Saving the planet....is This Really the Best Way?
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Weather girl recently interviewed on climate change was asked what is the one best thing we can do to save the planet. She replied 'to stop eating meat one day per week'.
OK, I am not in a position to argue that as I do not know the facts and why giving up meat one day per week would help the planet (please explain if you know)
But the more I thought of it, the more I kept coming up with other ways to save the planet which would do far more good:
- Stop sending greeting cards. So many other ways of sending greetings these days and it would save a forest!
- Stop eating McDonalds KFC etc for one day a week and save another forest what with all the cardboard and paper they use and throw away daily.
- Stop buying gas guzzling huge cars and no more than two cars per household.
- Stop having more than 2/3 children. That is by far the worst thing for the planet.......over population.
- Lobby councils to do a better job of recycling. Supply everyone with different colour wheely bin for each group of rubbish and a detailed letter setting out what can and can't be recycled. i.e. black plastic no, white plastic yes (at the moment)
- Walk children to school (on their own if old enough) rather than clog the roads and waste more fuel. (Good exercise too)
I could go on and on but maybe you all have some ideas which would appear to do more good than giving up meat one day per week. Sorry to offend all the vegans and vegetarians out there.
Have just realised that number 2 doesn't make much sense. What I mean is, no one at all buy fast food on one day of the week i.e. Wednesday and make them close for that day. They would still make a fortune and workers would still have plenty of hours to work being as they are open most of the day anyway.
I agree with 4 most of all, as most of the issues, particularly of consumption, is due to overpopulation. There are limited resources and it only gets used up quicker when there are too many people - just like a price glitch, it only gets problematic when the retailer notices too many people jumping on it
I agree with all of these, I'll never understand why some people feel that they have to have a great big, gas guzzling SUV.
Showing off. I see so many mums on the school run who seem unable to manage their 4 x 4 vehicle and are a menace on the road. I can see some people need a people carrier but even that would not be necessary if they had thought about number 4!
A huge improvement could be made if the US stopped burning fossil fuel for transportation, electricity and heating. If the figures are to be believed then the country is responsible for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Although I don't pay huge attention I know the US is pretty bad and refused to sign something a while back to cut emissions.
Asda have announced today they are opening a store where you take along your own storage tubs to reduce packaging waste. I've been thinking for a while shops should do this. As long as dirty hands can't get in the food 
That's my beef with self service in re-useable containers - the fact that everyone can touch, cough on it, spit on it etc. I personally think this is very unhygenic, much the same as eating at a buffet! 
I have been banging on about overpopulation for ages now so I fully agree with that. That also brings me on to the subject of who pays for all these children! Imagine a family of 5 - 10 children, and we know that there are many families larger than this. There is almost no way that a family can afford this, they rely on state handouts (in whatever way) so the rest of us end up paying for overpopulation whilst not being able to afford 1 - 2 children ourselves. Madness
My main gripe too tumblespots. As for cost in my area foster carers are paid approximately £350 per child per week tax free. It is not unusual for carers to have sibling groups of 3 and 4 so that equates to 4/5k per month without the cost of court appearances, transport where the business, driver and escort have to be paid and probably lots more I don't know about.
I personally (when I was a contact supervisor) dealt with 3 families in my first year where two had 9 children, the other had 10, every child having gone through the system. Even now 5 and 6 children is normal. Many of these mothers are having babies while older kids are in care knowing the baby will be taken too. The situation is appalling and very common not an occasional thing.
Human rights is all well and good but these parents should be made to use contraception if they can't be forcibly steralised. It wouldn't be too hard for a social worker to march them to doctor every three months for the jab. That way their right to have kids is not permanently taken but stops adding to social care cost.
Lynibis Well said, but, I don't think it's a right to have children - it is a massive responsibility that needs serious consideration by the parents. If you can't afford them, don't have them. I too would steralize people who clearly flout the system because the children they have just learn how to buck the system too!
Whilst not eating meat will help the environment I agree with your other suggestions. We only have the one son and we wont be having anymore, nothing to do with climate change but our decision will certainly help. There are 3 primary schools in walking distance from our house, so I would only drive him there if it was horrendous weather. When I was young we used to walk to primary school down a country road. We lived in a wee hamlet and the older siblings were in charge and if the weather was really bad then one parent drove us all. I take the bus with my son when I can, not easy with a pram but I do it depending on where I need to go.
Uh, okay. / Agree
Fast food is really just a charge up, it's a necessary evil and even if I don't like it, I can just give the meals to others. / Disagree
Big automobiles are needed if you live by it and need to transport people or content. / Disagree
Each individual isn't to be blamed that incompetents keep having children they can't handle. / Disagree
Are you saying that people should organize the trash? That's the job of those in recycling. Besides, some nutjobs blow up those bins. / Disagree
That would only work if the children lived somewhat near to the school, otherwise you're hurting the students as they'd get tired before school would even commence. / Disagree
- Good point. Don't do this myself anyway.
- This sounds like people way out every day, or at least several times a week. I almost never do. People can't eat it that often, surely?
- We're heading that way with electric. The second part depends how many people live there though, surely?
- Yup.
- Ours is good at it. We the people aren't great at following. But also, it's ridiculous that certain plastics can't be recycled.
- Yup, but depends on distance too, and time constraints I guess.
Hi MeestairChrees. I didn't explain myself very well in number 2 but there is a comment underneath explaining lol.
Space is short here, but of course number 3 is dependent on numbers living in the house, but I really don't feel every teen in a house needs a car, they could share or give each other lifts. If we are really serious about saving the planet then often draconian measures are needed.
Same with 6 but I think a mile is not unreasonable to expect kids to walk. They need to learn from the past and knock for each other as they walk to school in a group.
If we were willing to go without/give up a few of the things we have become accustomed to we could really make a big difference.
Other options that would help are;
- Use a bicycle or e-bike where possible instead of a car or motorbike.
- Buy local food rather than food that may have been air freighted in.
- Buy used goods rather than new and refurbish them if necessary
- Grow your own food
- Plant as many trees as you can on your land especially trees that produce fruit, apple trees etc.
- Don't take holidays abroad or instead travel abroad in a environmentally friendly way i.e. cycle touring.
- Simplify your home with less electronics or more efficient electronic items, smaller tvs etc.
- Die young (just kidding)
Brill, I knew someone would come up with some great ideas. Sadly I am too old to ride a bike but I holiday in UK and my little VW Up! uses less fuel than a jet lol.
Lynibis You ought to try an ebike, they can be easy to ride and very economical saving you a lot of money. A 10-25p charge might last up to 60 miles. Exercise can extend your life many years too.
Bike would be an option.. if we didn't have to carry so much nor it'd be too far.
City folks think tiny cars and bikes are the solution.
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