Green Living Q & A

The Expert answers:

No as currently all the GMO crops are dependent on an unsustainable petrol based farming structure and few to none have lived up to the hype of better yields, more nutritious crops, less crop disease, etc.. Not to mention traits such as drought resistance are still in the planning stages and now we have “super weeds” so that the glysophate/glysophyte resistant crops are becoming useless and now they are designing GMO crops to be resistant to more powerful herbicides such as 2,4-D (and using herbicides is not exactly sustainable)

And since Organic and nonBiotech conventional crops tend to yield better than GMO crops i don’t see how they are sustainable at all.

Oh and take a look at this article on just how devastating RoundUp herbicide is to soil and crops http://www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664

We already produce 2x more calories per person world wide and pretty much all famine these days is caused by geo-political reasons such as war and corrupt gov’t stealing food from their people.

What we need are more regionalized and localized food systems instead of these big global systems that are huge but amazing delicate and when they fail billions suffer. And since GMO’s are a big part of the global food system and global systems are never ever as sustainable as smaller much more localized system I have to say NO.

The Expert answers:

Today’s food supply chain consists much more of goods in transit than in the past with everything being delivered only just in time. This is extremely worrying given that we are no longer capable of feeding our 60M+ population. Without imports we would be lucky to supply 24M.

A truly sustainable food supply chain depends upon making use of crops and farm animals that can actually live and grow here without importing fertilizers and animal feeds. Milk and meat from grass eating animals, wheat to make bread etc. Then we need a delivery network that doesn’t waste resources transporting food grown in the SW to the Midlands for processing and then back to the SW to be sold to the consumer etc. A sustainable food supply would be very expensive and locally based.

You have a very big subject here.

The Expert answers:

If you knew there would be no way you would eat it.

The Expert answers:

The only unsustainable resource used in production of food is fuel for tractors and other machinery.
It can be replaced with biofuel or hydrogen (made using non-fossil electricity)

The Expert answers:

Less people

The Expert answers:

It shouldn’t be the government that does this. I am an Economics major, and spent a semester studying Environmental Economics. The solution can, will, and should come from the private sector. There are many companies out there researching alternate sources of energy, and when it becomes more economical to use these new advances in technology, the market will use them. Right now it is too cost prohibitive to use alternate forms of energy, but as other resources become more scarce, the price of them will go up, and we as a society will use alternate forms of energy, all without having to get the government involved.

The Expert answers:

Inform it to the Yahoo! Answers team or Yahoo! Customer Care by mailing:
Email Yahoo! At these addresses:
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cc-advoc@yahoo-inc.com (Y! Customer Support)

You can also fill out these “Online Help” forms, which lets Yahoo know that you’re experiencing that problem as you have mentioned here, and wait for a reply from Yahoo Customer Support:
http://help.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/mail/cgi_feedback

The Expert answers:

I have burned vegetable oil for about a year in various burners. Narrowed it down to simple easy clean exhaust. And applied it to a few household chores. I think I would sum it like this. If everyone burned veggie oil. Theres not enough. Geothermal should be mainstay temperature regulation. Hot water, cooking and clothes dryer activities are next. You only need so much hot water at one time. Make that much. Cooking make mega meals and freeze some, eat and eat some later. Lots of various savings here. Clothes, air dry if possible or dry selected items.

The Expert answers:

Hi Manda…

Yeah, I saw this and my immediate reaction was “great” – a simple product, easy to get going (no huge infrastructure required) and commercial production available within a few years…
The human eye doesn’t need anywhere near the full output of the sun to see so I see no problem in having only 10% filter through the windows.

Not sure if it will make commercial sense at a household level so may not become that common but sticking them on all those glass skyscrapers – fan-bloody-tastic!

Bit disappointed with the other two answers, though – linlyons is usually spot on but I found her response too negative; I think we need to be a little bit more optimistic that we can do something about GW even if it means now and then doing a few things that weren’t so good (as long as they don’t hurt!)

Agua gave a lot of info – not really germane to your question though… Couldn’t be bothered to read all of it as I figured he was selling something so I scrolled to the bottom and… Yep; he’s selling something!
So – does that make me as much of a cynic/pessimist as lyn?

The Expert answers:

Where can i get the lightning bugs from

The Expert answers:

Try Terra Plana – http://www.terraplana.com/index.php

I’m also a fan of Simple Shoes but they aren’t dressy http://www.simpleshoes.com/index.aspx

Stella McCartney does vegan shoes but they’re very expensive, they are well thought of though.

Good luck!

The Expert answers:

Vegitarian shoes.

The Expert answers:

This website looks promising.

Http://www.shoes.com/shop.asp?ShopID=TOMS&CMP=KNC-Adwords&partnerid=Adwords&cpc=Adwords&campaign=toms&group=general&hbx_ou=50&hbx_pk=tom+shoe&cpckw=tom+shoe&OVRAW=Eco%20friendly%20shoes&OVKEY=tom%20shoes&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=6504622011&OVKWID=37027793511

The Expert answers:

Yeah I’ve seen commercials recently that are enviromentally friendly and there was some earthbrand on there clothing wise so yeah I think they have shoes.

The Expert answers:

Http://www.planetshoes.com/itemmatrix.asp?groupcode=3416&Item=TOMS-Wrap-Boot&Brand=TOMS-Shoes&gender=women&cc=footwear

they are vegan and they are hot only thing is that they are flat but cool cause super comfy

The Expert answers:

There are tons of things you can do…I am assuming the person asking is a teenager, sorry if I am wrong.

-Educate yourself, there are many great websites with helpful information on climate change, endangered animals, endangered natural spaces, alternative fuels, etc.

Check out the Sierra Club online, PBS.org, EPA, WWF, Defenders of Wildlife, and the list goes on…google it if you want!

-Ask your teacher & principal about starting a recycling program at school. Help maintain the program. See if your teacher will give you a minute in class to explain to your fellow classmates how important recycling can be when done correctly.

-Reduce, reuse, & recycle.

-Ride your bike/walk when it is safe, instead of using a car.

-Plant trees, or shrubs. Offer neighbors your hand in planting some in their yard. Sometimes the National Arbor Society gives trees away, they will mail them to you to plant.

-Pack your lunch in reusable containers/bags.

-Offer a neighborhood recycling service. Offer to pick up recyclables and take them to the proper facility if your neighborhood does not already have this service. Be sure you can do it first, you will need a wheel barrel / car / possibly some tubs to sort them in / and probably gloves.

-Don’t use your a/c, open your windows and turn on you fans.

-Teach everyone you meet what you have learned.

-Pick up litter whenever you can.

-Use rechargeable batteries and the new long lasting light bulbs that use less energy.

-Only buy earth-friendly products.

Wheew…there is plenty more that you can do, but my fingers are tired. Good luck…I am so happy to see younger people that care! 🙂

The Expert answers:

These are all great ideas, but what about Landfill space??? People tend to overlook that we are running out of space for landfills… Recycling may seem inconvienent and a waste of money…but it really does help is in the long run. We cut back on space used in the landfill, provide jobs, and don’t have to start from scratch when we have provided materials.

Also, another thing that can help landfill space is Composting. Your local gov’t can begin composting with yard trimmings and the waste water treatment plant’s sludge. This makes an excellent organic mix to put on your yards. (Plus all of the yard trimmings would end up in the Landfill…and wont be able to decompose due to oxygen levels.)

Do you really want to keep building new landfills??? I know I would NOT want to live near a landfill…. Methane gas has to be monitored regularly to assure the safety of the landfill and surrounding area. Plus, they are smelly and not attractive.

The Expert answers:

The most serious issue is thinking that the above issues do not exist.

The answer is “all of the above’

The Expert answers:

The industrial revolution is still going on in china. The poisons from the chemicals that saturated everything don’t go away, they cause things like global warming which the capitalists will deny. It’s more important to make money than live i guess.

The Expert answers:

1. Depletion of ozone layer.
2.wildlife conservation
3.water crisis
4.land degradation
5.consumerism and international trade which results in more consumption and hence more production of waste.
6.decline in productivity
7.exhausting mineral resources
8.improper waste management
9.sustainable development
10.use of alternative resources
11.disaster management
12.Eco-friendly technology
13.conservation and management of forests
14.tribal culture
15.urbanization
If u want details in any one of these, ask me. I’ll be glad to help you.

The Expert answers:

I don’t subscribe to them, but I do get their free e-mails. I like a lot of the articles they write about everything in the alternative energy sector, they’re pretty useful! Although I’ve noticed that they do tend to mention a lot of penny stocks, which I stay away from, but you have a mind of your own and are free to buy or not to buy whatever you want.

Congrats on SOLF!!! I hope you got in a couple of days ago!!

Since those are all solar stocks, you might want to look at other segments in the alt. Energy market too: FTEK, ZOLT, ORA, FPL, CCJ, COMV…..I could go on and on!

The Expert answers:

Alternative Energy is unfortunately a very weak market at this point. Right now, I wouldn’t consider it with the Bush Administration’s stronghold on keeping coal and oil going, however for the sake of giving you a top performing one, here’s one good company I have:

(ADM) Archer-Daniels-Midland Co: Primary ethanol, these guys have been up and down over the last 6 months, however I think they could be a good short-term buy. P/E is low, only 14. Analyst estimates predict 2.66 EPS by June 2008. Now, I haven’t seen their income statement or their cash flow, so maybe there is a reason behind their volitility, but if there isn’t I’d say this stock is highly under valued.

The Expert answers:

Maybe never. Back in the 1970s, everyone thought alternative energy is going to go through the roof. The oil prices fell…

The Expert answers:

Here is a pretty nice pair of lists:

http://www.altenergystocks.com/stocks.html
http://www.altenews.com/stocklist.htm

Industry-specific lists:

solar: http://stockerblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/updated-list-solar-energy-stocks.html
wind: http://energy.seekingalpha.com/article/21870
ethanol: http://energy.seekingalpha.com/article/22360
flywheel: http://energy.seekingalpha.com/article/22360

These indices are another source: http://www.ardourglobalindexes.com/indexdata_form.php

Hope this helps!

The Expert answers:

This is a lot of risk in that field of technology. Wind and solar are years away from being economically feasible. The recovery cost on current solar and wind electric systems goes beyond the life of the equipment.
There are two areas, in my opinion, worth looking into: bio-diesel and coal.
A company call Nova Biofuel is going into production of bio-diesel. It’s currently a penny stock, selling at about $1.30, but is worth looking at.
Another company, Fuel Tech, has a new fuel injection system that helps coal fired furnaces reduce emissions and slag build up. It has just gotten a contract to install its system in several coal fired electric plants in China. With China bringing on one new coal fired electric plant on line per week, this could be a boon for the company. It’s current selling at about $26.

The Expert answers:

G’day,

Thank you for your question.

You could try working in teaching geology or minerals exploration. You can also look at jobs in renewable energy such as managing solar energy or wind farms or maintaining them or research into renewable energy.

Regards

The Expert answers:

I think the question here is about short tern stability vs. Long term growth.

For example, in the short term you could ignore renewable energy and efficiency and go learn how to install and sell old, tank based, hot water heaters. But, if you do a little bit of research, you’ll quickly see that those old style hot water heaters are being replaced by on demand water heaters which are much more efficient, as well as by solar hot water heating systems of various kinds which cost just about the same and pay for themselves within 3-5 years.

Solar thermal and plumbing is probably the best bet for job security right now and the area that will grow the fastest in the shortest amount of time because it is less expensive than PV.

However, the price of solar panels is dropping rapidly because silicon manufacturing has finally ramped up to meet the supply needs of solar panel manufacturers. This means, with PV cost dropping, and states like VT passing tariffs about selling energy back onto the grid, more people will be opting for solar.

I think RE is a smart sector to move into. Find a manufacturer or a distributor or get NABCEP certified and go out on your own!

The Expert answers:

A shift from nonrenewable sources of energy to renewable sources is a big change; somehow I doubt that someone can do it all within one or even two presidential terms. On the other hand, someone has to try and make a start, so she can certainly be congratulated for making the effort–if she does it. As for the other things you mention, well, of course, anybody on the Democratic side would be an improvement over the incumbent.

The Expert answers:

No one can answer that question. Building windmills dams or solar plants would create jobs but who knows how many?

The Expert answers:

Republicans say they are against illegal aliens and lax immigration laws except when it comes to cheap labor.

And the more American citizens that lose their jobs to this who are trying to pay a mortgage, the better, apparently.

The Expert answers:

Use the first three as inspiration for your paintings. I recommend that you read a book by the choreographer Twyla Tharp about inspiration.

The Expert answers:

I’ll tell you about the new high school on the Cherokee Indian reservation (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) in the green Great Smoky Mountains in Cherokee, North Carolina. It opened this year.

The two-story series of connecting buildings face wsw. They were made largely from recycled materials and scraps. The buildings have a large bank of insulated windows across the top, angled toward the heavens, to allow in light and to allow heat to escape in warm months. The regular perpendicular walls also have insulated windows, letting in heat in the winter, cooling in the summer, and letting in a lot more natural light. There are solar panels on the roof, facing ese. The building thus uses less electricity and heating and cooling energy than most buildings.

The gym has a basketball/volleyball court on the lower level, the audience seats on level up, and a bank of windows facing wnw.

Every roof, ground and upper and lower surface area is designed to capture rainwater/snowwater, which is all collected in one central place and used for watering and all nondrinking and noncooking use.

Low volume toilets and faucets are featured in the bathrooms, and automatic soap dispensers prevent
overuse of soap.

The parking lot has gullies separating each parking area, and gives parking preference to the handicapped, carpoolers, and subcompacts. Otherwise, students are encouraged to use the schoolbuses.

Although there is a small area of grass around the immediate vicinity of the building/s, no trees were cut that didn’t have to be cut in order to accomplish construction.

The building rests on a small hilltop surrounded by acres of trees.

That should give you some ideas to get started. Good luck!!

The Expert answers:

Summerise the information that you found out and what people can do with that information.

The Expert answers:

Rough question.

If you want to make a living dancing, here’s what you do….

1. Discover the world beyond the stage — dancers are a dime a dozen on the ballet stage and on the touring hip-hop stage. The auditions are brutal.
However, there is a world in the industry called “Industrials” ~ these are car shows, coca-cola board meetings, budweiser and all that, who put on these HUGE productions with moving lights, dancing, entertainment.
One time I worked a show for Disney people who had the Beach Boys playing the party. It was in a tent, a pre-super bowl party.

2. Commercials and Movies. There is a lot of dancing in front of the lens, these dancers know how to hit their marks and fill in the background. Knowing different styles helps and you don’t have to be excellent or super-talented to do it, just have to enjoy the paycheck.
I remember watching Madonna dance in the movie Dick Tracy, I looked over at the dancer next to her and … “hey, I know her!” Professional dancers in movies are very good, yet not the focus of the lens.

3. Uh … Dancers don’t get discovered. They work their butts off at the craft they’ve chosen. Most dancers are not stars. If you want to be a star — well, go into acting. Lot’s of actors are dancers too. Certainly Travolta has managed to squeeze a dance step into almost all of his movies.

4. It’s a free-lance life. Lot’s of your answers have been to get a side job as a teacher, that means a steady paycheck! Know that you’ll be moving from job to job.

5. Viva Las Vegas. Lot’s of dancing in Las Vegas, I know several “serious modern dancers” who’ve gone to there to be showgirls and even learned to skate. Three shows a night, four on the weekends.

Hey, you can do this. Learn how show business works. Move to a large city like Los Angeles, Miami or NYC. Look into the unions. Talk to some agents. Find the people who are working and ask them for help.

Your first good step was asking here in Answers, keep asking and working and … I’ll see you taking a bow sometime soon!

The Expert answers:

Www.attra.org

If you don’t live in wheat country, you will be hard pressed to grow proper wheat for bread but you will learn this eventually.

The Expert answers:

We also leave gifts at Dad’s grave site several times a year; most of which are free of cost and eco friendly.

I really enjoy making things of paper mache which is a very eco friendly container ~ from paper mache, you can create shamrocks, vases, hearts, and all sorts of things suitable for graveside decorations. One good rain, and the container begins to compost :).

I also dry flowers, such as yarrow, lavender, and baby’s breathe to use when fresh flowers aren’t available from my yard.

During Christmas, we make wreaths from yew boughs, pine cones, and cinnamon sticks. For Halloween, I make a wreath of dried grape vines decorated with miniature pumpkins.

Have you ever woven with grass? I use a variety of grass we call “Mormon grass” to weave small baskets and make reed dolls ~ not unlike cornhusk dolls.

Even cockleburrs can be stuck together to create a cute little basket that can be filled with sprigs of evergreens and berries.

If you don’t have a large yard with an assortment of plant life, you can certainly take a stroll through a public park and pick up twigs, acorns, dried leaves and other “found” items. Once you put your mind to it, you’ll discover that all sorts of wonderful things can be crafted from nature.

The Expert answers:

If you go here, they have many beautiful gift ideas:

http://www.organicstyle.com/

I personally wanted the Fluorite bracelets that Afghanistan woman make in order to make money to restore themselves, but they are out of the bracelets! Well, that’s a good sign..means they are selling and helping those women out! I hope you find something you like!

The Expert answers:

Sorry I don’t know

The Expert answers:

Green gifts
Tag line of ‘ gifts that don’t cost the earth’

The Expert answers:

Waffle Weave Face Cloths make great gifts. They’re made from organic material and come in packages for around $10. There is also a few really good spa gift packages that don’t cost too much available at specialty green living websites.

The Expert answers:

There are no universal principles of SD. Each scenario requires a different set of principles.

Http://www.iisd.org/sd/principle.asp

The Expert answers:

None. None whatsoever.

The Expert answers:

There are lots. Sustainable Development Technology Canada focuses on advancing clean technologies and supports a number of projects in all provinces…see link.

The Expert answers:

HA HA! No. First off, America in NO WAY actually practices sustainable development. Secondly, the entire worldwide economic system si designed to concentrate the power into the hands of very few people who then can do whatever they want. Sustainable development is a hippie idea, yet one that we need to really get working on if we are to survive as a species.

Edit: while sustainable development does involve greenhouse gas emissions, that is one of the least important aspects of it. Wildlife habitat preservation, population control, etc. Are far more important to SUSTAIN the development that a country hopes to achieve.

The Expert answers:

GLEE – Green Lifestyle of Education Environment

lol..

The Expert answers:

Http://environment.about.com/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/environmental_issues/
http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/World_Outlook/north_america_-_major_forest_p.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/science/earth/23warm.html

The Expert answers:

Use of hydrocarbons
use of water
use of nuclear power
“not in my backyard”
use of coal

The Expert answers:

The left claims the high ground and portrays the right as polluters, and not caring about the environment. This is a misconception, as Eisenhower a republican was the first President to sign the 1955 Pollution Act, and Nixon was the first to sign the Clean Water Act of 1972. Because the Republicans gained support during those times, the left has hijacked the cause as their own, and portray the Republicans as opposition in environmental issues. The real issue is that the left wants to spend trillions in environmental projects and the right wants it done responsibly without adding huge cost to the production of goods.

The Expert answers:

The more active and vocal activists are Brazilians, Amazon forest depleting notwithstanding.
The worst record is held by the Colombian government, and they don’t care

The Expert answers:

Political mostly….

Corruption in South America is far too big!

Education is not valorized and a poor culture of population for easy population control is highly accepted by most.

The environment is not perfect but better than MANY other places on earth.

The social-economical difference between social classes is something scaring!! If you are poor.. You are POOR!.. If you are medium class… You have some money… But you suffer because of that!!! If you are high class… Well… Welcome to paradise, the government sucks your balls, the all system makes things easier for you.