How many of you think about pollution?

[Popinski]

How many of you think about pollution and the environment when working on or driving your car?

I just saw a documentary on oil and its effects on people. Ever since I was 15, I thought about the bad things that come out of my car.

I try my hardest to recycle all petroleum products and drive softly, but hard enough to have fun and not damage my engine. My car is in top shape and doesn't burn excessive oil(blue smoke).

It makes me mad that people throw wastes down the sewer drain, litter outside, destroy perfectly good cars. We humans are just dumb. Why are we still using lawn mowers that pollute 100 times worse than cars? I heard the emissions from a 3.5 Briggs and Stratton from one yard job equals to driving a compact car for a month!

I'm going to say this: We put the man on the moon...why not ________.

 

[CourierDriver]

It will be ok Ski, u are just bored, i know the feeling of being in retail, boring. Now go lock up the shop and go on vacation, rent a B/S go kart and do some polluting for all of us. Please!

 

[StevieC]

Being Canadian

means you are very concerned about the environment because it's part of the culture up here. So I think about it all the time and recycle and try to live a lifestyle that causes the least amount of waste and pollution as possible without being a hippy-tree-huger of-course.

What bothers me is that Industry pollutes more than vehicles yet vehicles have 100x the stringent standards on them and industry basically gets away with murder.

I wish that Industry & Big business creating the majority of the pollution which has the big $$$ would pay big $$$ towards being greener and curbing their waste/pollution versus putting it on the backs of consumers and driving up the cost of vehicles which are already green in comparison.

As for the lawnmower comment I could see this with engines of the past that don't have a governor and spark advance but the newer lawnmowers are much greener. Sure an electric mower is the best at efficiency if driven by a Nuclear power but way worse if by a coal plant IMO.

 

[NateDN10]

I've wondered the bit about the lawnmowers (and motorcycles), too.

I'm guessing that, especially in the case of yard equipment, it would just be too expensive to put a converter and either a more complicated carburetor or EFI on them.

Another thing I've started thinking about lately is all the emissions from power plants, especially coal-fired ones. Bring on the nukes!

 

[Dieseldoctor]

Everytime i mash my gas pedal down on my 300D mercedes i see a huge black ploom of smoke.. makes me smile.. course i run b20 which takes some the fun outta it.. but still gotta love it

 

[Geo_Prizm]

I recycle everything I can, I walk, I ride a bike,I try to buy food with the simplest of ingredients,I buy recycled toilet paper,I drive a 94 Geo Prizm and I always drive to get the best MPG on my Prizm.But I get frustrated when I see the uncontrolled BP oil flow under water.Because what I try to do to do my part in protecting the environment is deleted with BP's and the government's irresponsibility.

 

[Steve S]

I am sure if we wern't well fed and over paid with great living conditions we wouldn't have the need to worry about such things.

 

[PandaBear]

I do think about pollution and the environment, but whether I actually act upon it depends on the situation:

1) Recycle oil: sure, easy to do, great benefit

2) Crush the oil filter before throwing into the trash: no, I don't have the equipment, I just use a screw to jab through the ADBV and let it drain for 10 mins.

3) Coolant: No, I just dump it down the toilet rather than bringing it to some HAZMAT site to dump it

4) Oil soaked rag: No, just go into the trash

5) Go out of my way to buy re refined oil: no

6) Not driving and take public transit: no, unless I can't find parking, the time wasted on waiting for bus/train is enough for me to do a lot of things that I don't think 0.2 gallon of fuel would achieve.

 

[Dave Hess]

I don't think of it , no need for more stress in my life.

 

[tig1]

I for one say stop mowing our lawns, and stop driving cars, and stop all electrical power production, and stop all aircraft from flying, and stop........!

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

We put the man on the moon


Why can we put them all there? (as some women might ask)

 

[Popinski]

Originally Posted By: tig1
I for one say stop mowing our lawns, and stop driving cars, and stop all electrical power production, and stop all aircraft from flying, and stop........!


That's not the point. Stopping petroleum flow is impossible nowadays. People waste things and don't care about the emissions, that's my point!

Kind of like people who don't check their tire pressure. If everyone had the right tire pressure, we would save millions of gallons of oil a day. If everyone followed the law and speed limit, we would save millions of gallons of oil a day.

It just bugs me in everyday basis. I can't help not to observe things like that. Soon I will replace my aging walk-behind lawn mower with a non-battery electric one. I'm glad my riding lawn mower has an emission-reducing system in it.

 

[Popinski]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
Being Canadian

means you are very concerned about the environment because it's part of the culture up here. So I think about it all the time and recycle and try to live a lifestyle that causes the least amount of waste and pollution as possible without being a hippy-tree-huger of-course.

What bothers me is that Industry pollutes more than vehicles yet vehicles have 100x the stringent standards on them and industry basically gets away with murder.

I wish that Industry & Big business creating the majority of the pollution which has the big $$$ would pay big $$$ towards being greener and curbing their waste/pollution versus putting it on the backs of consumers and driving up the cost of vehicles which are already green in comparison.

As for the lawnmower comment I could see this with engines of the past that don't have a governor and spark advance but the newer lawnmowers are much greener. Sure an electric mower is the best at efficiency if driven by a Nuclear power but way worse if by a coal plant IMO.

I love the USA but I guess we have to learn Canadian environmental behaviors.

 

[GMBoy]

StevieC hit the nail on the head --- big factories and power plants do more polluting than todays cars and trucks yet cars and trucks are always the first to be blamed.

Electric mowers and vehicles do nothing but pass the pollution on to the powerplants supplying the charge.

I care about the environment and all but the bottom line is mother nature and Earth will always survive and adapt just as it has for millions of years. We humans are the one's that will be gone.

 

[Popinski]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
StevieC hit the nail on the head --- big factories and power plants do more polluting than todays cars and trucks yet cars and trucks are always the first to be blamed.

Electric mowers and vehicles do nothing but pass the pollution on to the powerplants supplying the charge.

I care about the environment and all but the bottom line is mother nature and Earth will always survive and adapt just as it has for millions of years. We humans are the one's that will be gone.


Yeah but gasolines engines are very inefficient. What is it, like 10% of the power actually make the car move? Electric motors use almost all energy to make things move. What about gasoline refinement vs power refinement?

 

[opus1]

Last Saturday, waiting in line at one of Illinois' pollution testing stations, watching 15 cars idling in line for about 20 minutes and wondering how clean the air really was....

Seriously, I do what I can. I recycle my oil when I change it, take my fluorescent bulbs and HHW with me when I make the trip, recycle what I can at home (I recycle way more than I toss out), take my plastic bags to Wal-Mart or Meijer, and so on. But I'm not a fanatic about it. Despite educated scientist's assertions otherwise, I still suspect that nature pollutes more than mankind ever will. How much pollution does one volcanic eruption put out?

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Popinski
Originally Posted By: tig1
I for one say stop mowing our lawns, and stop driving cars, and stop all electrical power production, and stop all aircraft from flying, and stop........!


That's not the point. Stopping petroleum flow is impossible nowadays. People waste things and don't care about the emissions, that's my point!

Kind of like people who don't check their tire pressure. If everyone had the right tire pressure, we would save millions of gallons of oil a day. If everyone followed the law and speed limit, we would save millions of gallons of oil a day.

It just bugs me in everyday basis. I can't help not to observe things like that. Soon I will replace my aging walk-behind lawn mower with a non-battery electric one. I'm glad my riding lawn mower has an emission-reducing system in it.


I was only jesting about stoping everything. I to care about our earth. I fully agree there are many things we can do to improve. Believe it or not, many years ago I would put, as many others did, my used oil in milk jugs and plop, right into the garbage can, stright to the dump. How stupid. As for my cars I keep them as well tuned as I can, I do 10K OCIs instead of the wastful 3 or 5k thing. Lots of things we can do.

 

[edhackett]

Internal combustion engines are 15-20% efficient.

A typical older coal fired plant is ~30% efficient. A brushless motor is 85-90% efficient. Add in line losses, losses in the transformers, chargers and batteries and it is a wash at best.

Generate that electricity with a solar-thermal plant and you have something worth while.

Ed

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: edhackett
Internal combustion engines are 15-20% efficient.

A typical older coal fired plant is ~30% efficient. A brushless motor is 85-90% efficient. Add in line losses, losses in the transformers, chargers and batteries and it is a wash at best.

Generate that electricity with a solar-thermal plant and you have something worth while.

Ed


I don't know about your stats, but your idea sounds sound. However it won't happen in my lifetime and maybe not yours. It just cost more than this country now has to change to this.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Popinski

I love the USA but I guess we have to learn Canadian environmental behaviors.


We are the same as you, we just have the metric system, socialized health care (that does work despite what you read/hear) and somewhat higher taxes. We are very polite (not that you aren't) and we say "Eh" a lot. We also drink lots of really great beer. Everyone is our friend and we don't really have the need for a military.

My name is STEVE and I'm Canadian!