[glyn]

how many people out there who participate in this forum think green? id like to know, just for interests sake...it might be a good thing to discuss because it will help everyone understand each other's view points. for example, a vegan forum member could be really hard-line animal rights, where another person might be able to rationalise population control for the sake of the species. as in the recent example of a proposed kangaroo cull in the ACT
anyway, just to get started a few questions...
who drives, who cycles, who walks, who uses public transport?
does anyone on this forum subscribe to green power, have a solar hot water system, use carbon-credits?
who plants trees?
who recycles?
who donates to wildlife charity, including but not exclusively zoos?
does anyone have a wildlife friendly garden?
politics-economy or the environment first?
whats everyone's take on vegitarians, vegans?
and any other info othe ppl want to volunteer, or questions to ask, go ahead...

ill answer my own questions first...

i drive and catch trains, about 50/50

i do subscribe to a carbon-offsetting scheme called greenfleet, but recognise its not a licensce to pollute so therefore try to minimise driving

i recycle religiously, plant trees, do have a wildlife friendly garden

im not a vego, but eat less meat than most

i support birds australia and as many of our zoos as possible

and i think that the economy and environment are closely tied together.

[ZooYouthBen]

Originally Posted by glyn who drives, who cycles, who walks, who uses public transport? does anyone on this forum subscribe to green power, have a solar hot water system, use carbon-credits? who plants trees? who recycles? who donates to wildlife charity, including but not exclusively zoos? does anyone have a wildlife friendly garden? politics-economy or the environment first? whats everyone's take on vegitarians, vegans? and any other info othe ppl want to volunteer, or questions to ask, go ahead...

Great Idea Glyn

I drive 90% and public trans about 10 (tram, train and buses), but i do car pool to work with 2 other people.
I have solar hot water
I have planted trees at monarto
I recycle, which drives my mum crazy because i dont chuck anything out.
I do not dontae to wildlife Charities due to not being on a full time wage, i would like to be able to though
I would like to think its enrivo, but know its economic, i believe that econo will always win, but there has to be a balance.
Same as you glyn, but dont eat natives, lol

C'mon everyone, it only took my 2 mins to type it !

[glyn]

lol, thanks ben and thats right, 2 minutes of your time.
zoo pro, pat, zoo boy, mark. come on. input recquired.
its like a getting to know you game for people we dont know. its also an interesting snapshot-do people who like zoos and animals also like the environment, or care enough about it to make a difference.

[Zoo_Boy]

i am the head of the school env. committee, which is actually getting a good responce from a school of 750 boys.

no1 else is really doing much on animal side, but we are looking at water conservation including a large dam, our skool is perfect for it, as there is 6 footy fields, and the whole site runs down to 1 corner. this is a few yrs off yet),

we are looking at solar rebates, and recycling of al cans.

i actually got it (committee) going again after the last group (2 years back) failed, now we are having a good run. we hope to evenually get water tanks on main buildings, a large slaor complex much like at dubbo zoos, a dam, and basics, like an improved recylcing system- thts in the loacl councils hands, we dnt have a god system, most of the skools recyled stuff get dumped, which is sad. we will be installing new bulbs in all classrooms wth money we save from recycling. all classrooms have pcs, air cons, heaters and light turned off wen leaving room. we are getting it done, and its good.


at home, we recyle, turn lights off all the norm.

i drive and walk, and we will be ing more green stuff at home like vegie gardens etc, worm farms.

[glyn]

good to hear. our forum's greenness is good. lol

[Zoo_Boy]

hay sim is this frum carbon neutral lol - speaking of, how would a site be neuutral, sounds a v sill qn

[glyn]

you could, not that you would bother, carbon eautralise the site i guess by adding up forum members, average time spent online, computer outputs etc.
but computers are one of the lowest energy running devices in the household, its things that heat water that use the most power

[ZooPro]

Originally Posted by glyn zoo pro, pat, zoo boy, mark. come on. input recquired. its like a getting to know you game for people we dont know. its also an interesting snapshot-do people who like zoos and animals also like the environment, or care enough about it to make a difference.

I had no intention af answering this, but now you've put me on the spot.... I tune into this forum to read and contribute to zoo-based discussions. Sure, that also includes conservation - one of the most, if not THE most important roles of zoos, but I'm not on here to chat about my recycling or driving habits - sorry, I just don't have the time.

I think you can figure, after my years of being involved with conservation-based organisations, how I manage my life, and that's as environmentally-aware as I can possibly be

[glyn]

i dont have the time to reply to that, you nit picker
lol
i only brought it up seeming as though its about the one and only thing we havent covered yet. which has involved everything from tarzan movies to giant pandas to theme parks

[Sim]

I generally don't get into "guilt" discussions like this - so don't get me started.

However, I will make the point that I work from home full time - you can't get much more environmentally friendly than that My wife walks to work - or sometimes catches the train.

We recycle as much as we can - but mostly because we wouldn't fit it all in the bin if we didn't (council was smart - large recycling bin, small rubbish bin).

My mother propagates and sells Australian native plants from her small nursery on the outskirts of Murray Bridge (just down the road from Monarto Zoo actually). We have planted hundreds of trees over the years.

I refuse to donate to wildlife charities - as much as I like animals, I feel that dealing with human suffering is far more important - so I donate to organisations like MSF, World Vision and the Salvos. That being said, my wife is a life-time member of the Adelaide Zoo.

Before you all go off claiming how green you are - take a look at the bigger picture. For example: the flavour of the month (especially amongst Californians) is the Toyota Prius ... and I see a lot of locals soothing their guilt by buying them too. They are far from the most fuel efficient cars on the roads (take a look at some of the new small diesel cars coming out of Europe - use far less fuel with incredibly low emissions). Also consider the amount of energy and pollution expense building and shipping such cars to Australia.

I think carbon credits is another such "guilt" soother. Forget the crap - just go plant some trees.

Just my opinion

[glyn]

lol i have, 369 since i got back form OS. i have run out of space now

[Nigel]

As well as zoos , I have a keen interest in sustainable urban development .
I walk or use public transport 100% of the time
I have no qualms about eating meat , but I try to keep to sensible diet
I think that people in this planet come first , but note my first sentence -- I am into sustainable development , not destruction

I was not really interested in responding to this , as it has limited relevance to zoos and conservation , but decided to put my thoughts down just in case someone trys to put me on the spot .

NZ is not a perfect country , but is greener than many others . There is a lot of support for Green Party in NZ

[Sim]

Originally Posted by Nigel NZ is not a perfect country , but is greener than many others

That's because it rains more over there

These days I reckon we need a "brown" party more than a "green" one here in Oz !

[patrick]

i've initially avoided this one because its particuarly personal and i fear we might have radically different views when it comes to our own contribution to the environment...

but i'll be honest - i don't have time to plant trees. i catch the tram to work but thats probably only because its quicker than driving. i recycle, but wouldn't if their wasnt a recycling bin. i choose eco-freindly products as much as possible but by no means do i wash my dishes in vinegar. i'm sparing when watering my garden and have no lawn, but i water it when it needs it, not when the restrictions say i can, becuse i have a tiny garden. i don't give money to wildlife charities because i have little most of the time and i'm more important and i eat meat whenever i want, though like everyone else here its seems, i eat less than most.

i guess i'm saying is that i choose the eco-option but only when it doesnt radically inconvenience me to do so...

because you know why? ITS NOT MY %#@!ING PROBLEM!!

its the governments problem. and if they are blind to that then i hope their arses get kicked outta power. i shouldn't have to invent a water-powered car so that i don't pollute the environment, i shouldn't have to bother about converting to green energy, pay through the teeth for a water tank or research every single product i purchase or consume to make sure i'm not damaging someplace somewhere.

those decisions should already be made for me and every other bogan that regardless of what i do to minimise my footprint, will never, ever, give a damn themselves unless they are told to.

the best thing i can do for the environment is vote for someone that cares about it and is prepared to face up to the issue.

because to be honest, (and i don't mean to offend anyone here) i can count my carbon emissions till the day i die, but i bet there will be a billion other things i unwittingly did that somehow indirectly @&*ked up the planet!!!

[Monty]

I believe I am green (but defenatly dont suport the Greens party as I do not agree with most their poicies )

I am a farmer and direct drill all my crops. I have planted thousands of trees and are now more into direct seeding of indigenous species native to the area particularly understory plants. I have spent a lot of time colecting seeds from remenant shrubs on the sides of roads. Two years ago we fenced off three 10 acre blocks which were planted with tube stock but due to the drought there have been losses and I am replacing these with direct seeding.
I do all I can to help species such as Supurb Parots and Grey crowned Bablers which are on my property. I recon I have over 100 supurb Parots on the place at the moment. We seem to be in their main non breeding area and they are here from April to October.

I am also a fishcare volunteer with NSW fisheries and a NSW bush fire brigade volunteer. Last time I traveled out of my area to a fire was the Snowy Mountain fires in 2003.

Vegans and Vegetarians can practice what they like but I dont like them telling me I should not eat meat.

I also hunt which helps in keeping fox and cat numbers down which helps our native species. I will probobly also get my restricted hunting lisence which would alow me to hunt feral species in NSW state forests and help rid those areas of feral species.