Sustainable Living Stack Exchange
Sustainable Living Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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5 answers

How to prevent pollution caused by a taxi rank? Is there a solution to the 'edging forward' cost of cars in a queue?

I am looking at ways in which a heavily polluting taxi rank near a train station could reduce its pollution footprint. My first thought was that the pollution was mostly down to idling and I am thinking of various ways to tackle idling by taxi…
atreeon
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Preventing idling - ideas to keep warm in a car when the engine is off and it is cold outside

I have asked a few people whose cars are idling if they mind switching them off to reduce pollution. One response I get from quite a lot of people is that they need to keep the car running to enable the heating to work, otherwise they will get…
atreeon
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Relationship between Protein Content of Wheat and the use of Pesticides

Today I heard a news story on local radio about a farmers protest campaign in Hamburg (Germany). Currently in Germany the discussion about sustainability, climate change and environmental protection is very active. The background of the protest is…
MartinH
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Why is it often more expensive to repair and maintain than to buy new?

What are the main factors and drivers that repairing and maintaining is often significantly more expensive than buying the good new?
orschiro
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Air source heat pumps: does prevailing wind matter?

Part of an air source heat pump is a fan to circulate air over the refrigerant circuit. Is it less efficient (and by how much) to point this fan into the prevailing wind? Or does it not matter (i.e. do pumps detect when adequate air is circulating…
Sideshow Bob
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Is this discrepancy between energy label and measured values reasonable?

My fridge is a Haier A3FE835CGJE and is rated A+++ (Europe, 2017), with about 200 litres volume, half of which for the freezer. It is a "no frost" model which does not require defrosting. The reference energy consumption is 178 kWh/year, but in a…
FarO
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How do I revive an old compost pile?

I just moved into a new home that has a backyard composter (about 80 gallons). The composter has been sitting unused for an unknown amount of time (at least 3 months). How can I assess the health and status of the compost pile, and then what should…
Nic
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Should leaf composting be separate from food waste?

The city where I live is running a campaign to keep leaves out of the streets, where they contribute to phosphorous in storm water run-off causing lake pollution. I'd like to avoid the need to send/take my leaves anywhere, which invariably would…
LShaver
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What would happen to greenhouse gas emissions if no more humans were born?

While discussing global warming and climate change, I have often seen people say that overpopulation is the real problem and that the biggest thing anyone can do is have one fewer child. Some people extend that a bit further and aim to never have…
Nic
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What is the role of social websites (such as Facebook) in Sustainable Living?

We spend lots of resources and time on social networking websites from all over the world. How we justify social networking sites are brings people, society together? Are there net gain or net loss?
Hdhams
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Which are the 66 (65?) countries that vowed carbon neutrality by 2050 at the September 2019 UN Climate summit?

I couldn't find the list anywhere. See: Straits Times -- 66 countries vow carbon neutrality by 2050: UN Sixty-six countries have signalled their intent to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, seen as a vital goal in preventing…
mma
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Is interest sustainable?

Organisations such as JAK and Rentevrij argue that economic interest is fundamentally unsustainable, because it requires perpetual exponential economic growth, something impossible in a finite ecological system. Can interest and sustainability…
gerrit
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What are the most sustainable options for filtering tap water for drinking?

I live in Europe (Belgium), where tap water is generally safe for drinking, but may vary in hardness and taste. It's pretty hard and not so good in my area, so I've been using (Brita) water jugs for a while now. I find this unpractical as somehow…
ggll
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Distinguishing between polyethylene and polypropylene plastic food packaging for recycling

I want to recycle as much food packaging plastic films as possible (I'm willing to clean and dry them). As far as I know, food packaging films are only made from 3 types of plastic: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).…
kitkat
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How to sell orange squash without plastic bottles?

Does anyone know how they used to sell orange squash before plastic bottles were invented? (Or perhaps no-one did?) And if there was a ban on disposable plastic, how would orange squash be sold? In cans perhaps?
zooby
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