| Oct 18 @ 12:16 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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RareQuestor
Posts: 2,650
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Autumn seems an ideal time to discuss this issue if only because so many idiots insist on burning leaves.  How can we improve the quality of our air?
Let us begin with the standard stipulations:
1. No bashing. No "It's all the fault of the liberals" or "It's the Republicans fault" or bashing other nations. If you cannot participate in this discussion without resorting to insults and name-calling, then don't contribute at all.
2. We should seek solutions that can be implemented within five or ten years at most. An idea that will take 20, 30 or 40 years to be effective is a dream, not a solution.
A few of my thoughts on the issue:
1. We should ban cigarettes! (As if you could not see that one coming!  )
2. We should eliminate concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs also known as confined animal feeding operations or factory farms.) I can personally testify to this as my mother lives less than a mile from a farmer who raises hogs. There are many days when she cannot open a window because of the nauseating stench of hog manure--and he only raises twenty or thirty hogs. It must be intolerable to live near a farm with several hundred hogs.  This will also have other health benefits as well. (Here is a report on CAFOs: The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations
3. We need to increase public awareness of anti-idling programs. How many of you see dozens of cars idling for ten minutes or longer while the owners are waiting to pick up their children at school? It not only pollutes the atmosphere (and our children), but it wastes gas and damages your car as well. No Idling Campaign
4. I can personally testify to the necessity and value of burn bans such as the one recently passed by my city. The sky is clear and the sunshine is abundant today in my neighborhood whereas in the past it would normally be shrouded by a fog of smoke caused by people who are too stupid to understand that wet leaves do not burn. Every city should have such a ban. 
5. We should emphasize education on the proper use of household products. It's amazing how many people leave containers of household chemicals open. (Ideally, of course, we should reduce our dependence on such chemicals, but I recognize that some are useful.) A good rule of thumb, folks: If it is a liquid, it will eventually evaporate. Put the lid back on those paint cans, gas cans, cleaning solutions, et cetera.
Please feel free to share your thoughts!
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| Oct 18 @ 12:20 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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RareQuestor
Posts: 2,650
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I can't believe that I forgot the obvious! 
6. We need to plant more trees!
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| Oct 18 @ 4:51 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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whatagal
Posts: 1,130
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All those "wonderful" air fresheners and plug ins are usually very toxic. They also contribute to the increase of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
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| Oct 18 @ 6:03 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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Snappygoddess
Posts: 5,094
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The people beside us have an open pit for burning. They stock up on wood so they can burn it at night just so they have a campfire to sit by while they sit outside with company.
Even with our windows closed, we can smell the smoke.. it permeates our home and thank goodness we don't have lung problems, it would be difficult to breathe.
The problem is, even though there is an open pit burning ban(we live in the city) these people are friends with the local cops so calling the law on them is pointless.
We have asked them a few times to not burn and why do they think it's ok to burn when there is a ban to which they reply.. "Because we can" and then smirk 
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| Oct 18 @ 7:41 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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beckyiv42000
Posts: 14,576
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Since I live in the city burning leaves is NOT an option.. even tho rural section of the city still remain...BUT we do have a wonderful green waste disposal system here.. you are afforded two green waste trash barrels large barrels on wheels to recycle your yardwaste.. and a large recycle barrel for paper metals plastics etc and a regular large trash barrel... it makes it so easy to stay green and the yardwaste is the filler needed for the landfills
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| Oct 18 @ 10:12 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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chubs
Posts: 2,534
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my neighbor to the north of me, takes his gas powered blower and makes a big leaf pile in his backyard for the deer to eat them in the winter. my other neighbor (genuis-head), to the south of me, can't keep the deer out of his garden that has a 6 ft high fence all around it (funny how his dad never had that problem!), so, for the last week he has been attempting to try and have a friend of his bow-hunt a couple of them this fall even thou bow-hunting is illegal in this neigborhood (oh, no one will hear them!). they haven't got one yet, and he gets over to the genuis-head's a little before sunrise to wait for them in the stupid looking blind gene built over his compost bin in the corner of the garden. the friend pulls in gene's drivveway just about the time I'm getting back hone from my pre-dawn stomp/walk out in the treez by my house! 
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| Oct 18 @ 10:31 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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Fender
Posts: 8,489
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The sky is clear and the sunshine is abundant today in my neighborhood whereas in the past it would normally be shrouded by a fog of smoke caused by people who are too stupid to understand that wet leaves do not burn. Every city should have such a ban .
1. We should ban cigarettes!
Nnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! 
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| Oct 18 @ 10:42 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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notsoplain
Posts: 403
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We should also ban sex, call me and let me know how that battle is going!
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| Oct 18 @ 10:43 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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chubs
Posts: 2,534
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someone has already banned me from sex...I'm not liking it to well
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| Oct 18 @ 10:46 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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burnslikethesun
Posts: 13,027
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I save my leaves and wood chips.
I store them in large garbage bins with a bunch of worms to make compost.
Come spring I just make a few extra 100 bucks selling the compost.
Ka-ching. $$$$$$
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| Oct 18 @ 11:10 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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signme
Posts: 12,578
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I dump my leaves, branches, etc into my neighbor's field. I figure he won't care and I know the cows don't! 
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| Oct 18 @ 11:15 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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chubs
Posts: 2,534
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good idea, buns...you just gave me a new idea for a job for the boss!
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| Oct 18 @ 11:19 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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JenRNinOhio
Posts: 4,157
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We have these big a$$ vacuum trucks that
come around a couple times/week in the fall
and suck up all the leaves that have been raked
or blown to the curb.
In the spring we can have all the free mulch we
can haul ourselves .. or the city will deliver a
truck bed full.
No leaf burning.
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| Oct 18 @ 11:27 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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burnslikethesun
Posts: 13,027
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buns?
Chubs you ass checking me?
 
yet thanks. I have to admit it was pure laziness that got me started on this.
f*** the bend over and over and over to fill plastic garbage bags, just to have them bust open. Much faster to just rack it all into the bins. Then what right? Cover the bins and go inside to watch tv. I saw a show on compost and said hell ya Im doing that.
@ 1-2 dollars a lb, it adds up.
Worm turds. Yep awesome composting money makers. Great way to pay for that fishing trip, plus you can reuse as bait.
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| Oct 18 @ 11:36 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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RareQuestor
Posts: 2,650
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The people beside us have an open pit for burning. They stock up on wood so they can burn it at night just so they have a campfire to sit by while they sit outside with company.
Even with our windows closed, we can smell the smoke.. it permeates our home and thank goodness we don't have lung problems, it would be difficult to breathe.
The problem is, even though there is an open pit burning ban(we live in the city) these people are friends with the local cops so calling the law on them is pointless.
We have asked them a few times to not burn and why do they think it's ok to burn when there is a ban to which they reply.. "Because we can" and then smirk
Sprinkle some gunpowder in the pit when no one is home. If anyone survives, that ought to make them think twice about making illegal fires. 
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| Oct 18 @ 11:36 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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chubs
Posts: 2,534
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no azz, burns, just a typo that I corrected!
I just took in a wood chipper for $100 on hock from my neighbor, and I have lots of brances I can chip up, and of course, lots and lots of leaves around here...just going to have to get some bins. oh yeah, I just dug up backyard and there are tons of worms in the dirt piles...so I just got to get the boss out here and he's in bidness!
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| Oct 18 @ 11:40 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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redhairNfreckles
Posts: 4,688
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You know, for living in one of the most beautiful places on earth we sure are lax with our air pollution restrictions in my town.
About the only thing that is banned from being burned are discarded tires and large animal carcasses.
Because I live in a rural area we have no leaf debris pickup so most of us do burn them. Which is no worse pollution- wise than burning wood in our fireplaces, which most of us do also.
Our recycle program is about 15 years behind what it should be but efforts are being made to improve it.
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| Oct 19 @ 6:23 AM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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chubs
Posts: 2,534
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I usually haul all my leaves down to the lake and send them floating off... 
my neighbor with shoreline was raking up a bunch of leaves and cattails a few yrs ago and loading them into his pickup to take back out to his farm to burn, and I suggested that he just let 'em float away too, (it would have been a lot less work!), and he looked at me like I was nuts and said that was polluting the lake!!! 
I then sez his motor boat pollutes it way more than those biodegradeable fibers would, but he didn't want to hear about it anymore...oh well 
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| Oct 19 @ 8:47 AM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution
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whatagal
Posts: 1,130
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We need to ban cars, trucks, factories, motorcycles...hmmmmmmmm what else should be ban?
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| Oct 19 @ 12:44 PM |
A Challenge: Air Pollution |
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RareQuestor
Posts: 2,650
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I usually haul all my leaves down to the lake and send them floating off...
Why bother? I find that the wind will usually haul away my leaves free of charge.
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