That may be true, but therein lies the RUB. PEOPLE just aren't going to do all of those things on their own. Not at least the people who are populating the planet today and breeding more and more consumers. This begs the question of how to get them to voluntarily do it. For example, recycling is happening and it's encouraged via educational programs, BUT it's not happening at the rate that it should. I have a relative who works at our local landfill. If recycling products can be made to be economically good for that particular landfill, it happens. If it's not economically good, it doesn't. They recycle cardboard and metal as a REQUIREMENT because they can send them to sites that want them, and get monies for the county back. Plastics and other recyclables are on a volunteer basis. Of course, I think landfills are subject to making rules and regulations according to the space they have for garbage disposal. The area here is very rural so lots of land is available for landfill cells, at least for now.

I can remember back in the late 60s and early 70s when there was a great movement to clean up the air and the water around the country. The government was really behind it and created some good laws and regulations, which I can't list right now...not got time. But I'd be all for anything that would protect the planet from the impact humans are making on it, whether or not you believe overpopulation is a problem or not.

Whether we are over-populated or not, we can all live in harmony if everyone does their fair share. And there my dear Watson, lies the problem.

Too many people really don't care. Other countries drive smaller cars and not the gas hogs we drive.

Al Gore says we should drive hybrid cars - he is made fun of and called crazy.

Look at the huge homes we are building today. They do have to be heated and cooled Most Americans want the biggest and the bestest no matter the cost down the road.

How many on this site recycle?

Caring for everyone and looking out for our futures is work. There may have to be sacrifices - but too many are not willing to.

We are spoiled. We take way too much for granted. All of this comes at a price.

You're so right sadie- we should be taught to live with less, not programmed to want more. I live in an 800sq ft home and we are raising it for a workshop/crawlspace that I can use- unheated. The upstairs is heated with electric baseboards and a woodstove. I go through roughly 1 cord of wood per winter to heat it and I make sure the wood is seasoned at least a year, so it burns efficiently. I have a catalytic heater attached to the stove which increases its efficiency and burns off some of the smoke. I recycle everything- plastic, paper, metal, glass- and average about the same amount of recycleables as real garbage. So I am effectively cutting my waste to the dump in half and my green footprint is minimal. I use my truck only when I have to and plan shopping and trips to the city to coincide with doctors appointments so I don't abuse my car or the fuel we use to power them.

Even if we are told to buy hybrids, they still need electricity to power them up and their huge batteries are a real disposal problem. Like battery powered rechargeable tools, they use electricity, from say a coal fired power plant, and eventually have to be thrown out and there goes more into the owners footprint. Of course if you're so inclined, some places do take these batteries back and claim they dispose of them properly. We never know if they really do dispose properly or secretly just throw them out, but the contaminants from them aredeadly.

But it is a step in the right direction, just a very expensive one. They really do put a price on things, but it should be the gas guzzlers that pay that price and Hybrids should be subsidized and cheaper, so they become more popular. There's the pollution aspect as well especially in the downtown of cities. Can you see fleets of taxi's as hybrids and busses too, or back to electric trams. Wouldn't the cities smell better? But they want us to burn their gas and get rid of it quicker- do they know something we don't about this oil drought that will be coming- this peak oil thing. If it is true then we should be saving our gas for when the wars come home and we need to protect ourselves. Otherwise we are undermining our countries defenses by using all the gasoline for cars and not national security. I think the whole thing is a lie- they know a lot more than they're telling us about. It's a race to see if we can pollute the planet completely or spend all our money keeping our cars going and feeding the auto/gasoline industries. Caught on the horns of a dilemma indeed.

I live about as far west as I can get and when I go to the city, it is chokingly nauseus on a hot still day- for me anyway. I'm used to virgin air and live right next to the ocean, where the most oxygen is. I treat my food as if it were medicine I was ingesting and I try my best to not pollute to the point I will put paper and tinfoil wraps in my pocket and dispose of them at home. I take nothing for granted and I thank the creator daily for helping me to respect this beautiful home we have here on earth.

But like you said the average American doesn't care about how quickly the disposal sites fillup- just open another garbage dump but make it Namby or Banana- "Not In My Back Yard", or "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. When they run out of space for their garbage, perhaps then they'll understand how a little bit of time and care could have made a real difference. But I guess we have to fill the planet first with garbage to figure that out- just like we're doing with global warming- continue what we're doing until we are damn sure we are affecting the planet, and then it wll be too late to do anything but watch it continue until we are the garbage that is disposed of.

Bigger is not better, it just gives the false impression of wealth and progress- two vitals for the pursuit of happiness. Share the illusion and become a part of it- get bigger! Perhaps the pursuit of happiness is not all its cracked up to be.

I wish I lived in a smaller home, but the house includes my husband's home office in the basement. It serves two purposes...home and business.

I am known as the mad recycler...

I live in a y home, and recycle everything! At least when I can find a place that will recycle.

Our town used to have a great recycling regime, any and all paper, plastics 1 through 5, metal and glass. The people who run it hate it! They have cut it back and now we can only recycle plastic bottles. Do you know how much 1-5 plastics that leaves out!!! They have cut back on everything.

I have no transportation, but still have recycling products coming here from the days when I was the only one doing any recycling. At that time papers were used to fund a project fighting the powers that be--and we did fight. But we lost, surprise, surprise.

Periodically someone will take the things I have built up over to the recycling station. Until then, I just live with them. Good thing I have seven cats.

Meanwhile, people in the area are fighting windmills as though they were giant dragons coming to eat them. The arguments are ridiculous. They cause seizures. They cause heart attacks. They throw ice that crush houses. On and on, letters to the editor day after day. And they have managed to have them banned in most towns around. One town is installing them and heaven help the people on that town board!

One good note. Buffalo's busses run on something non-polluting. You can follow one down the road and not have any twinge of having to gasp for air.

Thank you Buffalo!

ITs even worse in Illinois. I was amazed by the ignorance that was rampant. They were using argument from the early 80's. Its amazing what 25 years of technology can do.

Possibly bio-diesel. We have hybrid buses in syracuse now.

That is wonderful! Now that the government is in on it we will to have to pay $?.00 for a gallon of water!

Lol. Heck, look at how much people already pay for bottled water!!!