Do you believe in global warmin etc.. (spam post)

[jennyuk]

[This is a message by someone trying to sell their wares disguised as a genuine post - sorry, the odd one does get through - The Administrator]

I'm a mum & as you can imagine hardly anything is green in my home and to be honest im not convinced that making the odd purchase is going to mak any difference. being a mum it's hard to make choices about what to use. I use pampers and throw away so many every day & it can concern me when i hear how long it takes for the to degrade, but im not sure if its all a big hype and a bit exagerated to make us parents go eco. These eco nappies cost a bit more than the usuall nappies but i found a website online a few months back www.free nappies.co.uk which i did an offer on and they sent me a free box of Pampers for. They sent me a letter telling me about some Moltex eco-disposable nappies www.free eco nappies.co.uk , with all this info on how much better they are for the planet etc.. I personally think this is over rated, i mean they said how there letter was printed on Organic paper blah blah blah,, not this seem far fetched to me, papers paper isnt it? Seems to me like its just a money spinner for the government.

Your views please?.

[TillieTrotter]

OMG Jenny, you'd better batten down the hatches!!

[dulwichmum]

OHMYGOD!

I'm off to polish my solar panels...

[Asset]

It is an undeniable truth that global warming is happening at a fast pace, what is causing it is the issue at hand.

If you watch the film 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Al Gore you will get a lot of interesting and worrying information.

The argument is how much is man-made or a natural cycle of the earth.

Whatever the answer to this it is extremely ikely that the massive population of resource consuming people on the earth is having a negative impact.

If everyone tries to do a litle bit towards reducing the burden, then that can only be a good thing.

[JoeChuff]

I am a journalist who frequently covers green issues, particularly those related to energy and carbon emissions. My 2p worth, based on what I've read and the people I've spoken to at conferences etc, is:

1. Global warming is definitely real, and caused in a large part by human activity

2. There is nothing we can realistically do about it, short of reverting to an agrarian society - as you say, the odd purchase is not going to make much of a difference when China is building two coal-fired power plants a week (that's a real figure, not a comedy exaggeration)

3. We are running out of fossil fuels, not at the rate some say but we are still running out

4. Despite this, our lifestyles and habits are still massively energy-inefficient - we use way more than we need by leaving computers running all day on standby, using regular lightbulbs rather than CFL. On a larger scale, not enough investment in wind power, hydropower etc.

5. Many of the policies designed to combat global warming are in fact energy-efficiency policies (as the burning of fossil fuels to create power releases CO2)

6. The push for a fight against global warming should therefore be welcomed, even if it is futile, as it indirectly helps us in a fight we can win: the fight for better energy efficiency, and not running out of oil in our lifetime.

When it comes to making "green" decisions, I think only in terms of energy efficiency - use eco-lightbulbs, don't leave things on standby, use public transport as much as possible. These may seem like little things, but most of the evidence I've seen suggests they can make a big difference in extending the lifetime of Western civilisation.

As for everything being organic and locally-sourced - I'm not convinced. I buy organic meat because it tastes better, but I'm aware I'm probably being ripped off. There is no doubt that a lot of people are using the green agenda as a money-spinner, so it is important to differentiate between what will really make a difference and what is just marketing. Locally-sourced is an obsession on this forum that I just don't get: I personally have nothing against African farmers and I am happy to buy their produce, even if it must be delivered by airplane (as a side point, not everything delivered by airplane is ergo greener than locally-sourced - e.g. Lamb from New Zealand has a smaller carbon footprint than lamb from England, despite the air miles, as NZ farms are mostly powered by hydropower as opposed to coal or gas in the UK).

If you wanted to get really philosophical, you could question this whole idea of the ethical consumer - the idea that we have been so thoroughly Thatcherised that we can only think of a solution to environmental challenges from a consumerist perspective. It's not just how you spend your money, it's how you make your money. But it's probably a bit early on a Saturday morning to get into that ;)

[mlteenie]

Hi Jennyuk,

I understand how difficult and confusing this subject can seem but the evidence is surely visible even in the last ten years' extreme weather occurences - these are set to continue. Millions of people are really going to suffer and I second Asset's comment about Al Gore's film. The polar/glacial meltdown scene is Very scary indeed.

As far as adopting new behaviour goes, like most good habits this is difficult to build and easy to break. However I think it is case of increasing sensitivity.

A list of easy things might be:

Not running the tap/flushing the toilet unnecessarily.

Not leaving appliances on/on standby when not needed.

Changing bulbs for energy-savers (we got two free outside Sainbury's recently).

Composting or using a wormery.

Recycling paper/plastics/tins/bottles/cardboard - Southwark is one of the best for doorstep collection.

Catching rainwater in a water butt if you have a garden.

Turning heating down or off.

Drying clothes without a tumble dryer.

Using more eco products where poss.

Cycling/walking/public transport are better than car.

Lagging your loft/improving your house's insuation.

Not buying mange tout/other produce from the other side of the world.

I could go on, but these are some easy starters that most of us can do. These things become easy when you try and don't really change your life for the worse. You are right to worry about the landfill issue - what happens to a plastic bottle or coke can buried in the ground? They will be there for hundreds of years. Not good.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Good luck!

[mockney piers]

It's great to see this topic being debated in an orderly fashion for once, but admin is quite strict about the rules. This area is for East Dulwich specific issues, so reluctantly I'm going to have to lounge it.

Keep at it though chaps.

[citizenED]

Quick let's change the subject to "Do you believe in Global Warming in East Dulwich"...

[macroban]

> Do you believe in Global Warming in East Dulwich

We need an index to measure this.

The number of new Agas being installed?

[Nero]

The best thing, really, is not to buy in the first place. Even if it is green or eco. Do you really need Belizean wind chimes, made by local tribespeople of local, organic wood? No. Make do with less stuff. Reuse or repair if possible. Really, the idea that we can buy our way out of an environmental disaster is ludicrous. I reckon the best thing is to reduce, reuse, recycle. If you do buy stuff, buy local and unpackaged over foreign stuff. I bought an ACE pair of Calvin Klein jeans from ChiChiRaRa last Satuday. Never bought second-hand before, but will continue to do so. Ultimately, it's up to you, though. I am greenish but not that green. I think if you are sensible and thoughtful, you'll do fine. I have no kids, but if I did I think I would be a lot more preoccupied with the state of the planet, but also about the state of society. I am generally optimistic, but things could be much better with a little bit of thought. Nero

[SimonM]

Saw my first "G-Wiz" - http://tinyurl.com/36bcy9 - on Lordship Lane yesterday...

[spadetownboy]

jennyuk Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm a mum & as you can imagine hardly anything is

> green in my home and to be honest im not convinced

> that making the odd purchase is going to mak any

> difference. being a mum it's hard to make choices

> about what to use. I use pampers and throw away so

> many every day & it can concern me when i hear how

> long it takes for the to degrade, but im not sure

> if its all a big hype and a bit exagerated to make

> us parents go eco. These eco nappies cost a bit

> more than the usuall nappies but i found a website

> online a few months back www.freenappies.co.uk

> which i did an offer on and they sent me a free

> box of Pampers for. They sent me a letter telling

> me about some Moltex eco-disposable nappies

> www.free-econappies.co.uk , with all this info on

> how much better they are for the planet etc.. I

> personally think this is over rated, i mean they

> said how there letter was printed on Organic paper

> blah blah blah,, not this seem far fetched to me,

> papers paper isnt it? Seems to me like its just a

> money spinner for the government.

>

> Your views please?.

i wouldnt worry too much jenny there hardly anything green in my house,horrible colour.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Hi - It's more an issue of climate change than simply global warming, manifested in weather like the floods, tornado and storms hitting the UK in the wettest July on record. There are very few experts who believe that this is merely cyclical weather changes, and they are non-peer reviewed pay-as-you-go scientists employed by oil companies and their friends.

The other serious issue we need to look at is peak oil. We are now at a time when oil will start to cost more and more to extract, and shipping stuff around the globe will become more costly. We don't grow or manufacture stuff. We sell services and import most of our food and manufactured goods. What will happen to the cost of food as the oil price rises? How expensive will it get before we start investing in food production in this country? Who is going to feed the millions of people in the cities? How is that food going to be transported in to feed the millions in the cities? What will happed to crime levels as people are unable to pay for food?

Cuba had an artificial peak oil crisis in 1990, and was initially economically devastated. They managed to pull together by using every available bit of space in the cities to grow food, and returned to a less energy intensive way of life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Crisis_and_The_Power_of_Community:_How_Cuba_Survived_Peak_Oil

We need to start thinking about our own impending Peak Oil crisis as well as climate change.

[Jonboy]

I read an article recently about companies assessing opinions in chat-rooms and forums by posting threads which encourage debate. They then analyse the responses, weigh them against the socio-economic index for that area and hey-presto, a new government policy is born (or not).

Surely I'm not the only one to think that JennyUKs post is one of these? Does anyone who is bright enough to use a on-line chatroom really still think that "paper is paper"??

I think I can hear the policy wonks creating a new law as we speak.

Also it aint bad advertising for Moltex - free, straight to the consumer, heavily targeted (ED=Nappy Valley). Beware, The friendly forum has been taken over by product placement groups.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I'm an anti-consumer myself, don't believe any eco-product hype, so prefer to opt out as much as possible (that's why I walk about looking like shit!)

[jim_the_chin]

does anyone else smell the faint whiff of spam?

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I'm shocked! JennyUK may not be real. I think JimTC and Jonboy are right. She joined, posted once and that was it. I should have clocked that not even ED residents could be that dozy!

[mockney piers]

Well a quick search does find alot of forums which makes her look a bit suspect, but most of them are harmless, so perhaps she just really likes forums

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=+%09jennyuk

[jim_the_chin]

hmm, maybe not, no multiple nappy posts.

it just seemed a bit 'cillit bang' - one of those things are distractingly annoying but get the message across as a result.

[Mark]

A further Google search on JennyUK and nappies shows this person posts to loads of forums promoting the nappies. If you spot something like this please do click on the "Report this Message" link (shown beneath each message) and the Administrator will deal with it as soon as possible.

[mockney piers]

Good effort Mark.

[jim_the_chin]

whoa - a hit! marvel all of you at my spam filtering nose!

[bawdy-nan]

Well - I suspected her but have had my knuckles rapped in the past for daring to question the veracity and intergrity of posters lest they be local businesses ... I can see that the way to challenge the suspect interlopers is to rat on them to admin - but in this instance I just stepped away from the table

[Keef]

Personally I don't see the big deal... It's only nappies, and there are a lou of babies around ED. Good on them.

[Jonboy]

Wow, i was right! Is there some sort of ED award that i should get?