to our way of life. When you buy any food item, it is wrapped in a box or plastic. When you buy an appliance, it is also wrapped in a box or plastic or both. I remember the olden times when there was no plastic yet. My mother would come home from the market with fish wrapped in banana leaves. Too primitive but not much garbage.
 
If you really cared about the planet, you’d figure out a way to end all humanity. We are the cancer that is destroying this planet.
Humanity is a great thing that this planet has produced but we must control ourselves and protect the planet by asking responsibility nihilism is not the answer

It’s the only answer, unless we revert back to living like cave men.
I do not take such a view! It can be done we must simply recycle, and pay close attention to what we put in the environment

It’s a lot more complicated than that. Everyone recycling won’t even put a dent in solving all the issues that are currently killing this planet.
Perhaps so but I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home. Perhaps to save this planet we must get the oil barons and business executives to stop exploiting this planet...

Okay so go live off the land in the middle of the woods. Anything short of that, you’re contributing to the destruction of this planet.
There isn’t good WiFi in the woods so that’s out

My take on the garbage is this - the more people there are, the more garbage. Pardon me if you are an environmentalist but I don't think that motto of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle would be effective to control the garbage entirely although that awareness helps. Humans are just creating so much garbage that is directly related to our way of life. When you buy any food item, it is wrapped in a box or plastic. When you buy an appliance, it is also wrapped in a box or plastic or both. I remember the olden times when there was no plastic yet. My mother would come home from the market with fish wrapped in banana leaves. Too primitive but not much garbage.
Banana leaves? 😱

You’re right that humans everywhere are using un-recyclables. Maybe the only solution then is to ban those items. It’s easier than you may think, actually. If you ban or limit their production, then you control how many are released into the environment. It would be difficult to convince countries to follow the ban, but sanctions could do the trick, combined with alternative products that they can produce instead, and are not harmful to the environment. While many compostables aren’t “there yet,” I think it can be done.
 
There isn’t good WiFi in the woods so that’s out

Your WiFi runs off electricity. Electricity generation is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Earth's atmosphere traps these gases, leading to air pollution, smog and other harmful side effects. You said “I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home” ...Well by simply using electricity, you’re helping kill the planet. Ever ride in a car? There’s another way you’re helping kill the planet. So much hypocrisy is oozing from this thread.
 
Your WiFi runs off electricity. Electricity generation is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Earth's atmosphere traps these gases, leading to air pollution, smog and other harmful side effects. You said “I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home” ...Well by simply using electricity, you’re helping kill the planet. Ever ride in a car? There’s another way you’re helping kill the planet. So much hypocrisy is oozing from this thread.

@Ezrah does have a solid point to this discussion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gus
@Ezrah does have a solid point to this discussion.

The point can be countered easily when we look into many sources of untapped technology that could help humans and the planet exist in a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable environment.

The issue with saving the planet is that it won't be a simple answer. Wind mills and solar panels won't solve all our problems, but they are part of the solution. In order to get a better environment, you're going to have to do a large array of things. And that requires leadership.

People might say that wind mills aren't the answer, recycling isn't the answer, biodegradable materials isn't the answer, or solar panels aren't the answer. But once we start looking at all of our options and start implementing changes, we'll have a shot at a much better future. 🙂

As @Cosmé said nihilism isn't the answer.
 
The point can be countered easily when

...when what? When you rattle off a bunch of fantasies & hypotheticals? My points here are based in reality, based on the systems that are currently in place. When actual change happens and humans aren’t contributing to the destruction of the planet in any shape or form, I’ll concede. Sadly, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. At least not in our lifetimes.
 
There isn’t good WiFi in the woods so that’s out

Your WiFi runs off electricity. Electricity generation is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Earth's atmosphere traps these gases, leading to air pollution, smog and other harmful side effects. You said “I will not be a party to the destruction of the planet we call Home” ...Well by simply using electricity, you’re helping kill the planet. Ever ride in a car? There’s another way you’re helping kill the planet. So much hypocrisy is oozing from this thread.
Help me understand your perspective here. You are currently using electricity, which means that all of your points apply to you. Either you don’t care about the environment and think it will fix itself, or you are refusing to see partial improvements, and see only black and white.

Imagine two people. One person takes out a loan of $1,000, and the other takes out a loan of $100,000.

I say “that person who took out the 100k loan is financially irresponsible.”

You say “WELL, they’re both financially irresponsible because loans are bad so why don’t they both move to the Siberian wilderness and hunt for frozen sea bass to survive?”

If two people use electricity, and one of them regularly throws their McDonald’s cup in the local park, that second person is doing more damage to the environment than the first. Let’s teach people to be person #1, and to have more awareness that it is a problem, so that people will start to care about their planet. Let’t NOT tell them that they’re screwed anyway, because that doesn’t help anyone.
 
Back
Top Bottom