Questions tagged [environmental-impact]
describes all effects (positive or negative) of the production, consumption and/or disposal of a product, service, policy, or project on the environment.
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Should we use paper, plastic, or reusable bags. If reusable, which kind?
I found this site looking for one specifically geared to picking products based on sustainability. I'm not sure if such a specifically-focused site would actually be more effective than this one.
The ...
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2answers
81 views
Do SSDs have a lower environmental impact compared to HDDs?
In this question on Super User they say that Solid-State Drives (SSDs) use much less power than traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). I read some internet posts and research articles that backup this ...
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0answers
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Is thermal heating of soil contaminated by coal gasification plant safe in a built-up zone?
Where I stay, theres a site (see intro here) nearby that used to be a coal gasification plant (produces coal gas for lightning etc.). The plant contaminated the soil with PAHs and heavy metals with ...
4
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2answers
71 views
How to ensure you are using efficient chargers for cell phones, laptop computers, and other electronic devices?
I recently asked a question regarding a sustainable way to generate white noise. I received a wonderfully helpful comment from Móż (thank you!) in which Móż recommended ensuring that the power source ...
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1answer
49 views
How to create a sustainable white noise generation box?
I would like to create a white noise generation box. I want it to be as sustainable as possible (within reason), as it will likely be used 24/7.
My thinking so far is to use an old, unused smartphone,...
3
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3answers
97 views
Efficiency of delivery services vs individuals travelling to purchase items?
Is it more efficient for a supermarket to send a van round to deliver stuff (eg a weekly/monthly shop for groceries) to multiple addresses, or for those people to drive (locally) to go and get it?
...
4
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1answer
62 views
What is the relative carbon footprint of getting ones media from Netfix or bittorrent
It has been in the news recently that the carbon footprint of Netflix and other streaming services is significant.1.6 Kg of carbon dioxide per ½ hour viewing is on the high side of the estimates, 451,...
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Life cycle inventory data or information concerning Ferrocyanide production
I am working in the modelling and environmental evaluation of redox flow batteries based on Anthraquinone and Ferrocyanide. Currently I am having difficulties in finding information on how ...
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1answer
38 views
How much of glacier ice in the Alps already melted?
Various news media articles claim that
Two-thirds of glacier ice in the Alps 'will melt by 2100'
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/09/two-thirds-glaciers-alps-alpine-doomed-climate-...
4
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1answer
66 views
Is there a single-use product that is more sustainable that its multi-use counterpart?
This may be more of an academic question and less of practical relevance but I hope to have some input from this site nevertheless.
In my opinion, multi-use products are always more sustainable than ...
7
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1answer
202 views
After how many litres does Soda Stream get more sustainable than bottled sparkling water
Soda Stream is advertised as a more sustainable alternative to buying sparkling water in bottles. The main selling points are that no water filled bottles need to be manufactured, transported and ...
3
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2answers
111 views
How to correctly get rid of human poop?
I want to live alone in a floor above where I'm currently living cause I don't stand my family, only inconvenience, there is nothing not even tiles, I don't mind the discomfort but, how can I get rid ...
2
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1answer
52 views
How to reduce the environmental impact of drinks containers
I would like to help the owners of a pub (based in Milan, Italy) to decrease the environmental impact of the waste they produce.
My intent is to make them buy the same food content (especially drinks)...
3
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0answers
40 views
Are there any studies comparing the ecological footprint of an e-ink tablet with traditional pen and paper?
I am a graduate student in physics and I was considering getting a paper tablet like the reMarkable or the Sony DPT to replace the notebooks where I do calculations and take notes. But I was wondering ...
3
votes
1answer
48 views
Are there environmental benefits to a water softener?
The municipal water where I live is considered very hard, measuring about 325 parts per million dissolved mineral content. I currently have a water softener in my home, but it has been giving me some ...
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0answers
372 views
What is the environmental impact of detergent pods?
Laundry detergent pods became popular around 2012. Rather than measuring out detergent, you throw a pod in your washer and it does the rest. The "capsule" is made from a type of plastic that is water ...
4
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1answer
79 views
How do I choose the most sustainable chocolate?
I've heard that the production and import of chocolate has some consequences including deforestation, excessive use of pesticides and CO2 emissions. There are also concerns about exploitation of ...
19
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3answers
6k views
Why does the cost of planting trees vary so much across different websites?
I am actively looking to donate to organisations that plant trees and, as far as I know, there are several websites that allow you to do that. Some offer the possibility to follow the tree's life ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
My residential colony burns dry grass every year; how can I stop them?
Every year during June-October, it rains and a few months later after the rainy season there is a lot of grass growing in the empty sites in my residential colony. So all the grass is cut, piled up ...
5
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2answers
150 views
Are trains more sustainable than electric buses?
I assume the energy for electric buses and trains comes from the same sources. But a train doesn't need to carry it's power supply along, contrary to a bus. However, there is more infrastructure that ...
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6answers
219 views
Is global population growth ignored in sustainable energy discussions because it makes any effort seem futile?
We (I'm in EU, Netherlands) are trying to reduce CO2 emissions, and many other regulations (nitrogen, pfas) have been devised to make sure we don't make our planet uninhabitable for humans.
But I don'...
5
votes
1answer
106 views
Single-use wooden vs plastic cutlery
I just joined a waste minimization board in my office and one of the area we discussed was the use of plastic cutlery in our canteen. While the best option in my opinion would be to remove all single ...
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57 views
What are the benefits or shortcomings of a moss wall?
I'm considering to put up a small moss wall in my workplace. What benefits or shortcomings should be considered regarding inhabitants' health and environment impact of a moss wall?
Update: It's an ...
0
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1answer
72 views
Is there any case where plant farming is more eco friendly than raising livestock?
I am looking for an example or a case with arguments that would justify converting cattle ranches into plant farms (e.g., wheat, apple, or anything non-meat). The advantages should be in a more ...
3
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1answer
73 views
Which of disposal or production of leather has a greater environmental impact?
Several times I've heard of people supporting leather against non-animal alternatives, saying that since animals are killed for meat we have a lot of skin to use and that it would be bad not to use it....
3
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3answers
79 views
Sustainably waterproofing a rain jacket
My raincoat was fully waterproof when bought some 8 years ago. Now it's like a cotton blouse in that it soaks up water immediately.
I have washed it with technical wash and sprayed it with ...
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2answers
90 views
Paper packaging once a day or plastic every second day?
I buy a lot of cottage cheese. There are two kinds of packagings available:
paper wrappings, which I buy one piece a day
plastic bag, of which one pack is enough for two days
Assuming that I can't ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Are there any adverse impacts if I keep WiFi router on all time?
I searched Google only to come up with various results with different views. Is there any official or reliable source that states the impacts of keeping the WiFi router on regarding environmental ...
6
votes
2answers
181 views
How does the climate impact of an LNG-powered cruise ship compare to flying?
Taking the Iona as an example, it is claimed that
"The cruise ship will have a reduced carbon footprint with zero sulphur and nitrogen emissions."
Sulphur and nitrogen, while pollutants, are not ...
6
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5answers
269 views
Is boxed wine more ecofriendly than bottled wine?
In a few weeks I'll be hosting an event and will need to purchase wine for about 30 or 40 people. For myself and my partner, I typically purchase boxed wine as it stays fresh longer (assuming the wine ...
7
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2answers
228 views
Is cheese as bad as beef for the environment?
Among foods, beef is frequently noted as one of the biggest causes of global warming, particularly because cattle produce methane as part of their digestion. Cheese is less frequently discussed in ...
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4answers
3k views
How can I support the recycling, but not the new production of aluminum?
While the initial production of aluminum is a waste-intensive, energy-intensive process that has negative environmental and social impact through deforestation and contamination of waterways, aluminum ...
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2answers
146 views
CO2 track of staying in huts which are supplied by helicopter
How much CO2 do we produce by sleeping on average in a hut (including breakfast and dinner)in high-altitude > 3000 m)? Let's assume that the hut offers 50 beds and that a helicopter has to supply the ...
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3answers
174 views
Impact of vegetarianism on the meat industries
My main goal is to get rid of mass husbandry and the environmental impact of industrial meat production.
My question is:
Is it better to abandon meat from my diet completely or to endorse eco-...
4
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3answers
122 views
Is there a website that lists the environmental impact and/or carbon footprint of many products and practices?
Perhaps a Q&A website like Sustainable Living?
3
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5answers
133 views
Is there standard methodology for assessing how environmentally friendly a particular lifestyle is?
The headline says it all, I'm looking for a standard way of assessing a lifestyle against environmental criteria. I'm thinking of some sort of lifestyle questionnaire that will produce a score from 0 ...
2
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1answer
122 views
Recycling : paper, plastic or aluminum, which one to choose, if only one?
Supposing I can focus only on one type of material to recycle, choosing from paper (card board etc), aluminum (can etc) or plastic (water bottle etc), then which choice of material will help the ...
4
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1answer
73 views
Plastic incineration vs discarding considerations
Firstly, let me say, I am not pro-either. I just hear about people trying to save the environment (and putting an end to bad municipal 'dump site' behaviour) by rather burning their trash. This is ...
8
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1answer
139 views
How do you decontaminate land?
How do you decontaminate land that has been contaminated with various toxic materials?
Is it safe to just unearth everything? I live around a lot of contaminated fields and it looks like companies ...
3
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4answers
158 views
Is there a scientific consensus whether lifestyle or amount of human population the biggest problem
When discussing with a colleague about ecology yesterday, we had agreed on the following premise :
Before industrial age, world population was low, and the environment was not significantly damaged
...
3
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2answers
255 views
How much CO2 is emitted after 1 hectare of woodland gets burnt in a wildfire?
Wildfires are getting more and more common due to dryer and hotter summer seasons.
I'm interested in the impact of wildfires in terms of CO2 contribution in the atmosphere. I'd like to get a gross ...
4
votes
2answers
281 views
Is there a recent life cycle analysis for cloth diaper and for disposable diaper?
I am looking for specific studies on the life cycle of cloth diaper versus disposable diaper. The municipality I work for wants to establish a compensation program for parents who want to choose a ...
3
votes
4answers
615 views
What is the most commonly available eco-friendly writing instrument?
How would you rank the following in terms of damage to the environment:
Pencils (regular)
Mechanical Pencils
Single-use ball point pens.
Refillable ball point pens.
Fountain pens
The eco-friendly ...
12
votes
2answers
793 views
Which consumes more carbon dioxide: a fully grown forest or a newly planted one that is growing?
I was talking to some friends and one of them claims that it is more efficient to combat global warming by cutting the trees and replanting them because a growing forest consumes more CO2. (Firstly, a ...
3
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1answer
113 views
The least sustainable pathway of the IPCC SR15 report
Looking briefly at the recent IPCC report it presents a number of pathways for keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees celsius by 2100. These follow a spectrum from enormous reductions in consumption ...
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3answers
185 views
Is it better to put something potentially unrecyclable in the recycling bin or to put something recyclable in the waste bin?
This may sound like a weird question, but the other night I was about to throw away a plastic package which didn't have any recycling information on it, and I hesitated before throwing it in the waste ...
2
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1answer
78 views
Discretionary Carbon Footprint vs. Per-capita footprint
Are there any published academic studies which compare per-capita carbon footprint against discretionary carbon footprint (ie. lifestyle-connected emissions)?
per-capita footprint is the result of ...
3
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2answers
123 views
What is the energy and greenhouse gas footprint of Skysource/Skywater water generator?
The Water Abundance X-Prize was recently awarded to the Skysource/Skywater alliance for:
... developing an easily deployable high-volume water generator that can be used in any climate, meeting the ...
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1answer
1k views
Wood vs. plastic vs. metal furniture and other items, is the wood product generally most environmentally friendly?
Consider a bed or a chair, one made of wood, another of plastic, another of metal. All else being kept similar between the materials to the extent feasible, is the wood product generally the most ...
4
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1answer
165 views
I throw compostable food into trash — how much harm do I cause?
I live in a city that doesn't have composting facilities that ordinary citizens like myself could easily use.
Although I recycle most of the plastic, metal, glass and paper I lay my hands on, getting ...
