tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post3386638948360967766..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: I'm the Reason Our Planet is DoomedCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-44577250503713907152009-12-27T12:59:07.206-08:002009-12-27T12:59:07.206-08:00I'm glad to hear about your experiences with g...I'm glad to hear about your experiences with gdiapers. We tried them out when DS was a baby (we decided to go with cloth, but thought gdiapers might be good for traveling, rather than disposable), and had no end of trouble with them - it took me a while of getting the hang of how to put them on properly, so we had lots of middle-of-the-night leaks and then the newborn poop kept running over to the liner and the diaper part. At that point I didn't want to invest in buying a bunch of extra liners, etc, since I'd paid a fortune for the cloth. But I always thought they seemed like a great idea and a good design. Maybe with #2 we'll try again. . . <br /><br />(We don't live in a water-drought area, and I throw in the regular laundry with the cloth diapers after a brief vinegar-water prerinse, so I don't feel so guilty about water overuse w/ cloth. I think diaper services are the least green way to do cloth.)<br /><br />-ErinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-29931303138433481822009-12-23T23:09:16.136-08:002009-12-23T23:09:16.136-08:00You probably know this already, having been there ...You probably know this already, having been there before, but I'm still going to say it anyway, in case the newborn fog is causing a memory lapse: the first three months of infancy are all about survival. Every little thing that eases your way is worth doing. If disposables are making life livable right now, then don't sweat it. We diaper with cloth (from a diaper service that uses comparably little water, few chemicals, blah blah blah, but who knows if it's actually better than anything else) but it was HARD to convince ourselves to do it those first few months. Especially since we had a pack of disposables on hand at all times for "special occasions." Sooo easy to just grab one of the disposables.<br /><br />If you really want to use the gDiapers right now, I'd suggest moving the disposables to the opposite side of the room. The incremental cost to the gDiapers will always nudge you to the disposables at any given diaper change, so if you add a slightly bigger incremental cost to the disposables, it will probably nudge you back the other way.<br /><br />Or, you know, just wait a few weeks. Somewhere around 4-5 months, my son dropped from 10 diapers a day down to 6 or so, and doing the "right" thing suddenly became so much easier.Nickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15614845410446113639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-84794260466474416132009-12-22T18:49:43.025-08:002009-12-22T18:49:43.025-08:00I have a book by the Union of Concerned Scientists...I have a book by the Union of Concerned Scientists, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists. It's a bit dated, but it nicely lays out the BIG things individuals can do to make a difference to the environment. Their take home message is that you should concentrate on a few big areas and not sweat the small stuff. They include the diaper analysis you cited as an example. Basically, the cloth vs disposable is not a big deal to the environment, so don't waste too much energy worrying about it. The things that matter are 1) don't drive very much 2) don't eat much meat and 3) don't buy a lot of 'big' stuff. I think, I can't really remember #3 and don't have the book with me now. <br /><br />I also agree though that there's only so much individuals can do. Fighting climate change is about much more than individuals, it's about government taking action and making the big decisions and commitments that are going to change the way our economy works.zednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-66704476713515202452009-12-22T06:12:11.867-08:002009-12-22T06:12:11.867-08:00I've just finished reading 'Ecological Int...I've just finished reading 'Ecological Intelligence' by Daniel Goleman. The take home message is that YOU (1 individual)really do make the difference. My resolution after reading the book is not to be lazy about recycling. <br /><br />We have to seperate all our rubbish into 3 or 4 different collections and the hardest thing for me is take the aluminium stuff (cans mostly)downstairs to put in the glass and aluminium bin which gets taken out once a week. I often just toss the cans the tuna or beans have been in into the non-recyclable bin( which is confortably located under the sink.) And this is due to sheer laziness and nothing else. I mean, I go downstaira at least 4 times a day, and I can't bring down an old tuna can??? <br /><br />I have to remind myself, YOU alone(me, that is) can help save this planet.paolanoreply@blogger.com