Human Footprint on Nat'l Geo

Did anyone see this last night?

It was about the US's 25% usage of the world's resources, shown in great detail from the time someone is born in the US. It was kind of dumbed down, and much we here already know, but still fascinating to see the actual numbers.

I was so elated to see them show the mind-boggling piles of diapers for one baybee and how many jugs of petroleum is used to produce these, along with the fact that those mountains of diapers will be around long after the kid is dead.

They also showed all the air & land fuel mileage, materials, wood, etc it takes to build one new McMansion and one new car (an SUV was shown-HAHA!) as the person marries & starts a famblee. They actually DID mention that the resulting kids will also need all of the above. And of course, how the sprawl is destroying habitats.

I'm very green & being CF was practically orgasmic knowing I am not contributing to this mass rape. I could talk all day about it!!!

All of this knowledge is great. I think it is very useful, necessary, terrifying, and eye-opening.

But ya know what?

The breeders of this planet DO NOT CARE. So long as they get to breed, use resources like they are going out of style, fill up the landfills, and have the life that mirrors what they deem is the "American Dream," they couldn't care less if the last polar bear drowned an hour ago.

It's aaaaaalllll about them. The children are our fyeuture, ya know.

I think all plastic products, with the exception of what's necessary for pharmaceuticals, should be banned.

I've gotten to the point where I feel guilty for living, miserable that my meager existence has created an indelible footprint already and irritated that, beyond going feral, there really is nothing I can do about it. There is no possible way any modern human can live without making an adverse impact on the planet.

What really chaps my ass is that the majority of the green movement is focused on individual people who can really do little beyond their own lives, and not focused on giant corporate entities who push this crap down everyone's throat and who are way more wasteful on the grand scale of things.

Smeh.

My husband and I DVR'd "Human Footprint" and we've watched about 45 minutes of it so far...we were also horrified by the mountain of diapers. I'm pleased to learn that they go on to show the consequences of McMansions and Suburban Assault Vehicles.

I wonder how many of those involved in producing the doomsday piece also have passles of disposable-diapered kiddies at home. I find that some of the most vocal decriers are often also the biggest offenders. People seem to have a really hard time accepting that they, themselves, are a large part of the problem.

2-3% of our uk household waste is estimated to be disposable nappies, approximately 400,000 tonnes of waste each year.

detailed from here (its a pdf file) http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

(this is the pdf link may have problems reading straight from site)
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/nappies_1072099.pdf

Called nappies_1072099.pdf

Based on an average use figure of 4.16 nappies per day, 3796 nappies would beconsumed in the first 2.5 years of a child’s life. This usage rate equates to 169.5 kgof nappies to be purchased.

The use of 3796 nappies would result in 537.6 kg of nappy waste and 3.0 kg of nappy packaging waste.

so in essence we are saving, 537.6 KG per child, by not having them.. and that includes the energy used to make the nappies, but not the food etc.

Plus every other kids afterwards.

this is from a new zealand report

"At 50c per disposable nappy it’s about $3000 per child over two and a half years thrown into landfill, excluding the refuse cost. Using a laundry service for cloth nappies is about $3,250 over the same period. If you wash them yourself it’s only about a quarter of the cost. As well as laundry costs there is about $700 for the initial outlay of:nappies, over-pants or wraps, a storage container for between washes, and nappy liners

http://www.zerowaste.co.nz/default,507.sm

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein