Comments on: Public School Gaia Worship http://www.daftmusings.com/2007/03/27/public-school-gaia-worship/ by Carolyn Bickford Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:38:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: cjbickford http://www.daftmusings.com/2007/03/27/public-school-gaia-worship/#comment-63 cjbickford Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:55:13 +0000 http://daftmusings.com/?p=144#comment-63 San Francisco actually proposed the plastic grocery bag ban last year, but settled for the stores voluntarily agreeing to limit such bags themselves--but apparently it wasn't to the politicians' satisfaction. You're absolutely right on the facts of plastic bags, but it doesn't matter to a demogogue who wants to look like the paragon of political correctness. As for banning cars in San Francisco, Peter and I are convinced that San Francisco has pretty much done so. Except for one artery of freeway, there is no quick way to drive through San Francisco, as there is with other cities. And parking there used to be so bad that Peter once got a parking ticket that cited him simply for "parking". But as long as the politicians love their limos, and wouldn't be caught dead on MUNI, so they'll never get around to officially banning cars everywhere in the city. San Francisco actually proposed the plastic grocery bag ban last year, but settled for the stores voluntarily agreeing to limit such bags themselves–but apparently it wasn’t to the politicians’ satisfaction. You’re absolutely right on the facts of plastic bags, but it doesn’t matter to a demogogue who wants to look like the paragon of political correctness.

As for banning cars in San Francisco, Peter and I are convinced that San Francisco has pretty much done so. Except for one artery of freeway, there is no quick way to drive through San Francisco, as there is with other cities. And parking there used to be so bad that Peter once got a parking ticket that cited him simply for “parking”. But as long as the politicians love their limos, and wouldn’t be caught dead on MUNI, so they’ll never get around to officially banning cars everywhere in the city.

]]> By: Chris http://www.daftmusings.com/2007/03/27/public-school-gaia-worship/#comment-62 Chris Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:56:35 +0000 http://daftmusings.com/?p=144#comment-62 Earth Day appears to have passed without notice in Sin City. Or, perhaps we just benefitted by Mary being on track break that week. At any rate, I wasn't even aware that it had come, and gone until I read your blog. I hear San Francisco is going to ban plastic grocery bags 'made from petroleum products'. quote: 'Proponent says ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year'. I wonder if that is true, or another lie 'for the greater good'? How many trees will be cut down to make paper bags instead? And would the loss of oxygen/increase in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the loss of those trees have less of an impact on Mother Earth than that caused by the production and use of petroleum-based grocery bags? Because I find it hard to believe the masses are going to cart a handful of cloth or reusable string bags with them to the grocery store. Paper or plastic, please? "Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills. The new rules would, however, allow recyclable plastic bags, which are not widely used today." And here I though that all the plastic bags in use today were recyclable or at least were photo-degradable. Here is an interesting statistic. Of course I have no idea if it's true or not: from the Energy Information Administration website: http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/plastics.html Plastics are not the waste and energy culprits that some people think they are. Plastics are really very energy efficient. It takes 20-40 percent less energy to manufacture plastic grocery bags than paper ones. And, since plastics are lightweight and take up so little space, it is much more efficient to transport them. It takes seven trucks to deliver the same number of paper bags as can be carried in one truckload of plastic bags. That would make it seem as though San Francisco could save a lot more oil by banning paper bags. Why don't they just ban SUVs, light trucks and other gas guzzling vehicles (grin). Oh! better yet! Why not just ban all autos altogether? The next ban should be on Red Heart and other low-quality brands acrylic yarn, which are also petroleum based products... Earth Day appears to have passed without notice in Sin City. Or, perhaps we just benefitted by Mary being on track break that week. At any rate, I wasn’t even aware that it had come, and gone until I read your blog.

I hear San Francisco is going to ban plastic grocery bags ‘made from petroleum products’. quote: ‘Proponent says ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year’. I wonder if that is true, or another lie ‘for the greater good’? How many trees will be cut down to make paper bags instead? And would the loss of oxygen/increase in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the loss of those trees have less of an impact on Mother Earth than that caused by the production and use of petroleum-based grocery bags? Because I find it hard to believe the masses are going to cart a handful of cloth or reusable string bags with them to the grocery store. Paper or plastic, please?

“Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills. The new rules would, however, allow recyclable plastic bags, which are not widely used today.”

And here I though that all the plastic bags in use today were recyclable or at least were photo-degradable.

Here is an interesting statistic. Of course I have no idea if it’s true or not: from the Energy Information Administration website:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwaste/plastics.html

Plastics are not the waste and energy culprits that some people think they are. Plastics are really very energy efficient. It takes 20-40 percent less energy to manufacture plastic grocery bags than paper ones. And, since plastics are lightweight and take up so little space, it is much more efficient to transport them. It takes seven trucks to deliver the same number of paper bags as can be carried in one truckload of plastic bags.

That would make it seem as though San Francisco could save a lot more oil by banning paper bags. Why don’t they just ban SUVs, light trucks and other gas guzzling vehicles (grin). Oh! better yet! Why not just ban all autos altogether?

The next ban should be on Red Heart and other low-quality brands acrylic yarn, which are also petroleum based products…

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