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1500 questions
17
votes
4 answers
What area is needed to grow enough food to sustain a person for a year?
I was wondering, what area space (m²) do I need to plant rice/bean in order to sustain one person for a year?
Fabricio
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17
votes
4 answers
Should solar panels be installed before or after re-shingling the roof?
My roof will likely need new shingles within the next few years. Should I consider getting solar panels installed now, or should I wait until after the roof is taken care of?
Stephen Ostermiller
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17
votes
2 answers
Which is more sustainable: Paper Bags or LDPE Bags?
At the grocery store, many offer a choice between brown paper bags (often doubled) or Low Density Poly-Ethylene (LDPE) plastic bags.
If you plan to recycle in either case, which solution is more sustainable?
Alternatively, is buying a reusable heavy…
WilliamKF
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17
votes
2 answers
When does using a car's start-stop system become more economical?
In this question it was asked how economic it is to turn your car's engine off when waiting for a traffic light. In the accepted answer it is said that it becomes more economical to turn it off if you are waiting for more than 10-15 seconds (in a…
THelper
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17
votes
4 answers
Is there definitive, authoritative scientific/academic consensus about the sustainability and greenness of nuclear energy?
I am reading https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-nuclear-energy-gas-green-climate-technology/ that this (2022) year the EU will have to decide on the labeling of nuclear energy - is it sustainable and/or green and/or at least can help the…
TomR
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17
votes
1 answer
How can I save seeds from a tomato for replanting?
I am a first time seeder and I am trying to save the seeds from the fruits and vegetables I consume so I can plant them later. I understand how to properly save most seeds like. However, I am unsure how to properly seed a tomato. How should I go…
Linger
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17
votes
2 answers
Composting teabags?
I have a problem during waste segregation with a small, but often used product, namely teabags.
It's a bit of organic matter wrapped in paper, with a thread and staple. The organic part is easy - it belongs in compost. Paper is a bit more…
Danubian Sailor
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17
votes
12 answers
What are the pros and cons of electric motors vs. internal combustion engines?
What are the pros and cons of electric motors, compared to internal combustion engines, from a sustainability perspective?
Are electric motors better for the economy, more efficient, or more versatile/powerful than internal combustion engines?
user1869
16
votes
2 answers
Sustainability of steel versus plastic bottles
In the article Think big, start small, it's claimed that steel bottles are more sustainable than plastic ones:
If you can drink the water, travel with a refillable water bottle,
preferably made of stainless steel (it's better for you and the
…
Golden Cuy
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16
votes
2 answers
Tea in the microwave
I occasionally need exactly a cup of water boiled for tea. Whenever I boil the kettle to do so, I wonder if it would be more energy efficient to use the microwave, as then I would have exactly the right amount of water, which pressumably would…
Joe
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16
votes
1 answer
Infrastructure layers for a green roof?
What layers of sealing/insulation/etc are needed when putting a green roof on an existing structure? Strong preference is for materials that are easily findable/not specialized products.
To clarify - I'm looking for what can be used at every…
Laizer
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16
votes
5 answers
What is worse: Wasting water or energy?
I am currently trying to buy a dish washer and just got a washing machine lately and I am really confused whether it is better to buy a machine which uses less water or one which uses less energy.
Example:
Dish Washer A:
Energy: 211 kWh/a
Water:…
Lucas Hoepner
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16
votes
6 answers
Are there any bright candelabra base LED bulbs equivalent to a 60-75 Watt incandescent?
My fan takes 3 candelabra (E12) base bulbs; I traditionally use incandescent flame tips, but since they're behind frosted glass, I don't really care.
Having just replaced my dimm-able recessed light with Utilitech dimm-able LEDs, and being quite…
JoshDM
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16
votes
6 answers
What are freely available tools or databases for Lifecycle Assesment?
Often, a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) can be useful to judge the ecological and social impact of a product or procedure.
What tools to produce an LCA are freely available?
Especially of interest would be tools with a shallow learning curve, that allow…
mart
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16
votes
4 answers
Most environmentally friendly mode of transport
You often hear "Walk, it's better for the environment", but is that actually true?
If I walk 5 miles instead of taking say a public bus, given that I now will need to replace the energy I spent walking with food which has a cost on the environment…
James
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