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Is there a way to index the tax based on how fuel efficient the car is (as in less money for more fuel efficient cars), or based on where the driving occurs (as in less money for rural driving where alternative transportation modes are unavailable)?

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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I spend some time picking out sparkling wine bottles from the yellow containers on the curb. One thing I'm noticing is that about one out of ten people seem to still sort their stuff according to the old rules (separating paper from plastic from cans).

I think a fair percentage of folks are recycling in a very reactionary mode, believing that it will "save the planet". I think we (as consumers) need to become more sophisticated in our understanding of how recycling happens.

(I agree with the comments about plastic. Try going a week without buying anything that's wrapped in plastic. It's harder than being a vegan kosher locavore. Really!)

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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The plunge in the commodities market points out that there's more to recycling than sorting your garbage and setting it out on the curb. Each one of us can help alleviate the problem by reducing consumption and focusing on re-using the stuff we already have.

Regarding ewaste, there's a wonderful organization called Free Geek, http://freegeek.org, that gives away free computers to volunteers and non-profits, as well as sells refurbished computers for real cheap. Or you can learn to fix your own, or recruit the geeky kid down the street to help you maintain your computer.

This has the net effect of reducing your footprint on the environment, and also turns out to be a cheaper option during the recession.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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