Who are the big polluters of the USA

[seedcorn]

From another thread, it started me thinking, who are the big polluters of the USA? I think it's Mr. and Mrs. average American.

We buy prepared foods in grocery stores (how many dried beans, raw meat, etc are in aisles vs prepared) --containers/packaging thrown away after use.

All the waste from fast foods that Ameridan lives on.

Land fills instead of recycling

4 wheelers, boats, SUV's, pick-ups, Nascar, tractor pulls, truck pulls, etc..........oil used. Not to mention family vehicles that need fixed so they don't burn oil, too much gas. etc.

Who really are the pollutants of the world???? Want to clean up the environment, start at home.

Easy to talk to the talk, we need to walk the walk.

 

[hoosier]

I think there is enough blame to go around.

As far as the 'average' American, what you wrote plus:
-circling the parking lot looking for a closer spot
-all of the insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizer used on suburban lots
-buying products that are shipped half way around the world when for a few pennies more we could get products made here. Not only would it save petroleum products, but it could provide a job.
-this list could go on and on...

I agree that we could all do more to protect the environment, but that does not mean we should not step back and look at what the major players are doing.

 

[eggzettera]

Your point unfortunately is valid....but in my defence:

My recycle bin goes to the curb (about once every month & a half) more then my garbage can (once every 2 months). Either I don't buy garbage to begin with (convenience food with more packaging then nutrition) or I make sure that the packaging I buy is recyclable. Am I the norm? No but some of us are really trying. I live alone & make it a game to see how little water, gas, electricity I can use. It really is amazing how little you need to get by. Your average American will be playing this game soon enough due to the economy. I drive a 92 Subaru and allow myself $10/week for gas. I live 6 miles from work, when I use more then that I get really po'd cause its work related driving, pick up disks, supplies etc.. that my boss should be paying for.

I try to buy local &/or organic & it is costly, so my portions have been decreased - have lost at least 20 pounds. I think the average American needs to go on this diet. We need to get off our tufts and plant gardens getting some well needed exercise in the process.

The only chemical I used to use in my garden besides DE was Round Up, because it had been misrepresented by Monsanto as "benign". I have been exceedingly aware of chemical use since the 80's when I owned a indoor tropical plant maintenance company back in Calgary, AB. I had an employee who was suing her former employer for health problems caused by spraying in the greenhouse. I also had a contract at that time with Esso Resources for maintaining their plants in their 30+ story building downtown. Esso is Exxon down here, they are part of Imperial Oil. I had that contract when they had the Valdez run amuck. I was taking their $ & boycotting their product. Are you saying that the average American does the same amount of damage as the Valdez - if so boy are we in trouble.

So maybe I am making your point.....

Want to clean up the environment, start at home.

$ were mouth is......​

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Its true . . . but industry tends to use nastier chemicals and spread their emissions farther.

I don't know if you guys have heard, but fresh-water fish from west coast waters (ie national forest mountain lakes) are now heavily polluted with PCBs and mercury that is coming from . . . China! We moved our manufacturing to China, partly I'm sure to avoid enviro regs here in America, and now all those poisons are raining down on the west coast. It really is a small planet.

Don't doubt that the daily choices we make have a huge impact. If we weren't buying cheap c^@% from China, we could at least minimize one source of industrial pollution.

 

[hoosier]

eggzettera -
I do not think you are the norm. I look around and see people DRIVE to their mailbox 150' from their house!
Not everyone is as conscious of/concerned with the environment as some of us.
I used to work for a greenhouse/nursery and people used an unbelievable amount of chemicals on their lawn. I even had some coming in asking for something to kill earthworms because they would get on their sidewalks after a rain and others looking for a spray to kill honeybees. I would tell them a)they are beneficial and should not be killed and b)no products are labled for that purpose. I never told them which products would actually do what they wanted.
I applaud everyone that takes steps to use fewer resources.

 

[eggzettera]

hoosier I know exactly what you are talking about we had a beautiful atrium in downtown Calgary that got infested with scale so they introduced lady bugs to deal with it. Someone complained about them so the plant company (a competitor & friend) had to spray, no one in the industry wanted to go into that building afterward. What you can't see or smell can kill you.....but a lady bug? Come on!

 

[greyfields]

Me after a mondo burrito at Taco Del Mar.

 

[eggzettera]

or should that be

but with another t as in TOOT!! Thanks for bringing us down to the lowest common denominator....

 

[seedcorn]

Quote:
Drake, I agree that China (& other third world nations) are a major problem. What is hypocritical of us is to expect companies (countries) to live by standards that we won't live by. My pollution is much less than company A.....kind of like I'm a better person because I only ran him over w/car and that company used a road flattner.....

 

[DrakeMaiden]

My guess is that no one asked the Chinese citizens how they'd like to keep their environment. We just shipped our pollution over there. I'm not blaming the Chinese people.

We are the ones who want the cheap junk, without the environmental damage. We, the consumers, are the source of that pollution.