Not As Environmentally Friendly As Promised

[Trevp666]

"If you drive a car - I'll tax the street"
"If you get too cold - I'll tax the heat"
"If you take a walk - I'll tax your feet"
"You're working for no one but me...."

 

[Xanatic*]

LEDs use less power than regular bulbs. However now you can buy a number of lamps, which use customized LEDs for the light. Specific sizes and shapes. Which means that if the LED fails, it can't be replaced and you need a whole new lamp.

 

[MorningAngel]

LEDs use less power than regular bulbs. However now you can buy a number of lamps, which use customized LEDs for the light. Specific sizes and shapes. Which means that if the LED fails, it can't be replaced and you need a whole new lamp.

Like Christmas lights. In the old days you could change a bulb (yes it was a faff) but now if fails it fails.

 

[Min Bannister]

What could possibly go wrong with burning food in car engines? Well as demand grows for biodiesel, deforestation increases to provide it. Who could ever have predicted such an outcome? I am amazed, shocked and stunned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56819257

Because we are buying it, they have less used cooking oil to use on the things that they were previously using it for," said Greg Archer with Transport & Environment.
"And they're just buying more virgin oil and that virgin oil is largely palm oil, because that's the cheapest oil available.
"So indirectly, we're just encouraging more deforestation in Southeast Asia."

If you want sustainable biofuel the only way to get it is to grow those oil crops and then eat every bloody chip yourself. That will make you think twice about whether you really need to drive everywhere all the time.

 

[Mythopoeika]

What could possibly go wrong with burning food in car engines? Well as demand grows for biodiesel, deforestation increases to provide it. Who could ever have predicted such an outcome?

Who, indeed?
Oh wait, I think I did ages ago!

 

[Nosmo King]

The whole point, originally, for using vegetable oil was, it was suppised to be from waste, not produced specicically for biodiesel. The palms that the harvest the palm oul from are incredibly bad for the enviroment as their life cycle does not last long enough to reduce any carbon in the atmosphere, in Borneo it is the main cause of deforestation and loss of habit for the Orangutan.

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/...MIzt-X_fOO8AIV24BQBh0l4garEAAYAiAAEgJ6JfD_BwE

 

[Mythopoeika]

The whole point, originally, for using vegetable oil was, it was suppised to be from waste, not produced specicically for biodiesel. The palms that the harvest the palm oul from are incredibly bad for the enviroment as their life cycle does not last long enough to reduce any carbon in the atmosphere, in Borneo it is the main cause of deforestation and loss of habit for the Orangutan.

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/...MIzt-X_fOO8AIV24BQBh0l4garEAAYAiAAEgJ6JfD_BwE

Yes, it should only have ever been about recycling waste.

 

[Trevp666]

(Slightly old report from December 2020 but still current, developing technology)


The F1 governing body, The FIA, are pushing ahead with increased amounts of 'biofuel' for F1.
This is with an aim for the use of a fully sustainable 'net zero' fuel from 2030 onwards.

I guess that all they then need to do is run all of their trucks and support vehicles on it, and all of the jet aircraft used to get to each race.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f...stainable fuel,contribute to a greener planet.

 

[Mythopoeika]

(Slightly old report from December 2020 but still current, developing technology)


The F1 governing body, The FIA, are pushing ahead with increased amounts of 'biofuel' for F1.
This is with an aim for the use of a fully sustainable 'net zero' fuel from 2030 onwards.

I guess that all they then need to do is run all of their trucks and support vehicles on it, and all of the jet aircraft used to get to each race.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-develops-100-sustainable-fuel-from-bio-waste-4976196/4976196/#:~:text=The push for sustainable fuel,contribute to a greener planet.

A stupid box-ticking exercise.

 

[Trevp666]

A stupid box-ticking exercise.

Yes indeed.
And F1 is a sport I love and probably the only sport I actually follow closely.
I do find it somewhat ironic that for a sport that travels around the round that they should see the need to only appear to address the cars that do the racing and not all the other associated things.
Each of the 22 cars has a fuel limit due to the size of the tank anyway, and across the whole course of a weekend might each do a total of about 700 (ish) miles.
And these are the most thermally efficient vehicles on the planet, which are also electric hybrids, with 'harvesting' of power coming by way of a regenerative braking system and also a device to retrieve power lost through the turbo and exhaust system (MGU-K and MGU-H respectively)
Typically an F1 car is about 50% thermally efficient whereas the next nearest vehicles are high-end sports saloons which are (at best) only 30% thermally efficient. (Thermal efficiency being the measuring stick used to adjudge the conversion of a fuel into motive power through combustion without losing any through waste heat).
So the move to a fully sustainable fuel will have very little impact.

Indeed 'A stupid box-ticking exercise' is an apt description of the efforts, which although appearing noble, remain "not as environmentally friendly as promised".

 

[Coastaljames]

Everything we do is destructive to the Earth. The Earth will evolve ways to reduce and eradicate this destruction.

It will not be good for us.

 

[Little_grey_lady]

That's why I like Formular e, they are looking at ways to reduce their impact overall, not just by using the electric cars

https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/discover/sustainability/measuring-our-impact

 

[MorningAngel]

That Tesla that had the crash a few days ago it took 4 hours to put out the fire! That’s something to look forward to when electric cars crash.

 

[RaM]

It may be so environmentally friendly it runs on the tears of squirrels but in the end
for every action there's a equal and opposite reaction.

 

[Nosmo King]

That's why I like Formular e, they are looking at ways to reduce their impact overall, not just by using the electric cars

https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/discover/sustainability/measuring-our-impact

It may be enviromentally friendly but from the few races i have seen it has no soul, its like watching giant scalectrixi did however enjoy the first Extreme E cross country race.

 

[Trevp666]

I tried watching a few formula E races but they didn't grab me.
The ones on 'proper' racetracks seemed woefully slow.
The ones on circuits laid out in 'alternative' places (street circuits, parkland courses etc) just had the feeling of watching lads racing around a car park.
And they all seemed to have the feeling of an attempt by the commentators and race promoters to sound over-enthusiastic about the whole shebang, which is always a turn-off me for me.

 

[Analogue Boy]

I tried watching a few formula E races but they didn't grab me.
The ones on 'proper' racetracks seemed woefully slow.
The ones on circuits laid out in 'alternative' places (street circuits, parkland courses etc) just had the feeling of watching lads racing around a car park.
And they all seemed to have the feeling of an attempt by the commentators and race promoters to sound over-enthusiastic about the whole shebang, which is always a turn-off me for me.

I haven’t watched an FE race but the commentators would have to go some to sound more enthusiastic than Murray Walker.

 

[Trevp666]

Murray wasn't over-enthusiastic....he was just the right level of enthusiastic.

As in, he sounded like his trousers were on fire.

“Even in moments of tranquility, Murray Walker sounds like a man whose trousers are on fire.”
— Clive James

 

[maximus otter]

As in, he sounded like his trousers were on fire.

“Even in moments of tranquility, Murray Walker sounds like a man whose trousers are on fire.”
— Clive James

- Though to be fair, he was a tank commander in WW2 and participated in the battle for the Reichswald, so it's entirely possible that - at some point or another - his trousers had been on fire.

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

- Though to be fair, he was a tank commander in WW2 and participated in the battle for the Reichswald, so it's entirely possible that - at some point or another - his trousers had been on fire.

maximus otter

That sent me down a rabbit hole! Reading about General Horrocks after he became Black Rod:
On other occasions, because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note-taking to the assembled lords.[114] Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963

 

[maximus otter]

That sent me down a rabbit hole! Reading about General Horrocks after he became Black Rod:
On other occasions, because the Black Rod had to remain in place during long debates, Horrocks relieved his boredom by completing football pools coupons. This had the advantage of looking like note-taking to the assembled lords.[114] Horrocks held the post of Black Rod until 1963

Probably more useful and productive than 95% of what occurs in Parliament.

maximus otter

 

[RaM]

Met him once, nice bloke.

 

[Lobeydosser]

Thought this might fit here - planned obsolecence, cartels etc -

 

[maximus otter]

EUROPE’S longest and oldest green wall has been partially cut-down for a “possible” cycle lane.

The living wall in Madeira Drive was planted by the Victorians and is a wildlife reserve.

Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed today that the Local Wildlife Site was cut on purpose in order to build a “possible” cycle lane in the road.

Building Green, which helps the council look after the Green Wall, said it was “shocked” it was not told of the plan to slash down the eight Japanese spindle plants, planted in 1872.

The organisation said the council was commissioning a report into what happened. It added the incident was a “miscommunication” relating to the creation of a new cycleway in the road.

The Green Wall experts said they were “hopeful” the plants would grow back on the wall, exposed for the first time in about 150 years.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/192...kE51eYg5cFnLwTTUuJEU0ge4MWErVXjXTjvLKYj0pbXdw

maximus otter

 

[RaM]

And it's only a possible cycle lane, legalized vandalism.

A few years back our lot narrowed a bridge on the main rd into Fleetwood, up to then there was
room for 4 lanes of traffic, they installed a disused cycle lane cant remember when I last saw a
cyclist on it, but were it was narrowed is a fuel station and since there have been countless accidents
and it as become a choke point causing traffic jams and no doubt lots of unnecessary pollution,
They are now spending millions on road works to get rid of the jams but seem intent on keeping
the narrow bit.
On the bridge written in stone it says widened in some year or other by the council I wanted to
put a notice up saying "narrowed by such a council in year" but was vetoed by the better half.
You know it makes sense.

 

[Trevp666]

I always wonder when cycle lanes get installed and the local council says it is done to 'encourage cycling'.
No it isn't though, is it? It's done to 'discourage driving' really.
I don't know of anybody, ever, who has said "Ooh, they've spent millions putting in 12 miles of cycle lanes between here and where I work so I'm going to stop driving to work and cycle instead".
And if anyone has said that then they must live somewhere really rather flat, with not a lot of heavy traffic anyway, and then only when the weather is kind enough to allow it.
I really don't think installing special cycle lanes is as environmentally sound as it appears to be - it can cost millions for not much usage ultimately. The ones which are just a bit of painted lines on an existing road are going to be much more sound than specially built ones next to a road, except for in areas where there is a significant amount of cyclists already (like Cambridge).

 

[RaM]

A lot of cyclists tend not to like cycle ways as you tend to get more puncture's on them,
cars tend to sweep debris away or right against the curb so you get fewer on the road.
Just had a look and they recon that the scheme to get traffic flowing again will cost
150 million and take till spring 2023, and a new bridge, god knows what the true cost will
be, all to undo the problems due to narrowing the perfectly good bridge/road for a un used
cycle way.

 

[Stormkhan]

This morning I saw, on Yahoo News*, a very recent case of a woman who owned land and lived in a large caravan. She submitted plans and requested planning permission to replace it with a self-built eco-friendly log cabin. She'd been told she didn't need permission. It was designed to be pretty much self-sustaining, with heat pumps, water filtration, professional waste management. Everything a council would expect to be paid to do.
Once built, the council received 4 complaints (one from someone who lived over a mile away) and then the local council (I think it's in Wiltshire) decided that she needed permission and that her build was oversized to her submitted plans. She's now been threatened to either tear it down or face prosecution.
From the photos it was a gorgeous bungalow, very professionally made and even the local Tory MP has become involved, confirming that the build was exactly as stated in the plans. Seems that the council want her to cave in to cover-up their own mistake and I recall part of their issued statement is that "XYZ council is determined to make available sustainable and ecologically-friendly housing for all".
Hmmm. So that'd be the houses built by their chums, the property developers?

* Strange to say, I can't find the news item online now.

 

[ramonmercado]

This morning I saw, on Yahoo News*, a very recent case of a woman who owned land and lived in a large caravan. She submitted plans and requested planning permission to replace it with a self-built eco-friendly log cabin. She'd been told she didn't need permission. It was designed to be pretty much self-sustaining, with heat pumps, water filtration, professional waste management. Everything a council would expect to be paid to do.
Once built, the council received 4 complaints (one from someone who lived over a mile away) and then the local council (I think it's in Wiltshire) decided that she needed permission and that her build was oversized to her submitted plans. She's now been threatened to either tear it down or face prosecution.
From the photos it was a gorgeous bungalow, very professionally made and even the local Tory MP has become involved, confirming that the build was exactly as stated in the plans. Seems that the council want her to cave in to cover-up their own mistake and I recall part of their issued statement is that "XYZ council is determined to make available sustainable and ecologically-friendly housing for all".
Hmmm. So that'd be the houses built by their chums, the property developers?

* Strange to say, I can't find the news item online now.

If she has proof that she was so informed by the council - in writing or email etc then she would have a strong case against the Council. Especially if she had submitted the plans to the Council's Planning office. It does seem odd though that any permanent building of the size suggested would not need planning permission.

 

[Mythopoeika]

This morning I saw, on Yahoo News*, a very recent case of a woman who owned land and lived in a large caravan. She submitted plans and requested planning permission to replace it with a self-built eco-friendly log cabin. She'd been told she didn't need permission. It was designed to be pretty much self-sustaining, with heat pumps, water filtration, professional waste management. Everything a council would expect to be paid to do.
Once built, the council received 4 complaints (one from someone who lived over a mile away) and then the local council (I think it's in Wiltshire) decided that she needed permission and that her build was oversized to her submitted plans. She's now been threatened to either tear it down or face prosecution.
From the photos it was a gorgeous bungalow, very professionally made and even the local Tory MP has become involved, confirming that the build was exactly as stated in the plans. Seems that the council want her to cave in to cover-up their own mistake and I recall part of their issued statement is that "XYZ council is determined to make available sustainable and ecologically-friendly housing for all".
Hmmm. So that'd be the houses built by their chums, the property developers?

* Strange to say, I can't find the news item online now.

I grate my teeth whenever I hear of vexatious complaints from people who aren't affected by somebody doing a self-build.
Haven't people got better things to do? Instead of being jealous, they should do their own thing.
And big-money property developers have got the whole system in their pockets. The rest of us have to pay dear.