I like the environment as much as any other semi-rational person, but I see too many people taking ecology waaaaaay too far. Dimming your lights and recycling can only help, but I read an article in the New York Times about this group of people in I think it was Vermont who refuse to use any electrical devices or manufactred goods because they think that all technology is increadibly harmful to the planet.

True, we actually live in a world of extremes... most "rational" people wouldn't part of their luxurious standard of livings even if it meant 50+ more international childrens OUT of famine conditions.

How many SUV vehicles have you seen going back & forth lately.

As i was waiting for the bus to pick me up from a scheduled hospital visit on monday afternoon, it was ironic to be hypnotized by the circus of personal transportation means. The sheer numbers are mind boggling, some even have more than one vehicle -- all fueled up and ready to speed beyond reasonable or justifiable distances.

Earth is an highway and if you drive far enough, you'll reach a desert somewhere or oceans.

Earth is also a forest and if you cut half of it down to print pub pamphlets weekly, you'll run out of breathable nitrogen.

Earth is NOT recyclable.

It actually is recyclable, the problem is most people don't recycle it! As the old song goes:

Clowns to the left of me,

Jokers to the right!

Here I am,

Stuck in the middle with you.

Since dropping the luxurious standards of living doesn't actually do anything for international children in famine conditions but breed more of them dependent on charity, I'll keep my computer.

Also, trees don't live forever.  North American pine trees, which are what most of our paper is made from, only live to be around a century before nature takes it's course.  They can live a lot longer, but there's this funky thing called fire that wipes them all out in the first drought to come along.  They go up like roman candles once they're well aged.  That produces large quantities of green house gases and kills the polar bears!  So while you're being an eco nut, remember the nonsense cancels itself out in the end.

Exactly. Of course, if you use the money made from SELLING your stuff to invest in 3rd-world economies, you get results, but you have to be smart about it...

I was an electronics recycler for 3 years.

You know what is ironic with hybrid cars, they are not that economical or that green, I would rather import a deisel high mpg rating from Europe than buy a hybrid.

One where do you put those dead batteries, let see... the trash because no one recycles them that much or its so far a way that it would be a waste.

Two most of the hybrids are suv type vehicle that suck in milage in the first place and still suck.

We really need to be focus on where are energy is comming from, we should not be using coal anymore, we need hydro, wind, solar, nuclear.... to power theses vehicles and our countries, this will majorly reduce out pollution out put.

Sorry, but you're an eco nut.  Anyone bitching about paper is an eco nut. 

Most of it is made from tree farms.  Places where, of all things, crazy fuckers do nothing but plant trees and cut them down.  It's more efficient to plant them yourself than it is to let nature do the work.  You want uniform, tightly packed trees that shoot straight up and have as few limbs as possible.

Natural forests are mostly being burned to clear ground for farmland.

In other words, you need to kill all the poor people, instead of putting all of your hard earned money into making more of them.  That will save the trees.

What are your thoughts on nuclear power?  Of all the 'green' power sources, nuclear is the only practical one.  Hydro is very dependent on geography, as is geothermal.  Wind and solar fail as base load power sources and are at the mercy of the weather.  The main problem with these alternatives (solar, wind, geothermal and hydro) is that they just don't produce the power needed.  Wind and solar farms are huge and expensive, with little in the way of power generation compared to its cost.  The problem is that the 'greens' don't like nuclear and believe all of our power needs can be met with the above named alternatives.

That's neat.  However, I'm skeptical.  Until these are proven and economically feasible, then I'll bite.  Too many times have we been promised things like this will work, only to find out later it really doesn't.  Then again, I'm annoyingly cynical.

/Where's my flying car, dammit!

I've read about Fusion plants. Seems they are building one now and it should work fine or so I heard. Seems this will produce lots of power and with very little risk to the planet.

Okay, you win.

I'm just fed up receiving junk mail printed and ready for recycling.