Having had disassembled one of those 'CFL' lightbulbs long ago, I am now collecting them for the components inside. Here in Argentina there is a new law about lightbulbs, we cannot buy the common lightbulb, the "wisdom" of the Government has us buying at the most simple, those Halogen mini-bulbs housed in a "full-size" envelope. The big push is towards CFLs but at a ratio of 10:1 pricewise "they" accepted Halogens as the "low cost" alternative.
As is here and most every other third world country very very little in the way of electronics...as a whole or components thereof.... is wasted, truly thrown away to be burned or buried.
Components are used, gutted from "donors" over & over again till it truly is 'waste'.
_____________________________________________________Rick........
As is here and most every other third world country very very little in the way of electronics...as a whole or components thereof.... is wasted, truly thrown away to be burned or buried.
Components are used, gutted from "donors" over & over again till it truly is 'waste'.
_____________________________________________________Rick........
Given the very low level of resource consumption, apart from those room heater things that some people insist on using for reasons that escape me, do we really need a treatise on sustainability? Or is the supposed altruism about sustainability only to make the proponent feel good or pious about themselves (in which case, it is no longer altruistic)?
If it were truly a political issue, wouldn't California be all over it?
I have serious doubt that politicians will do anything constructive.
There are some in CA who truly try to support sustainability, then there are people like Al Gore who could lead but do so by slight of hand. (Buys carbon credits to claim he is carbon neutral! WTF?)
Reality is, true sustainability has to be a grass roots event. My faith in most people simply being cattle gives me little hope of this ever happening. Several generations in the past have promoted sustainability, but as the generation matures it shifts away from it.
Biology shows us that organisms do one two things, they either grow to a peak population and die off as the (food) resources are consumed or they peak and drop back to a sustainable population.
We are still headed for the peak.
No matter how you look at it, the earth has finite resources. As time goes on, processing those resources will take more and more energy. This is true whether it is from recycling, or from working harder to find the resources.
There is a very slim chance we will escape this dirtball to mine the asteroids and other bodies, but the energy necessary to do that will prohibit access if delayed too long.
Yup, I'm a hypocrite. I'm going to burn 31500000 calories of gasoline to go to the Shelby ham fest this weekend. (I have offered several guys at work a ride if they are going).
I have serious doubt that politicians will do anything constructive.
There are some in CA who truly try to support sustainability, then there are people like Al Gore who could lead but do so by slight of hand. (Buys carbon credits to claim he is carbon neutral! WTF?)
Reality is, true sustainability has to be a grass roots event. My faith in most people simply being cattle gives me little hope of this ever happening. Several generations in the past have promoted sustainability, but as the generation matures it shifts away from it.
Biology shows us that organisms do one two things, they either grow to a peak population and die off as the (food) resources are consumed or they peak and drop back to a sustainable population.
We are still headed for the peak.
No matter how you look at it, the earth has finite resources. As time goes on, processing those resources will take more and more energy. This is true whether it is from recycling, or from working harder to find the resources.
There is a very slim chance we will escape this dirtball to mine the asteroids and other bodies, but the energy necessary to do that will prohibit access if delayed too long.
Yup, I'm a hypocrite. I'm going to burn 31500000 calories of gasoline to go to the Shelby ham fest this weekend. (I have offered several guys at work a ride if they are going).
If someone was running a Class A amp that burned 500W all the time, it would seem wasteful and unsustainable - which would be correct. But the way the world currently works, if instead they were running a pair of headphones off an AAA cell, all that would happen would be that the money they saved on amp power would be spent on a bigger car, or trips to Disneyland, or invested and lent to other people with 500W amps, burning just as much energy. It's a well known phenomenon with an actual name: The Energy Rebound Effect. A fancy name and interpretation for something very simple.
FYI - Panasonic's environmental policy statement:
Panasonic Corporation aims to become "the No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry" which is the Panasonic group's business vision. We make the environment central to all of our business activities and bring forth both environmental contribution and business growth. We also consider biodiversity and contribute to create the sound environment, economy, and society as well as the sustainable development of society.
Action Policy
In a wide variety of our device product groups through electronic materials, electronic components to semiconductors, we enforce development of products with less environmental impacts and contribute to global environmental protection, providing those products.
- We minimize CO2 emissions in all business activities through global development of energy conservation activities.
- We establish the recycling-oriented manufacturing by minimizing our input of resources and maximizing recycled resources.
- We tackle reduction of wastes generation and hazardous substances use and prevent environmental pollutions in the air, water, soil, and groundwater.
- Through above, we aim to protect global environment with our continuous improvements.
- We facilitate communication with stakeholders, customers and local societies, react appropriately to their demands and requirements to reduce environmental risks, and reinforce the CSR.
- We comply with laws and other requirements adapted to our business activities.
- We foster environmentally-minded human resources, establish environmental management systems, and implement environmental sustainability management globally.
- Our Environmental Policy is open to the public and also disseminated to all employees and parties concerned. This is developed to specific objectives and targets for global implementation It also promotes environmental management in all business departments.
Best regards,
Jesper
Panasonic Corporation aims to become "the No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry" which is the Panasonic group's business vision. We make the environment central to all of our business activities and bring forth both environmental contribution and business growth. We also consider biodiversity and contribute to create the sound environment, economy, and society as well as the sustainable development of society.
Action Policy
In a wide variety of our device product groups through electronic materials, electronic components to semiconductors, we enforce development of products with less environmental impacts and contribute to global environmental protection, providing those products.
- We minimize CO2 emissions in all business activities through global development of energy conservation activities.
- We establish the recycling-oriented manufacturing by minimizing our input of resources and maximizing recycled resources.
- We tackle reduction of wastes generation and hazardous substances use and prevent environmental pollutions in the air, water, soil, and groundwater.
- Through above, we aim to protect global environment with our continuous improvements.
- We facilitate communication with stakeholders, customers and local societies, react appropriately to their demands and requirements to reduce environmental risks, and reinforce the CSR.
- We comply with laws and other requirements adapted to our business activities.
- We foster environmentally-minded human resources, establish environmental management systems, and implement environmental sustainability management globally.
- Our Environmental Policy is open to the public and also disseminated to all employees and parties concerned. This is developed to specific objectives and targets for global implementation It also promotes environmental management in all business departments.
Best regards,
Jesper
Having had worked within an Educational Institution I can easily detect Political speak, or how to say nothing at all with words.
Take note of the following words minimize, maximize, tackle, prevent, aim, facilitate, foster. Cute little words at best but really mean little. Tackle? Aim?
This is legalize, politico .......how best to write with the littlest meaning nor definition.
If Panasonic REALLY wanted to do right with the World, they would not come out with "new" models every year trying to appeal to the baser in humans. Nor would they create "new & improved" semi-conductor devices with more & more useless functions......useless as in never to be used....just a sales feature.
The upshot of this radical thinking on my part would have a Flat-screen TV of just 32" & "still" of the plasma type ...no bigger & would look "old" ........not likely.
________________________________________________________Rick.......
Sure. Its just the waste of buying the same product many times that seems so unfriendly to both the environment and harmful in general. Sorry. I would imagine that there are some very well meaning people here that wound up throwing out products that were meant to promote sustainablily but had opposite effect. I gave a great 1962 Zenith radio in daily use. it would no doubt be considered "toxic" but it has, by its durability of being made with good old lead solder, done more for sustainability than most of the stuff being made now. I just had an issue with a ruined rug and "biodegradable" plastic bottles. There is more than one side to this story. It's nice to pat ourselves on the back and say "I'm doing my part" but let us not forget to look at a big picture.
I do so wish the entire plastics industry had made Bio-degradable plastics the rule......all plastics.
One merely needs to travel to a third world country to see & experience the effect of long lasting plastics......as in trash. Unfortunately, all I have to do to experience this is take a walk to the local store here in Argentina................trash by the roadside is unbelievable. Since no one seems to have taken the responsibility of cleaning things up, the plastic trash is layered inches deep along with the dirt & rusted metal "stuff".
Others residing in other countries have it "good"..someone has taken the effort to "clean things". Here & elsewhere in the World the plastics remain.........perhaps for decades, or more.
______________________________________________________Rick........
One merely needs to travel to a third world country to see & experience the effect of long lasting plastics......as in trash. Unfortunately, all I have to do to experience this is take a walk to the local store here in Argentina................trash by the roadside is unbelievable. Since no one seems to have taken the responsibility of cleaning things up, the plastic trash is layered inches deep along with the dirt & rusted metal "stuff".
Others residing in other countries have it "good"..someone has taken the effort to "clean things". Here & elsewhere in the World the plastics remain.........perhaps for decades, or more.
______________________________________________________Rick........
The best environmentalists that I know spend time "cleaning up" (in the conventional, not monetary sense) and maintaining basic responsibilities locally, and little time forecasting “doom and gloom” scenarios, and advising others about how their lives should be conducted.
I did my good deed for the environment last night, by replacing the bad power switch in my 50+ year old Electrolux. Woooooosh!
I did my good deed for the environment last night, by replacing the bad power switch in my 50+ year old Electrolux. Woooooosh!
I've seen an AM radio that operated entirely from the radiated AM energy and was quite audible through a horn driver. And all ones' portable devices such as IPODS could be driven from solar cells, possibly even at internal lighting levels. That's pretty 'sustainable', but there's not much money in it for anybody.
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