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1500 questions
18
votes
1 answer
Are there any commercially available endophytic fungi to protect fruit trees against rusts?
I've read about endophytic fungi that grows in between the cell walls of a plant's cells and offers some protection against bacterial and fungal parasites. Are there are any commercially available spawns that may be used to protect fruit trees…
Daniel Bingham
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Can solar panels be recycled?
There are plenty solar panels installed in the recent years. Their operation expectancy as far as I know is about 50 yrs. This will produce waste for our grandchildren. Please, reassure me, that these panels can be recycled somehow.
Donato Szilagyi
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Are economies that need growth unsustainable?
The presently dominant economic system appears to require exponential economic growth. I may be wrong, but whether or not it is is a question that is off-topic here — for the sake of this question, suppose that our economy needs growth and that a…
gerrit
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How much space do I need for a colony of grasshoppers?
Grasshoppers are a valuable source of protein, and they eat many different types of plants.
But how large an area do I need for a colony of grasshoppers providing about 100kg of "meat" a year? In a climate such as in Central Europe or the Northern…
Danubian Sailor
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17
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Reusable vs. disposable diapers: which is better?
My wife and I have been using reusable diapers for our two kids. We've made them from old curtains, old bedsheets, etc., pretty much all "recycled" materials.
They've been working perfectly fine, but every time I wash out the poop I can't help but…
Rody Oldenhuis
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17
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Shall I boil water with a water boiler (cooker) or with a pot?
I know that when making tea it uses less energy when heating the water when using a water boiler(cooker), than when using an electrical plate. A water boiler is directly heating the water, while a cooking plate first transmits heat to the pot and…
Sironsse
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17
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5 answers
What is the most sustainable way to handle food waste...throwing food scraps into garbage or down my sink's garbage disposal?
Every night when I wash dishes, I either throw food scraps down the garbage disposal or throw it in the trash.
Is it more sustainable to throw food scraps down the garbage disposal? I think things end up in the sewer system.
(Obviously composting…
milesmeow
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17
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4 answers
What to do with expired food?
When I last visited my grandmother I found a couple of expired cans of peaches. Given that they should have been consumed three years ago I don't think it's safe to eat them.
I was thinking about using them for composting but I don't know if it's…
S -
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What's the carbon footprint of stackoverflow?
Inspired from What’s the carbon footprint of an email? and other recent questions that made me reconsider the "immaterial" internet usage.
I am curious about updated statistics about the carbon footprint browsing the internet (it should probably be…
laika
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17
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How to properly dispose of bubble wrap envelopes?
In those envelopes paper is often glued pretty well to bubble wrap portion, making it hard to separate. On top of that bubble wrap itself is seldom recycled - for example in my area of Ontario, Canada it does not qualify for curb-side pick up of…
Sebastian K
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Long-term sustainability concerns of compact flourescent vs incandescent light bulbs
There is a strong movement to push people away from using incandescent lightbulbs in favor of compact flourescent bulbs in order to save energy, but the pollution profiles of these bulbs are very different. Incandescents are relatively simple to…
Chris Travers
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2 answers
What’s the carbon footprint of an email?
E-mail is often regarded as cheap and more environmentally friendly than paper. But is this really the case? I suspect that loads more emails are sent nowadays than paper letters were sent before the Internet became popular.
What is the carbon…
THelper
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17
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2 answers
How can I get my landlord to install better insulation?
We live in an apartment that has a lot of gaps in the doors and windows and poor insulation in the walls. Is there a way to make the landlord fix this? Some sort of property codes or something? He doesn't seem to want to fix it on his own. We live…
shoul25
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Are incandescent light bulbs recyclable?
Can standard incandescent (i.e., non-energy-efficient) light bulbs be recycled? If so, what is the best way to recycle them?
luna_moth
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Which compostable plastic types can be composted at home?
There often is confusion about compostable plastics (see for example this question on greenware items or this gardening question on plastic bags).
'Compostable' suggests that you can compost the plastic yourself, but most compostable plastics are…
THelper
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