[George Winters]

This article from the Scotland Herald may be of interest to some:Outdoor Gear Is Environmentally Toxic, Finds Report

[David¹]

What we really need is a biodegradable tent Anyone who is shocked by these results is an idiot. The computer we are viewing this website on is likely made from toxic chemicals & plastic, the desk it sits on is likely MDF, etc. etc.

[joker]

Indeed. The more one digs, the more trouble one can find in the things we do and buy as we go about our daily lives. It's unrealistic for most of us to eliminate ALL negative impacts on the environment. I think it's important to try to find some perspective on which consumer choices are really causing the most impact. Here's one resource that provides a summary of where our choices tend to cause the most impact, based on cradle-to-grave analysis of our consumer choices. For those who would prefer a reader's digest style summary:

[David¹]

Joker I call bullsh!t on most of that quote. From everything I've read most organic food is a big scam and even the legit stuff has really shaky science behind it. I agree that it tastes better and we certainly could improve some of our farming methods but suggesting that everyone switch to only locally grown in season harvesting is not practical and it sure as hell isn't sustainable for a global population. What's the big deal about two cars? We have our high clearance one for our hiking trip and a more fuel efficient vehicle for driving around town. Unless of course they want to nitpick about the cost to make a car but then I'd be just using my less efficient all purpose car twice as much. If the whole point is that traveling from point A to point be in a car is evil then why don't I just kill myself now. These are not solutions its just some ivory tower @sshole telling everyone else how they should live and it only hurts the bigger cause.

[JimK]

The best long term answer might be purchasing more Edible Gear.

[Hungry Grizzley]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...Sounds like a great idea!

[Backpacker Joe]

Naked hiking with NO gear is the answer! Well, for all you eco weirdo's that is. Otherwise Ill just plod along with the stuff I already have.

[Schroder]

We could all go back to cotton, wool & leather. We could waterproof our cotton canvas with natural oils for our outer shell, like my grandparents used to do back on the sailing ships in Norway. My wool sleeping bag used to be kind of heavy though. It seems the author of the article recently realized that synthetic fabrics were derived from petroleum based chemicals.

[Pass the ketchup...]

Edible gear sounds good. The trouble with cotton is that it kills and is even more heinous than the fumbling travails of man. Wool is good, but now, though the hiker is warm, the sheep is cold. It is a win-lose situation.

[joker]

[Hulksmash]

Cotton may be a natural fiber....but is traditionally pesticides are heavily used in growing it. There are all kinds of bugs that attack it. So it's still not the most environmentally friendly crop.

[veronika]

[Hulksmash]

[treeswarper]

[David¹]

Let me clarify an earlier point. You will see a lot of right wing screeds about how the Global Warming/Environmental movement is like a religion and the usually refer to Al Gore as the Goracle and make fun of his huge mansion, his jet setting lifestyle and his ridiculous carbon credits. We have our own version of this guy in Canada - David Suzuki - a fruit fly geneticist and former TV personality. While I usually don't agree with these attack the messenger arguments they have a point with this one. Whenever someone tells me I have to change my lifestyle and I have to live without I usually respond "You First" It's easy for someone who is already a millionaire to adapt all these 'planet saving' changes but for those of us still working & trying to get by in life its another story. I live in a small townhouse in the suburbs because I can't afford David Suzuki's million dollar mansion in the city. I commuted (when I had a job) because I couldn't afford to sit on my big pile of TV money I made in the 70's & 80's. You have enough frequent flier miles to go to the moon & back for free and yet you are telling me I have to cut back on my (very limited) travel. I'll get into food into more detail in a subsequent post but I can't afford to buy premium foodstuffs at Whole Foods. Furthermore a lot of their ideas contradict themselves and don't make any sense. Buying a car is bad for the environment - really? Then what was cash for clunkers all about? (we have a similar program up here). Wasn't that based on the premise that in order to save the environment we had to take all these old less efficient vehicles off the road? I grew up in a car town (just outside of Detroit) I can tell you with confidence that every car is driven into the ground by someone - even then it is stripped for parts & the metal recycled. The idea that we are just tossing perfectly good cars into a landfill just so we can buy newer ones is ludicrous and it calls into question everything that's said.