Sustainable Living Stack Exchange
Sustainable Living Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
9
votes
2 answers

How can I figure out what's using so much electricity in my home?

I recently moved into a new home with 2 other housemates and our combined bill for electricity is far higher than I expected. We're using just over 40 kWh per day, on average. When I lived alone, my consumption was only around 3 kWh per day all year…
Nic
  • 2,889
  • 1
  • 24
  • 47
9
votes
2 answers

Is Lithium mining any better for the environment than fossil fuel extraction?

A friend of mine is adamant that the extraction of lithium for batteries (and the creation of battery cells themselves) is a very environmentally-damaging procedure, potentially even more-so than oil (open-cut mines vs oil wells), and that this is…
Robotnik
  • 1,307
  • 2
  • 11
  • 33
9
votes
2 answers

Compost yourself or let the city handle the organic waste?

From a sustainability perspective. Is it better to let the city handle the organic waste or compost yourself locally when possible? I'd suspect city's larger scale organic waste management facilities (bigger composts?) might be more efficient, but…
jkj
  • 694
  • 6
  • 10
9
votes
5 answers

How can I measure the moisture content of my firewood to ensure good efficiency and clean burning?

It's clear that firewood that hasn't been well dried is more polluting and less energy efficient, hence the existence of various schemes to ensure firewood suppliers provide dry wood. Is there a way to measure the moisture content of my firewood…
Highly Irregular
  • 8,795
  • 10
  • 38
  • 78
9
votes
5 answers

How much land would be covered by the plants that turned into the fossil fuels humanity has burned?

Many climate deniers suggest that humanity is too insignificant to impact the global climate. As a visualization to counter this claim, I thought of the following exercise. How much coal, oil, and gas humanity has burned in our history? This part…
LShaver
  • 11,885
  • 6
  • 30
  • 81
9
votes
1 answer

Olive oil versus sunflower oil

I wondered what was the best, in one hand for the health (but I guess the question should be asked somewhere else, shouldn't it?) and in the other hand for the earth. Which one, if there is one, is more (or less) eco-friendly? Which one is more…
jeromej
  • 279
  • 1
  • 11
9
votes
1 answer

What's the purpose of the air pockets in mud building?

I've seen mud buildings that use glass bottles as part of the structure of the wall. Is this for structural stability? For heating and cooling properties? What's the purpose?
Laizer
  • 1,537
  • 2
  • 9
  • 23
9
votes
2 answers

Wind turbine vs. solar panel or both?

I am looking for a solution to replace a broken electricity generator. I am considering using solar panels or a wind turbine. Or even both. I need it for an animal shed and the targeted consumption units would be a couple of light-bulbs (5-10)…
user503413
  • 343
  • 1
  • 6
9
votes
1 answer

Is mixing species in vermicomposting beneficial?

What are the consequences of mixing worm species? To increase "processing" throughput rate, would it be better to have two worm bins of x m³, where each on uses a different specie (i.e Eisenia fetida and Eisenia hortensis), or one huge bin (2x m³)…
nairboon
  • 492
  • 3
  • 12
9
votes
1 answer

In-place composting around flower pots and allelopathy

Because of limited space for gardening, we have a fairly large number of trees and plants in flower pots. In particular I have found that citrus trees seem to demand a lot of mulch around them and so I am doing sheet mulch and in place composting…
Chris Travers
  • 7,039
  • 20
  • 44
9
votes
6 answers

Getting rid of label glue

I up-cycled a glass liquor bottle into a drinking glass (by means of scoring, heat-shocking, and polishing). What I'm left with is a lovely glass with some very stubborn label glue on it. How can I get rid of the glue? Big bonus points for…
Laizer
  • 1,537
  • 2
  • 9
  • 23
9
votes
2 answers

What are the greenhouse gas benefits of vegetarianism?

I'm looking for a range, or better yet, likelihood distribution, compared to: The average US meat consumer. The average world meat consumer. How significantly are those averages affected by: Distance the meat travels to plate. Food source of the…
Eric H.
  • 1,202
  • 1
  • 8
  • 15
9
votes
4 answers

Are machine-washed rags more sustainable than paper towels for any & all household messes?

Anything single-use is suspicious in terms of sustainability, especially if it goes to the trash afterwards and is not recyclable. Considering that, and the disproportionate use of paper towels by the United States, it makes me wonder if a more…
cr0
  • 869
  • 1
  • 5
  • 20
9
votes
3 answers

Any problem with storing compost in a sealed container for several weeks? Alternatives?

I live in a second floor apartment with a small balcony. In my kitchen I have a small vented container where I place kitchen scraps as I'm preparing food -- like this: About once a week when this gets full, I transfer everything into a 20 L sealed…
LShaver
  • 11,885
  • 6
  • 30
  • 81
9
votes
1 answer

Is Bamboo Plywood More Sustainable than ("traditional") Birch Plywood?

Greetings Sustainable Livers! I am on a quest to discover which is the most sustainable sheet material for making furniture. Found this article on Bamboo Plywood: "Is Bamboo Plywood an Eco-Friendly Option?"…
nelsonic
  • 259
  • 1
  • 5
1 2 3
…
99 100