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Very good video! At one time my thinking was a different way,now being retired and traveling throughout the world what you are saying is very true especially about water.
I like to look at climate change from a geologist point of view. The climate changes with or without us, we are insignificant even with our pollution in the grand scheme of things. 1 major volcanic eruption will undo everything our politicians are trying to do to prevent climate change for a century.
However with diesel gate, you gotta remember diesel emissions are the things that contribute to smog, along with carcinogens that linked to asthma and other nasty breathing problems. At least local air quality is somthing that can be controlled. Paris is looking to ban diesels for local air quality reasons. Proper disposal of waste products from servicing our cars also is a factor we can control. Politicians of the world can call for the shutting off deep ocean of volcanoes responsible for half the worlds airborne CO2 if they want. anything else on the CO2 count is pretty pointless.
[quote=”TNT” post=152291] Proper disposal of waste products from servicing our cars also is a factor we can control..[/quote]
As “CarGuys” (and Girls) this is something we need to pay more attention to. The EPA estimates that home oil changes result in almost 200 million gallons of motor oil being dumped into the environment each year. Thats four times as much as in the Exxon Valdez spill.. And if you consider that each gallon of spilled motor oil has the potential to pollute a million gallons of groundwater, lakes or rivers -its a huge problem.
Professional technicians and shops generally handle used oil and other chemicals properly and responsibly. Many DIY’ers don’t. We – as a community – need to change that. Eric, in his oil change videos, has mentioned proper disposal of used oil. But IMHO its a message that can’t get out enough.
BTW: “Hoarding” used motor oil in plastic jugs in your garage or basement isn’t a sensible option either. Firefighters dread dealing with garage fires for precisely this reason.
As “CarGuys” we can do our bit to keep the environment cleaner. A well maintained vehicle doesn’t drip oil or other fluids. A properly serviced engine minimizes pollution and maximizes fuel efficiency. And properly disposed of motor oil and other vehicle fluids keep our highways and waterways clean and safe for everyone.
[quote=”vrDrew” post=152292][quote=”TNT” post=152291] Proper disposal of waste products from servicing our cars also is a factor we can control..[/quote]
As “CarGuys” (and Girls) this is something we need to pay more attention to. The EPA estimates that home oil changes result in almost 200 million gallons of motor oil being dumped into the environment each year. Thats four times as much as in the Exxon Valdez spill.. And if you consider that each gallon of spilled motor oil has the potential to pollute a million gallons of groundwater, lakes or rivers -its a huge problem.
Professional technicians and shops generally handle used oil and other chemicals properly and responsibly. Many DIY’ers don’t. We – as a community – need to change that. Eric, in his oil change videos, has mentioned proper disposal of used oil. But IMHO its a message that can’t get out enough.
BTW: “Hoarding” used motor oil in plastic jugs in your garage or basement isn’t a sensible option either. Firefighters dread dealing with garage fires for precisely this reason.
As “CarGuys” we can do our bit to keep the environment cleaner. A well maintained vehicle doesn’t drip oil or other fluids. A properly serviced engine minimizes pollution and maximizes fuel efficiency. And properly disposed of motor oil and other vehicle fluids keep our highways and waterways clean and safe for everyone.[/quote]
I agree. The environment is something we all need to actively participate in in order to initiate any real change. As you pointed out I try and do what I can with my show. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
That said, vehicle emissions are only a small part of the problem. It’s actually the beef industry that’s probably the biggest polluter. I think that points to the core issue which is really about consumption. If we take more than we need, we’ll run out much faster.
I believe it’s a complicated, multifaceted issue where there are no easy solutions. My point of making the video was to get the conversation started to see what comes of it.
Thanks for your input.
The inanimate “tub of garbage” looked like a bunch of recyclable items and a small amount of actual “garbage”.
While I believe the EPA is a monster(even one of the now retired founders said it has outlived it’s purpose), I also believe that we do have to take care of our environment to a certain extent. The earth can take care of herself for the most part. As Eric said, the earth has gone through climate cycles since the beginning of time.
CO2 is a naturally occurring gas and there is more of it being emitted from dying plants and animals than there are from cars.
Some people make carbon out to be a bad thing, however it is the basic component of all organic life.
I excelled in Science at school and all of it’s forms from bio, chemistry, geology, earth science etc and in my opinion. the EPA spouts nonsense 24/7 nowadays. The real issues at hand are the rain forest and getting people to recycle more…you know the stuff that actually makes a difference in our environment oxygen wise and resource wise.Hydrocarbons and NOx are no longer an issue with the advent of Catalysts, EGR, among other systems.
Of course two of my trucks don’t have any of these systems or components, but I’m a classic car/truck enthusiast…not a tree hugger
Thank you for this video Eric, I really appreciated that you conveyed your honest thoughts in a logical and direct way. It’s great that you are taking initiative to bring up this discussion. I would agree with everything you say, particularly putting emphasis on this point though – The United States and Canada have made tremendous strides in environmental responsibility in recent decades, and in my opinion, contribute very little to global environmental destruction and climate change. As you pointed out, other developing areas are now going through the industrial revolution we once did, however at a much larger scale. The practices in China and other 3rd world countries are astoundingly reckless. Just in the past few months in North America alone, we have witnessed the strongest hurricane ever observed worldwide, a greater than 1-in-1000 year rainfall event in SC, and just this week, the latest in the season tornado outbreak west of the 100th meridian on record. It has become obvious that the entire world shares the same atmosphere and we are accountable for the devastation that has been caused for over 100 years worldwide. The real problem is, though, that we as American consumers continue to buy goods from these very same 3rd world countries with irresponsible manufacturing practices. So, in that sense, regardless of any emissions standards we set here, we are still causing rapid deterioration that will impact generations to come.
[quote=”stiv625″ post=152346]Thank you for this video Eric, I really appreciated that you conveyed your honest thoughts in a logical and direct way. It’s great that you are taking initiative to bring up this discussion. I would agree with everything you say, particularly putting emphasis on this point though – The United States and Canada have made tremendous strides in environmental responsibility in recent decades, and in my opinion, contribute very little to global environmental destruction and climate change. As you pointed out, other developing areas are now going through the industrial revolution we once did, however at a much larger scale. The practices in China and other 3rd world countries are astoundingly reckless. Just in the past few months in North America alone, we have witnessed the strongest hurricane ever observed worldwide, a greater than 1-in-1000 year rainfall event in SC, and just this week, the latest in the season tornado outbreak west of the 100th meridian on record. It has become obvious that the entire world shares the same atmosphere and we are accountable for the devastation that has been caused for over 100 years worldwide. The real problem is, though, that we as American consumers continue to buy goods from these very same 3rd world countries with irresponsible manufacturing practices. So, in that sense, regardless of any emissions standards we set here, we are still causing rapid deterioration that will impact generations to come.[/quote]
Yea, it’s a complex problem with no easy solutions. I think having the conversation is a good beginning though. Thanks for your input.
I have a question I would like to introduce into the conversation: Why do some say that “Recycling is a waste?” I don’t agree with that, I grew up in an area where we recycled, and even where I live now, we have designated Recycle days for collection, and different days for garbage. (They don’t take TVs and stuff, so a lot of them just sit there, until they basically just get moved, by people, not the garbagemen.)
Has anyone heard this argument as to Recycling being a “waste?” ..
I’ve never heard anyone with half a brain say that recycling is a waste. Anyone that says that is obviously a moron and doesn’t realize how much of our new consumer goods are post consumer (recycled) product. Local programs already take items that are easily recyclable, like papers and plastics but items like electronics still have to be disassembled by hand and there’s certain components that have to be handled “with care”. That is why electronics still isn’t generally collected with local recycling and usually requires you to go and drop it off somewhere.
[quote=”DaFirnz” post=152379]I’ve never heard anyone with half a brain say that recycling is a waste. Anyone that says that is obviously a moron and doesn’t realize how much of our new consumer goods are post consumer (recycled) product. Local programs already take items that are easily recyclable, like papers and plastics but items like electronics still have to be disassembled by hand and there’s certain components that have to be handled “with care”. That is why electronics still isn’t generally collected with local recycling and usually requires you to go and drop it off somewhere.[/quote] Ya, nor have I. Recycling is smart resource management and sustainability. I recycle metal, oil, paper and bottles. All can be reused. This lessens any impact on the enviorment in the following ways:
1. Metal: Helps reduce the amount of iron, aluminum and copper being mined, hence helping preserve the earth and its resources
2. Oil: Can be reused after reprocessing/purifying…hence less to be drilled for
3. Paper: Can be reprocessed, saving trees from being cut down
4. Bottles: Glass or plastic can be reused/remanufactured… better than them filling up a landfill.Anyone who says recycling is useless has a screw loose.
Actually, recycling, as an industry, is in serious trouble, at least in the United States. When home recycling collection really got popular in the 90s, it was actually generating revenue on the sale of the raw materials over the cost of collection and refinement of the material. Now, almost every municipality in the country is losing money on their home recycling collection programs. A few problems – since going to the “one bin for everything,” people are often putting non-recyclable or low grade materials in the bin, which lowers the quality of the raw material extracted. Also, because of the shear surplus of raw recycled material available, buyers from say China are becoming more stringent in which materials they purchase. It is all too common for the left over or sub-par batches of refined material to end up in landfill anyways, after the expense and energy of collecting and harvesting. So, in this sense, often times home recycling is worse for the environment than throwing some materials away. Basically, aluminum and paper/cardboard remain economically viable, but with the varying grades of plastics now found in consumer products and packaging, many times recycling of plastic is not cost effective.
I remember doing Community Service once, and I know Recycling is a lengthy and involved process. Perhaps what they were getting at was “inefficient.”
However, I can’t help but think that any space saved in a landfill is awesome. I’m not sure how those things don’t fill up almost instantly.
Bottled water, anyone? It’s a necessary evil, as many spots the water is sub-par, but, damn.
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