Comments on: Promoting environmental sustainability at the expense of lives?

By: whsgreenmom

whsgreenmom — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:16:59 +0000

You don’t need a hazmat team to clean up a broken CFL, I’ll put the link to the EPA guidelines. Fluorescent lights were developed over 50 years ago and they contain less mercury now than they did then. Most cases of Mercury poisoning are linked to eating fish, not breaking light bulbs.

Smart cars are 5 star crash test rated, which is as high as you can get. Have you seen the news lately, all the SUV’s rolling over and skidding off the road in the snow. They have survived the roads of Europe for many years and the US design has even more safety measures.

We have allowed many hazards in our lives unknowingly for decades. We wash our hands with herbicides, use caustic chemicals to clean our bathrooms, put hormone mimicking chemicals on our skin, and process all the nutrition out of our food.
References :
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/

By: Cecil

Cecil — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:46:59 +0000

lol, you funny....
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By: linlyons

linlyons — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:00:59 +0000

– COIL LIGHTBULBS — when i was in school, in science class, we had a large bottle of mercury, and we all played with it. we’re still here - making trouble, etc. clearly it’d be a good idea to not bust the bulbs. however, i might suggest you not go off the deep end, in case you do.

– SMART CARS — yeah, small cars have always had that problem - smart or not. are you recommending that we all get hummers?

– Energy efficient AC Units- Energy efficient AC units recirculate air — i’ve never seen a home unit that does anything other than recirculate air.

– corn ethanol — you’re right on that one.

– My dad oversaw the entire HAZMAT operations over the states of Texas, Utah, and Arizona. You do have to get a HAZMAT team to clean up the coil bulb — those bulbs have been around long enough now that there must be dozens of teams devoted to nothing but cleaning up after ‘em. but i haven’t heard of any. i wonder why.

you are right, the number of people on the planet, and the depletion of coal and oil, are causing a problem. seeing that corporations have been making the rules, it’s not terribly surprising that bad stuff is happening. however, i’m pretty sure it’s going to get much worse before it ever gets any better.
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By: White Polar Bear

White Polar Bear — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:21:59 +0000

Technology evolves. CFL will be made safer and/or eventually replaced by the even more energy efficient LED light.

I assume SMART cars meet all highway safety requirement or they won’t be allowed on the street. Perception wise, they may seem not as safe as a hummer. SMART car has been in the European market for a longer time. I suggest you look into their safety record there for reference.

re-circulation of "dirty-air" is indeed a problem, particularly in commercial buildings. Ironically, the problem have been around long before people start discussion of environmental sustainability.
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By: CR

CR — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:07:59 +0000

Coil light bulbs contain less mercury than a thermometer. It’s not THAT dangerous, you don’t need a hazmat team, just wear gloves if it breaks. It’s not like they break easily anyway.

Smart cars are stupid, but they’re not the most enviro friendly either. what about hybrids? They’re just about as safe as any car. And electric cars would be even safer still since they have no gas to light.

Energy efficient AC units — There are far fewer allergens (e.g. pollen and mold) in indoor air than air from outside making it safer for allergy sufferers. These AC units also filter the air making it cleaner than outdoor air would be.
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By: socrates

socrates — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:52:59 +0000

Coil light bulbs- Obviously, they shouldn’t be made with mercury. Back to the drawing board. That doesn’t mean that energy efficient light bulbs are a bad idea. Smart Cars- My brother in law was driving the safest car made in the mid ’90s when it got creamed by a big rig. When your number’s up it’s up. Energy efficient AC Units- Again, a lousy attempt at an idea doesn’t discredit the idea itself. Corn for fuel- Never a valid idea to begin with. That one was dreamed up by someone who just wanted to see a spike in corn prices and maybe an increase in starvation worldwide. The fact is that without nature, we’re all dead. My solution would include ending all warfare and sending global human reproduction and resource consumption rates into a sharp, sustained decline a.s.a.p. If we don’t start thinking like one species, we’ll go extinct as one. Edit: You don’t need to be a Nazi to reduce human reproduction rates. Just educated. Smoking weed and singing kumbayah makes allot more sense to me than sending poor people to their deaths for the profit of rich people.
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