What can we do for Green. . .

[ComandanteCero]

I guess i'm just disagreeing with this notion of widespread religiously motivated breeding.  Although i can certainly agree with the idea that many religions and religious leaders aren't helping the issue whatsoever (i.e Catholic Church vis a vis artificial contraception).

[kcmetro]

I guess i'm just disagreeing with this notion of widespread religiously motivated breeding.  Although i can certainly agree with the idea that many religions and religious leaders aren't helping the issue whatsoever (i.e Catholic Church vis a vis artificial contraception).

I don't buy it either. Catholics, at least in the US, don't have some secret plan to take over the world via astronomical birthing rates. That would be too much work for our kind. Catholics are more concerned with getting drunk.

[Highlander]

There are still countries where the Catholic Church has actively attempted to achieve its political goals through breeding - most notably Northern Ireland.  At the current birth rates, Catholics will have enough votes to win an independence referendum within the next generation. 

I work with several young catholics from NI and I think the catholic church's plan must be backfiring a bit.  Most (all that I know) are politically apathetic and really do not care about Irish nationalism.  They indicate that's pretty much true among most young Catholics throughout NI, save a couple of Belfast neighborhoods.  While the catholics may be breeding at a higher rate, their offspring seems to have little interest in continuing the same political agenda and are more than happy to leave the "troubles" behind.  It's kind of surprising to some, but "Catholics" may already outnumber Protestants in NI.  Since Poland was admitted into the EU, Polish Catholics have moved in droves to NI and the Republic of Ireland to fill in the lower paying jobs.  I've read 10% of the population in the Republic is now of Polish descent. 

[rosedalian]

Someone mentioned the plastic bags that we dump into the landfill...today's landfills don't actually break down the stuff that you put into them, regardless of whether it is in a plastic bag or not.  Basically it boils down to needing oxygen to break down and our modern landfills don't have oxygen...the garbage is compacted then covered.

The better solution is to recycle what you can - paper, metal, plastic, glass and compost what you can - vegetable scraps, etc.

[DaveKCMO]

why not just ban plastic bags completely?

[AllThingsKC]

San Francisco asks, "Could bike lanes cause air pollution?"

[Jeff]

Go to Green Fest at the Uptown Theater parking lot on Saturday and Sunday!

[DaveKCMO]

recycle your greeting cards for charity!

http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php

[KCKev]

I would hope that with the big drop in gas prices recently, that everyone still has the $5 a gallon price on their minds and still continue to drive less and plan to walk/bus it in the coming year.

When people started driving less it sent a big message to the oil companies and what happened?

Big drop in price!

Lets not forget we have the ability to make a big change in our own lives to make this World a lot better!

Keep thinking green everybody, we are well on our way

[LindseyLohan]

I would hope that with the big drop in gas prices recently, that everyone still has the $5 a gallon price on their minds and still continue to drive less and plan to walk/bus it in the coming year.

When people started driving less it sent a big message to the oil companies and what happened?

Big drop in price!

Lets not forget we have the ability to make a big change in our own lives to make this World a lot better!

Keep thinking green everybody, we are well on our way

Agree'd, to bad everyone is buying trucks again....

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/22/autos/t ... /index.htm

[Sportster]

I'm buying a Hummer, an oil platform and a paper mill.
That ought to wrap it up!

Sportster
...kermit was green - and he died

[Highlander]

When people started driving less it sent a big message to the oil companies and what happened?

What message would that be?  Oil companies have zero control on the price of oil, if they did, the price would not have dropped 65% over the last few months.   

[grovester]

Need to tack on a buck in tax, no one will ever notice!  Now, what to do with it?

[Highlander]

Need to tack on a buck in tax, no one will ever notice!  Now, what to do with it?

Any incremental gas tax should be used soley for the purpose of developing public transportations in US cities.  That would go much further towards green and sustainability than the development of alternative fuels which will never be anywhere near oil in terms of convenience and energy efficiency. 

[grovester]

Agreed!  I'm a bit worried about the current economic climate and the possibility that a gas tax might get diverted elsewhere in the budget.

[Highlander]

Agreed!  I'm a bit worried about the current economic climate and the possibility that a gas tax might get diverted elsewhere in the budget.

What I stated would be my preference for using a gas tax.  My expectations of a gas tax being enacted are zero.

[grovester]

Really, I'm surprised.  Unless they spike upwards again soon to the 4$ level, I think people are enured to 2.50 a gallon.  It's to the point that <1.50 feels wrong.

[KCKev]

What message would that be?  Oil companies have zero control on the price of oil, if they did, the price would not have dropped 65% over the last few months.     

The message was that at almost $5 a gallon we didn't demand it. You know supply and demand?

Not that the choice for most people was to use less but they could not afford it.
Doesn't really matter to me as I have had enough and will drive my car less even if the price gets under $1

[Highlander]

Really, I'm surprised.  Unless they spike upwards again soon to the 4$ level, I think people are enured to 2.50 a gallon.  It's to the point that <1.50 feels wrong.

You should not be that surprised.  Raising the gas tax is a political catch-22.  At the moment, prices are low so it seems like an ideal time to raise the tax.  The economy, however, is in the tank so there will be stiff bi-partisan resistance to any tax hike.  If the economy improves, gas prices will likely go up and there will be resistance at that point as well.  The Star article shows how deep the opposition is to raising gasoline taxes, even a little, regardless of the logic involved in doing so. 

http://www.kansascity.com/746/story/963749.html

[DaveKCMO]

if democratic control of congress survives the mid-terms in 2010 (likely) and obama's numbers are still in 60s (also likely), i think a bump in the gas tax masked as a "carbon tax" is politically feasible.