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1500 questions
15
votes
1 answer
How can I use my balcony compost during winter?
My balcony compost tends to freeze and stop working during winter time because I live in Quebec and we get an average of -13°C. Is there anything I can do to prolong my composting season?
Shawn
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15
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5 answers
Can you recycle single serve coffee pods like K-Cups?
Are they recyclable at all? can you pull them apart and recycle parts of them?
Are there recyclable alternatives?
Many offices including mine are using these to brew coffee in the USA.
I personally use a Clever Dripper at work. Which I can pour hot…
Enjabain
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15
votes
2 answers
Is there a deodorant with minimal packaging waste?
I have been trying to look around me to find ways to minimize non-organic wastage...and one of the everyday things is Deodorant.
I read somewhere that solid deodorants are way much greener than spray ones...hence I switched over to solid ones. I…
Vikram
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15
votes
2 answers
Is there a recipe for sustainable dishwasher soap that brings out the shine?
We currently use a recipe that involves lemon and salt (the particulars of which are known only to my wife) and though it works and cleans the plates we don't get that beautiful shine that you get when you are poisoning the water supply with…
kmp
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15
votes
2 answers
How can I detect leachate from a compost pile?
It's possible that a compost pile will leach in to the ground, possibly contaminating groundwater and nearby wells. If you're composting human or animal manure, the risk is greater, as is the concern of regulatory agencies.
Is there a way to detect…
Jay Bazuzi
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15
votes
2 answers
Which kind of paper should be recycled and which should be burned?
Paper has a relatively short life-cycle (compared to natural gas or crude oil) and belongs to sustainable materials. Paper can be nicely recycled by:
reusing
making notes on the other side of one-side-print sheets
letting children draw their art…
Peter Ivan
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15
votes
2 answers
Is there a formula to calculate the amount rainwater you need to collect to be fully sufficient in watering your plants?
We have a garden and have two barrels where we collect rainwater. This is usually sufficient to water our plants and vegetables. This is unless the time without rain lasts longer then 8 days.
I am really wondering if you can predict how much volume…
Andra
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15
votes
3 answers
How to build a waterfall powered electric generator?
Want to build one of those old-style water wheels powered by a waterfall. Is there a more efficient way than the ones that were around since the start of the industrial revolution?
Jordan Reiser
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15
votes
1 answer
How to recycle paper with ink on it?
In my work and study, I have a lot of printouts - many of which re drafts and redrafts. Is there are a way to recycle printed paper (standard printer paper) without using harsh chemicals and minimal waste?
Both sides are printed on.
user655
15
votes
8 answers
Why don't they make playgrounds generate electricity?
Why don't they make playgrounds generate electricity (at least, not on a large scale)? It's a pity that all that energy of children horsing around goes to waste instead of being harnessed. You could incorporate a generator into a swing, for example.
Sergey Zolotarev
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14
votes
4 answers
Is it true that if you have a thermostat, then there is no such thing as 'waste heat'
Consider a situation in which I live in a fairly cold climate, and I like my house kept at, say, 17 degrees.
I have a heating system in my house that produces more or less heat depending on the current temperature in the house.
In this situation -…
Joe
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14
votes
2 answers
What is the most sustainable heating strategy for a home?
I am looking for a new place to live and I know the winters will be very cold (-20 C). Coming from a warm climate country, I want to learn what to look for in a heating system.
From the bit I understand, steam heating loses a lot of energy to the…
MeloMCR
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14
votes
1 answer
How do UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade certifications compare?
When buying chocolate or coffee, I like to make sure that I choose the better option for farmers and the environment, especially because it always comes from countries that don't fare as well economically in the global market. (I live in…
stragu
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14
votes
2 answers
How much power does an idle PC use?
My university's IT department has recently sent everybody an email asking us to leave our computers on at night, every night, so that they can do remote maintenance. They say "Despite what you may believe, modern PCs use very little energy when not…
Flyto
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14
votes
9 answers
What are ethical ways to curb the global human population increase?
The growing global human population is and will be a massive challenge, in particular because of the strain it puts on natural ressources, which might in turn increase tensions between groups and potentially start conflicts when access to them is…
stragu
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