Environmental impact of paper Puns

Maybe 10000x? I have no idea but it seems like an astronomically massive burden on the environment.

Obviously everyone has seen the trend of switching to paper straws. A trend based solely on the over sensationalized “turtle with a straw in its nose” pictures. The fact of the matter is, removing ALL plastic straws form the earth would remove a fraction of a fraction of the plastic pollution in our oceans.

I don’t view the advantages gained from paper straws worth the general unpleasantness of paper straws. They get soggy and lose all structural integrity after about 5 minutes all while making whatever you’re drinking taste like cardboard.

tl;dr:

Paper straws suck, bring back plastic

Update: everyone has given such amazing advice and support- thank you!

I’m not looking for “you shouldn’t have a child”, but ways to practice zero waste/environmental consciousness. Any parents able to weigh in? I have already considered reusable diapers, wipes, and making/storing my own baby food. Not due til August so I have time to start incorporating new practices! Thanks!

I think the folks who read this will be like yeah duh this is the point of this sub, but hear me out.

I have a BS in environmental policy and a MS in sustainability management. In my undergraduate years, I had the typical awakening that I think most college kids have where they learn how the world truly works. What left the strongest impression on me was the relentless ecological damage humans have done, climate change, mistreatment of humans and animals, waste, corporate greed, and financial gain at all costs. I came all the way from an idealist/activist person working at a nonprofit, to getting a MS to understand business management so I can one day help the private sector reduce their negative environmental and social impacts. Still job hunting 1 year later...

I now think of all manufactured objects and buildings through a life cycle assessment lens. All the energy, water, materials, and waste that have gone into providing goods and services. Was this good or service provided to me in the most sustainable way? Am I supporting unethical treatment of workers? A bad company? A corrupt CEO? How much of the natural landscape and ocean was impacted by this supply chain? What happens when it breaks, can I repair it or do I send it to the landfill for eternity? Will it actually be recycled?

As a result I've become so anti-consumption I have a hard time accepting gifts, and feel like I'm hurting people when I tell them not to get me gifts. I get depressed and cynical when I see ads on tv for anything you're meant to buy. I hate receiving free swag from special events or clubs. There are definitely benefits as I don't buy as much stuff, have less clutter, and save money.

But what I didn't expect was that this "awakening" I had in college affected how I view all other industries, institutions, and businesses. Anything mainstream lost its charm and glow, and all that remained was the hollow marketing message trying to sell me on a mood and a lifestyle. Big blockbuster movie with hugely popular actors (e.g. John Wick), mainstream, basic and boring. NFL and NBA games? Mainstream, basic, and boring. Flying to a beach vacation? Crocs? Boozy brunch? Weekend in Vegas? Social media is now well known for being problematic in all kinds of ways, but I was feeling conflicted using Facebook and Instagram back in 2014. Mainstream, basic, and boring. AND bad for your mental health. The same skepticism I had for manufactured goods in terms of their environmental footprint, w

Oh I know, let’s cut down a ton of trees and make some heavily processed paper so people can “hide” stuff in it. Then almost immediately, it gets ripped up and thrown in the trash. As if our consumerism/materialism isn’t bad enough on its own...

Hi Reddit,

My name is Albert Ko and I am a Professor at Yale School of Public Health. My research focuses on identifying solutions for health problems that have emerged as a consequence of rapid urbanization, social inequity and the growth of slum settlements. I am joined by my colleague, Federico Costa, who is an Associate Professor at the Universidade Federal da Bahia in Brazil. His research centers on how the ecology of the slum communities influences the disease emergence and transmission in such environments.

Federico and I recently published a study, titled "Global Mortality and Morbidity of Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review", in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. This study estimated the health burden caused by leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that is transmitted by rats, livestock and other animals in environments that lack basic sanitation. We found that leptospirosis accounts for one million cases and 60,000 deaths each year, most of which occur in regions where its impact on subsistence farmers, pastoralists and slum dwellers has been “neglected”. Furthermore, the burden of leptospirosis is projected to rise as the global expansion of shantytowns and climate change-associated extreme weather events create the environmental conditions for intensified transmission.

We invite you to ask questions about leptospirosis, and how changes in the world’s demographics and environment are creating new health challenges and neglected diseases which impart their greatest impact on vulnerable populations.

We'll be taking your questions at 1pm ET (10 am PT, 6 pm UTC) -- Ask Us Anything!

NOTE from PLOS: Albert and Federico are presenting at a conference in Brazil today, and will answer questions as they are able, sometimes before or after the 1-2pm ET live chat hour.

Examples: Production of food, medicine, toys, durable goods… Disruption/extinction of native species. Waste and landfills Etc etc etc

This question came to me while thinking of all the gift wrapping and unwrapping that will take place today. A lot of gift wrap is now made of recycled paper and also encourages you to recycle it once it's served its purpose. But can this paper be recycled and reused indefinitely, or at some point will the original material be so broken down that you can no longer reconstitute paper from it? And even if you're not cutting down trees to make new paper, it still requires resources to recycle. So is recycling really helping the environment?

Thanks and Happy Holidays.

Lithium ion and lithium polymer are the most common batteries used today in EVs. With the increase in EV production, how does lithium mining’s carbon footprint and overall environmental impact compare to traditional petroleum based cars?

Heres the first study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348005008_Life_Cycle_Assessment_of_Beverage_Packaging/fulltext/604dd10292851c2b23c98f26/Life-Cycle-Assessment-of-Beverage-Packaging.pdf?origin=publication_detail

and to quote the conclusion:

"The results found that in each category there was a less impactful beverage packaging than plastic bottles. In the Pressurised Beverage Category, 100% recycled aluminium cans would be the least impactful option, in the Fruit Juice Beverage Category Tetra Pak would be the least impactful option and in the Milk Beverage Category milk cartons would be the least impactful option."

Heres another one done on wine containers:

https://www.alko.fi/INTERSHOP/static/WFS/Alko-OnlineShop-Site/-/Alko-OnlineShop/fi_FI/Tavarantoimittajille/Muut/EN/Alko%20wine%20packaging%20LCA%20update_final%20report.pdf

And another one on aluminum containers:

https://www.alko.fi/INTERSHOP/static/WFS/Alko-OnlineShop-Site/-/Alko-OnlineShop/fi_FI/pdf_t/Muut%20pdf_t/Alko-Aluminium-bottle-CO2-calculation-Final-report.pdf

From what I've read it appears that l glass far from bring the solution, Despite the popular perception. But Please read more And if needed challenge this conclusion. As of now, I've read a portion of the text contents of the studies, and all of the conclusions, So I advise everyone to read the entire thing.

I see so many people not checking what research says when choosing sustainable packaging and making posts about it, which has lead to people seeing glass as somehow the sustainable option. Well, for drink packging, neither of them appear to be the sustainable option.

The third Source also covers aluminium cans recycling rates across countries. This impacts the sustainability score of aluminium cans, as less recycling means significantly higher impacts.

--

In light of these findings and Due to the complexity of Tetrapak packaging (several layers), I invite everyone to dig really deep on this topic. Search more. Find relevant studies both on Google and Google scholar. There might be studies linked on Wikipedia I'm pages about different kinds of packaging.

Which ever is in the end the least unsustainable, it appears to me that glass bottles are off that list.

Conclusion:

As always, the most sustainable option is simply to not to buy any drinks in the shop, and instead consume tap water. This is what we should be doing more often, if your local supply isnt poisoned (arsenic or smth,)

I

...to a teacher who just married a cattle rancher. Wish me luck!

In recent months, in a time of growing concern for the climate crisis, the energy crisis and chip shortages, I've noticed that crypto mining (especially Bitcoin mining) is getting increasingly criticized by media outlets, and in some case it's been limited or even banned by a number of governments:

• Will industrial-scale bitcoin mining impact the environment?
• Crypto-miners are probably to blame for the graphics-chip shortage
• China’s crypto ban could free up more energy than Finland uses in a year
• Crypto Miners Are Worsening Kazakhstan’s Energy Crisis
• Norway Considers Backing Swedish Crypto Mining Ban

On the other hand, the crypto industry, Bitcoin miners and other media outlets have reacted by claiming that an increasing share of the energy used for mining is coming from renewable sources, and that mining isn't the environmental danger the media is depicting:

• Bitcoin mining isn’t nearly as bad for the environment as it used to be, new data shows
• Chip Shortage Around The World - Is Crypto To Blame?

In the meantime, many crypto projects are somehow capitalizing on people's concerns by presenting themselves as eco-friendly alternatives to crypto:

• The 15 Most Sustainable Cryptocurrencies for 2021

What's going on, then?

Is Bitcoin mining a serious threat to the environment and to our energy supply?

Or is it just scaremongering?

Let's discuss.