Sustainable Living Stack Exchange
Sustainable Living Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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3 answers

What to do with an old vehicle?

I have a 1975 Ford F-350. It gets 6 miles per gallon. I don't use it any more. If it was fuel-efficient, I think I should get it in to someone else's driveway, so it can reduce the demand on new vehicles. But at 6mpg, that may not be the right…
Jay Bazuzi
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Heating water with compost

We've been experimenting this year with hot composting, and are now looking at how we can go about using the heat generated in the pile to heat water, either to use directly or to pump around as secondary heating. My problem is that the hot…
Joe Miller
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Removing agricultural plastic film waste after 10+ years degradation

[reposted from Earth Science since more relevant here] I am at a farm where previous tenants left a non-biodegradable plastic film roughly 10-15 years ago. It is inconsistently spread over a few acres and was not discovered until we attempted…
user2492
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What is the relationship between energy efficiency and sustainability?

What are the sound reasons (let's put aside the unsound reasons) why increasing energy efficiency takes us further down the road to sustainability? Are there real-world circumstances whereby increasing energy efficiency might make sustainability…
410 gone
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What type of photovoltaic cells are the most environmentally friendly?

Some solar panels use silicon crystals that required careful purification and enormous quantities of energy. Some types use cadmium, which is highly toxic. Several types are noted by Wikipedia. If we consider energy to manufacture, material…
Highly Irregular
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What is the most sustainable way to professionally clean my carpets?

I recently had my carpets professionally cleaned, and spent a little while researching the cost and effectiveness of various methods. But now I'm wondering about the environmental impact as well. There seem to be two main methods of professional…
Flimzy
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How to aerate compost without turning?

Are there any sound methods that will allow my compost heap to stay aerated without me having to turn it? I realize that if left alone, it will still compost, but I would still like to speed up the process by having a way for it to stay aerated. I'm…
pizza247
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Is eating beef unsustainable?

I recently saw a poster somewhere saying that some type of emission or byproduct that comes out of cattle production is extremely wasteful and harmful to the environment. What exactly is this byproduct and how can we find alternatives and more…
ARK96
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How 'clean' should something be for recycling?

Outside my apartment, there are 3 rubbish bins. One for glass, another for metals, paper and plastics and a third without a label, for bio-waste I guess. So I wonder what are some guidelines for when a package goes to number 2 or 3? If there is…
Vorac
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Can organic waste be turned into fish food?

I have heard that catfish (and perhaps other fish too) eat about anything. Would catfish also eat my organic waste? If so I could breed catfish in aquaponics. So can my waste be turned into fish-food? Can I use any organic waste? How should I…
neydroydrec
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How to utilize a boreal forest for animal husbandry?

Forests are the great producers of oxygen, and sustainable living is hardly imaginable with meadows and farmlands only. But how to best utilize a forest for animal husbandry, in the way that hopefully interferes with wild nature as little as…
Danubian Sailor
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What's the virtual water content of a cell phone?

Values for virtual water content, that is, all water used in the production of whatever product you are analyzing, are usually available for a meal, a piece of clothing, a fruit, but not very easily accessible for electronics. I understand the…
MeloMCR
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For electricity use, which is better: Turning all appliances on at the same time, or spread out?

In the 1980's, a company I worked at owned a stand-alone building, and they were concerned about their electricity bill. It seemed to be higher than it should be. A manager called the electrical utility, and they said that the problem was turning…
4dcndn
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When recycling paper or cardboard, what level of contamination with (food) oils is ok?

It's widespread knowledge that paper or cardboard contaminated with oil can cause problems in the recycling process, and an often stated rule is that contaminated material should not be recycled. However, it would make sense that low levels of…
Highly Irregular
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How to store plastic bags for easy access?

I bring some plastic bags to my flat almost everyday. I do not throw them out, instead I reuse them on a daily basis until they wear out. But I have a problem organising them and I am yet to find a way to store them efficiently. What I mean by…
user1234567
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