Global Warming .. the irony

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  1. #11

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    >> trying to use less plastic bags and use fan not air conditioner.

    Which is good .. irrespective of global warming or cooling. However, the environmental lobby would like you to belive that you need to buy a Toyota Prius to be considered a friend of the earth.


  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by KnowItAll:
    >> trying to use less plastic bags and use fan not air conditioner.

    Which is good .. irrespective of global warming or cooling. However, the environmental lobby would like you to belive that you need to buy a Toyota Prius to be considered a friend of the earth.
    A/C is really a vicious circle as you want to keep your windows shut when the outside air is dirty...

    Rather than buying a Toyota Prius I would encourage using public transportation, walking or riding a bike, but I know that's quite a distant dream even in bigger U.S. cities. But in HK biking is also in a vicious circle as you would need an army gas mask to bike in Central during rush hour... besides this town is really hilly.

    But something what you can do in HK:

    • avoid using A/C when and where you can
    • try walking or biking when and where you can
    • ditch your car if you have one (you don't need it unless you chose your office/home locations wrong)
    • pick your next apartment and job closer to eachother (or the rail lines).
    • avoid taking taxis when you can.
    • avoid taking buses and minibuses, especially those that run in parallel with the rail lines and those that run diesel.
    • bitch to the bus drivers that keep their buses too cool in summer.
    • recycle what you can
    • avoid buying food packed in styrofoil...


    ... just some examples, I at least try to follow those rules...

  3. #13

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    I find the packaging here simply excessive. Is there any such thing as recycling in HK? I wish all governments would make recycling a little easier for us.


  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by goodbye kitty:
    I find the packaging here simply excessive. Is there any such thing as recycling in HK? I wish all governments would make recycling a little easier for us.
    friends of the earth are advising people to report any excessive packaging to them.

    Yes of course theres recycling available, In many of the new developments theres recycling bins etc.

  5. #15

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    Let's examine this shall we:
    [*]avoid using A/C when and where you can

    Thermal Inertia - it takes more energy to constantly cool your apt back down again, than it does to leave the a/c on and keep the apt at a constant temp
    [*]try walking or biking when and where you can

    Sure great in the winter, but when its 35 degrees and 98% humidity...and then walk into an office where some tree-huggin numbnut thinks 25.5 is cold enough to cool you down...next
    [*]avoid taking taxis when you can.[*]avoid taking buses and minibuses, especially those that run in parallel with the rail lines and those that run diesel.

    So let me get this...don't take taxis, buses or minibuses...riiiiiiiiight, how bout we all just teleport. Rail lines only go to fixed points junior, all the other options are flexible, and you may not have noticed but HK is a big place, kinda hard to walk from Aberdeen to Lowu. How about giving some practical advice instead of spouting nonsense.
    [*]bitch to the bus drivers that keep their buses too cool in summer.

    The bus lines, one of them anyway, ran a trial on select buses with the temp set at 25.5...and complaints skyrocketed!!! See my point above, that temp is just not cold enough to cool you down when its melting point outside.

    Now, if we can convince those knuckle-dragging morons who control our dress code policy, and convince them that formal jacket and tie is NOT in anyway shape or form appropriate for this climate, then maybe we can start making some logical steps forward. You can still be professional in smart casual, yet the stuffy old guard here, needs a kick in the ass to drag them kicking and screaming into the present.


  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by sylvesterjay:
    Thermal Inertia - it takes more energy to constantly cool your apt back down again, than it does to leave the a/c on and keep the apt at a constant temp
    Good point.

    Quote Originally Posted by sylvesterjay:
    So let me get this...don't take taxis, buses or minibuses...riiiiiiiiight, how bout we all just teleport. Rail lines only go to fixed points junior, all the other options are flexible, and you may not have noticed but HK is a big place, kinda hard to walk from Aberdeen to Lowu. How about giving some practical advice instead of spouting nonsense.
    Well, prefer rail where you can, walk when you can, that's it. I face these choices every day: to work, I could take a bus, or I could take MTR, exactly the same route. From MTR station to home I could take a minibus or I could walk. Of course for many locations you must take a bus and then you can't avoid it and you should not feel bad about it.

    Quote Originally Posted by sylvesterjay:
    ... knuckle-dragging morons who control our dress code policy, and convince them that formal jacket and tie is NOT in anyway shape or form appropriate for this climate.
    What about giving it a try and just leaving the tie home, see what happens?

  7. #17

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    Agree with you there on all your points sj.


    25 degrees is not cold enough at all, 23/24 is perfect for me.

    Who needs to wear a suit and tie in this town during the summer anyway? Yup only your old school i.b/lawyer etc who wants to show to others oh how important they really are.

    Me personally I can't wait to head back to London next weekend to let rip in my beemer as its been standing outside for two months not being used and I need to of course clear the pipes and get all the gunk thats been resting in the engine out of the system.

    And yes I might as well take the other car for a spin too whilst I'm at it.

    Migao

    I'm sorry but your following points just don't work in the real world of hk, I'll show you why.

    * avoid using A/C when and where you can
    Seriously you'd rather sweat buckets in the comfort of your own home rather than avoid sticking the air con on? I'm sure that washing your sweat stained clothes every other day is a lot more 'harmful' to the environment than sticking the air con on, Just think of all the detergent filled dirty water thats being pumped into the rivers etc.


    * try walking or biking when and where you can
    biking in hk is a no no unless you are a weekend biker and are able to ride in the NT, Otherwise you risk getting run over by crazed minibus drivers etc.

    * ditch your car if you have one (you don't need it unless you chose your office/home locations wrong)

    Umm some people need a car for deliveries etc and for travelling to gz etc for company business, Would you rather prefer the MTR being more like a free for all and you being crammed in with those other idiots who choose to deliver a widescreen t.v or air con unit during peak travel times?


    * pick your next apartment and job closer to eachother (or the rail lines).

    Not everybody has the benefit of a big fat housing allowance thus can't afford to live in central etc or near where they work. You have to choose to live somewhere you can afford. expecially when you're on a local salary.

    * avoid taking buses and minibuses, especially those that run in parallel with the rail lines and those that run diesel.

    Ummm not everywhere is near an mtr/kcr station as per above really, the closer you are to an mtr/kcr station then the higher the rent, You live in sai kung and the nearest station is choi hung which is a good 20 minutes bus ride away, what you going to do then?


    * bitch to the bus drivers that keep their buses too cool in summer.

    Then wear a pashmina or pack a jumper and quit complaining

    * avoid buying food packed in styrofoil...

    Fine if you live near a wet market where everything is dumped into a plastic bag but what if you don't?

    Practice is never as easy as theory don't you think?


  8. #18

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    I don't wear ties anyway, thank god


  9. #19

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    Jimbo, a few comments:

    * avoid using A/C when and where you can

    Setting the temperature gradually higher is probably the way, if you're used to 20 it's too shocking to go to 25.5 overnight. Of course, it's nuts to wear a suit or in fact pretty much any clothes when it's 35 degrees Celsius, so you either take off your clothes or you turn on the A/C.

    * try walking or biking when and where you can

    I agree that biking is - unfortunately - pretty much restricted to NT only.

    * ditch your car if you have one (you don't need it unless you chose your office/home locations wrong)

    Sure there are people that actually need a car; but I would argue that a vast majority of people that commute by car don't really need it but are driving because of prestige and comfort - comfort however is questionable if you end up sitting in a traffic jam for considerable amounts of time - something that personally drives me crazy. But I also understand that the crowds on MTR trains during rush hour are not the cup of tea for many us either. I rather travel before or after the morning rush hour, but of course not all of us have the choice.

    * pick your next apartment and job closer to eachother (or the rail lines).
    * avoid taking buses and minibuses, especially those that run in parallel with the rail lines and those that run diesel.


    I agree it's a cost issue, cheaper to live where you must take a bus... it's upto the situation you're in. If you can, prefer rail & walking. If you can't, then take a bus.

    * bitch to the bus drivers that keep their buses too cool in summer.

    It's an absolute waste of money and energy to keep them too cool and that's making us sick as well. But here again, gradual change would be probably better than jumping direct from 18 to 25.5.

    * avoid buying food packed in <b>styrofoam</>... (sorry for the misspelling earlier)

    I know this is a tough one, there's no choice in most situations, yet.

    Practice is never as easy as theory don't you think?

    Practice is all that matters, if you feel that protecting environment is something important you can find your own ways to do it. But if you think it's something that makes you look silly whatever you do, you can give it a break and go with the flow, that's what most people do anyway.


  10. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by migao:
    you either take off your clothes or you turn on the A/C.

    I vote for the first option!!!! ...but only for hot babes with firm abs, I really don't wanna see fugly, flabby naked people!

    ok ok, go ahead and give me a disapproving rating on the post you spineless cowards, I know you want to.