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1500 questions
6
votes
1 answer
Why do we produce black plastic items if they cannot be recycled?
My local council accepts white plastic for recycling. If white is ok, why do we produce meat packaging, frozen meal packaging etc in black?
dave
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6
votes
2 answers
Is a pellet stove better than a wood stove?
When we found our house (we're not owners right now), there was already a pellet stove. I don't really appreciate it because it uses electricity (I don't know how much but we now depend on it) and I don't know if pellets are very sustainable.
If we…
Phnix
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6
votes
2 answers
Alternatives to disposable propane (and other gasses) bottles
Gasses for household applications (propane, butane etc.) often come in small disposable containers, such as metal bottles or cans. I know that it is possible to refill some of them, such as one-pound bottle that is ubiquitous in North America, but…
theUg
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6
votes
1 answer
Ecological wood-burning fireplace
We are in the process of choosing a fireplace for our house (which is being refurbished). Is it possible to have a wood-burning fireplace that doesn't cause any harmful emissions or contribute to smog (both indoors and outdoors)? If this is the case…
Grzenio
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6
votes
2 answers
Are RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) an effective method to "green" industry?
Chris Goldie's answer to a question on sustainable web infrastructure brought this question up.
From the US Environmental Protection Agency:
A renewable energy certificate, or REC (pronounced: rěk), is a
market-based instrument that represents…
LShaver
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6
votes
2 answers
Most eco-friendly staple food
I was wondering what the most eco-friendly high-starch food is — not per kg but per calorie — I am looking for something to eat large amounts of when hungry after my main meals. Thanks.
Grains and beans are staple foods as well as potatoes. My…
Joao Noch
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6
votes
2 answers
Insulating against unwanted conductive heat
I live on the ground floor of a block of flats (apartments) in London, UK. Below me (basement / -1 level) is the block’s communal boiler providing hot water for the taps and hot water for the radiators in each flat.
Unfortunately my flat gets hotter…
Dave
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- 3
6
votes
1 answer
What is a sustainable quantity for per-capita meat consumption?
It would be interesting on several levels if sustainable per-capita meat consumption could be quantified in a sensible way. In a perfect world, a person would only eat as much meat as is necessary for health and well-being (some would argue that we…
elli
- 169
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6
votes
1 answer
How do organic nuts differ from non-organic nuts?
Organic nuts are significantly more expensive than non-organic nuts. How do they difference with regards to the following exemplary aspects?
difference in pesticide use?
difference in large-scale vs. small-scale farming?
difference in…
orschiro
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6
votes
3 answers
What would be a viable and justifiable policy to handle short-term acute pollution incidents across large urban areas such as Delhi?
Air pollution in Delhi has rose up to hazardous level with air quality index crossing 500 in many areas. But unlike other polluted cities (like Beijing), Delhi has no shut down of schools and businesses. Such a shut down would not only prevent…
Janki Mehta
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6
votes
1 answer
Can 140 square miles of solar panels power the US?
In the book The Upcycle (copyright 2013) by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, the authors make the following claim:
... consider exactly how much desert area covered in solar collectors would be required to power the entire United States:…
LShaver
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6
votes
1 answer
Do the veggies you eat today have the same amount of vitamins and minerals as they used to twenty years ago?
The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) recommended to us by health experts are based on the amount of nutrition in fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. The RDA hasn't changed since decades.
Are any scientific studies done (do we have any conclusive…
Prahlad Yeri
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6
votes
1 answer
How to recycle disintegrated plastic bags, without negatively impacting the environment?
We've just gotten some old books out of the loft, and it appears the plastic bags they were in have disintegrated/biodegraded.
What is the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of them?
AncientSwordRage
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6
votes
2 answers
Does the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle rule always apply?
Does the triple-R rule (or its extended version like Reduce-Reuse-Repair-Recycle) apply to everything, in that order, as the most sustainable process?
Just wondering if you could think of any particular situation where a different sequence would…
stragu
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6
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1 answer
Reference request - Farm level, multi year comparison between organic and conventional agriculture
This meta study on the crop yield gap suggests that organic farming has about 80% the yield of conventional farming at the field level, yields may vary widely and organic yields can surpass conventional yields. The authors state:
Our analysis of…
mart
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