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1500 questions
22
votes
2 answers
Why should I compost?
I've seen a number of question about composting here. Five, if the composting tag is a good way to measure. In my sustainability efforts (no car, no meat, no flying) I've never really considered composting. The conditions are not optimal: I have an…
gerrit
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22
votes
2 answers
What's the typical energy usage of automatic light switches?
A good way to cope with forgetting to turn of the lights is automatic light switches. But they must be using some energy to do their job. What's the rate of energy use for a typical automatic/sensor light switch? How does this compare with, say, a…
Rob Mosher
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22
votes
5 answers
Why is there no spring based energy storage?
I'm wondering about kinetic energy storage for homes. Imagine a concrete plate resting on hundreds of firmly attached sturdy springs, and a couple of electric winches attached to the top.
To store energy, pull up the plate. To release energy,…
w00t
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21
votes
8 answers
What is the most sustainable house insulation suitable for a cold climate?
This is a "derived" question from What is the most sustainable heating strategy for a home? .
When talking about a home that has to withstand cold winters (-20 C), insulation is a big part of keeping this home sustainable. So if I am looking for a…
MeloMCR
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21
votes
4 answers
Leaving the oven door open for heat - bad idea?
I've heard before that it's a bad idea to use an oven to heat your house, because it's inefficient and carries the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. But what about leaving the oven door open after I'm done baking, to let the heat out into the room?…
Yumecosmos
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21
votes
4 answers
Do USB outlets waste energy just like conventional wall warts?
It is widely known that most AC-DC converters (aka "wall warts") continually use electricity, even when no devices are plugged in to them. That wasted energy is often called "phantom electricity" or "phantom use".
A new trend is USB (DC) outlets,…
End Anti-Semitic Hate
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21
votes
4 answers
How to drive to be the most fuel efficient
I saw a poster at a thruway rest stop once that said something along the lines of accelerating quickly is worse for fuel efficiency and carbon emission than idling for several hours (I don't remember the exact statistic). It made me wonder: what…
lemontwist
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21
votes
5 answers
How to unsubscribe from junkmail and circulars?
I use Catalog Choice to unsubscribe from catalogs. However, I'm not sure how to stop receiving other junkmail and circulars that routinely come in the mail, such as ValPak coupons, ClipperMagazine, and also solicitations from utilities companies…
lemontwist
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21
votes
5 answers
Does a compost pile for food scraps need some kind of starter material?
When starting a compost pile from scratch for kitchen food scraps, do I need some kind of starter material? For example, should I take any material from an established composting pile to seed it with appropriate biological agents? If needed, is…
WilliamKF
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20
votes
3 answers
How much power can a bicycle generator produce?
I was interested in generating electricity using dynamo-electric generators when all external power sources are dysfunctional (power line fault, no wind, not enough sunlight, etc). Different bicycle part sites have varying info about how much energy…
user1306322
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20
votes
2 answers
Should I keep laptop and cellphone batteries fully charged, let them die before charging, or something in between?
Generally, is it better to let laptop and cellphone batteries fully die before recharging, to leave them plugged in constantly even when charged and not in use, or to unplug them once they are fully charged and leave unplugged until you notice the…
Enjabain
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20
votes
5 answers
What is a good way to produce drinking water?
I want to make sure I have a sustainable water source for one household.
If I have a source of reasonably safe water like rain water or ground water, how can I purify this water to a level that I will know is safe to drink?
Do I filter it, and how…
iDeveloper
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20
votes
10 answers
What is an easy way to cool off during the summer without electricity?
What are some easy ways to stay cool during the day without using electricity?
Gabriel Fair
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20
votes
4 answers
How can consumers persuade manufacturers to make their products more sustainable?
How can we, as consumers, persuade manufacturers to make their products more sustainable?
The only things I've come up with (and try to do myself)
Buy the most sustainable version of products. The idea is that if enough people do this,…
THelper
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19
votes
2 answers
Meat or fish, which requires more energy to produce?
In general it is assumed that the energy that is required to produce a certain type of food is a good surrogate for the total environmental burden of food products. I scanned some studies to compare fish and meat (such as poultry, pork and beef)…
Stockfisch
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