mteb/BrightProSustainableLivingRetrieval huggingface dataset:
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 environmentally friendly?

Each material has a method of production, a supply chain and equipment and fuel and waste involved. Wood is the most renewable resource, as the wood can regrow and forests provide lots of benefits. Depending on forest management, the supply chain and overall effects of using the wood might not even be bad, aside from probably using tons of fossil fuels if it's not an artisan craft.

Plastic and metal on the other hand both require more extensive processing I imagine, and both are less renewable resources. Metal is finite (though plentiful for many types) and I imagine more costly environmentally to mine and extract vs. growing, living forests. Plastic is not only using fossil fuels in production processes, but also in the very materials plastics are made up of.

In terms of environmentally friendly, there are a lot of angles to look at it. Lower impact on air quality, less net carbon in atmosphere, socio-economic aspects of production and supply chain, environmental externalities (positive and negative) from the different material options.
How can ceramics be recycled?

How can ceramics be recycled? Does the answer vary greatly depending on glaze or other factors, and if so, how can those factors be determined (i.e. how can I tell if a glaze contains lead or not)?

My municipality says ceramics and pottery should either be re-used somehow (e.g. ceramic tiles donated if unneeded) but otherwise should be discarded as trash. I've read about how broken pottery, if it cannot be repurposed, could be smashed up and restored to clay which can either be absorbed by soil/compost or re-used for new pottery. I don't know much about pottery though, and I imagine that 'break down to raw materials' approach is only appropriate for certain types of pottery finishing. For example, if a ceramic was finished with a lead-containing glaze, I wouldn't want to add that to compost which would go to my vegetable garden and I probably shouldn't add that to any soil fill in any case. Also, breaking down any glazed ceramic back to dust would result in not just regular clay but also the glaze, which I imagine is a mixture not as suitable for making pottery.
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 rid of food scraps has always been a problem for me. While I do try to be as thoughtful as possible when I have time (turn orange peel into candy, use tea and coffee grains as colorants etc), most of the scraps will still go directly into trash. I know there are ways to compost at home, but I don't have enough dedication or room to do that.

How much damage are my actions causing to the environment compared to throwing away the same amount of unrecycled plastic, glass and metal? I always thought that since compostable things are not toxic and are of organic nature, they will fairly quickly decompose anyway and not cause significant environmental damage, regardless of whether they end up in landfill or are burned.
Can the heat generated in a data center be used to heat households and offices?

I've just read the article Microsoft sinks a data center off the Scottish coast (The Verge, 6 June 2018)

I understand that the cooling of a data center is a problem. Data centers produce huge amounts of heat, and they have to run at normal temperatures, otherwise the hardware gets damaged. The cooling is much easier when there is a lot of cool water available, so most data centers are built in countries with a cool climate.

But at the same time, the countries with a cool climate consume a lot of energy to warm up water for their heatings.

Why does Microsoft experiment with a data center under sea, instead of using the data center's warm water to heat surrounding buildings? There are similar solutions in other areas, e.g. combined heat and power facilities with district heating schemes.

I've found some articles about data centers involved in district heating, but I'm wondering why this isn't done more often. Are there any obstacles, hidden costs, or other problems (like, keeping the location of the data center a secret)?
What is the environmental impact of meal kit subscriptions (Blue Apron, etc)?

According to Wikipedia, a meal-kit is...

...a subscription service that sends customers pre-portioned food ingredients and recipes for them to prepare homecooked meals.

Well-known examples include Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and Green Chef. These kits include single meal portions of meats, produce, and seasonings, typically assuming that customers will only have at home such basics as oil, salt, and water.

One claimed advantage to such services is reduced food waste -- each kit contains the exact amount of all perishable ingredients needed for the recipe, meaning there's no excess produce to spoil once the meal is made.

However, the entire thing requires boxes, ice packs, and plastic packaging -- not all of which is recyclable.

For now, let's ignore the question of home delivery vs going to stores. My question is:

Do meal-kits reduce total food waste?
Do meal-kits increase the amount of packaging waste produced per meal?
Finally, is the (assumed) reduced food waste enough to offset the (assumed) increase in packaging?
In which cities "free" public transportation generated positive impact, no impact or negative impact to sustainability?

In Europe there are discussions about free public transportation to reduce pollution in cities. Even when in Germany first attempts failed due to economical and political arguments, the discussion about it is not yet finished.

Initially I was looking for cities that have introduced "free public transport" to estimate in a second step what impact it might have had on sustainability of the respective ambient (e.g. consumption of area for streets and parking, climate in cities, pollution on fruits from urban gardening, life style in general, mobility, animals in cities, total energy consumption, ability to electrify transport systems, etc.).

In the meantime I discovered lists of cities where "free public transport" was introduced, not knowing whether these lists are complete. Free public transport cities 1 and Free public transportation cities 2. The further link points to some Pros and Cons. But they do not cover all aspects of sustainability, focussing rather more on general political, economical or social aspects Free public transport.

Hope this question now fits to this community.
Can a bag of non-organic potatoes that have gone bad be used to mulch an organic garden?

I have a big bag of potatoes I bought that aren't organic and I didn't eat all of them. They have reached a point where they really aren't worth the trouble to use for food. Can I cut them up and use them to fertilize/mulch my organic garden without contradicting USDA Organic standards? It would seem like such a waste to simply throw them in the trash.
How much, if any, does resolution effect the net power consumption of watching online video?

I watch a lot of online video. I'd assume that for example videos on Youtube in 720p use less power than the same videos in 1080p. I think this might be because:

more power is used by sending network to read more data and then send it
more power is used by intermediate network (internet) to transfer more data
more power is used on my end to recieve data
more power is used on my end to actually render the video
However, I have nothing to back up my theory. I've heard the most likely incorrect rumour that one Google search uses the equivalent of boiling one litre of water, so I'm guessing it might be significant.

Is there a difference? How much?
Why the eco-friendly soy ink is not abundent on the market?

From time to time I see on different papers "Printed with eco-friendly ink," so I assume that it is the soy-based ink. I have read a bit about it, and the opinions about soy-ink being eco-friendly are split, but I would say that it's definitely better than oil-based, as it contains less volatile substances.

Then I wanted to buy one for my printer and... surprise! I cannot really find a trustworthy website (in my opinion) where one can buy it. Now my question is... Why? Why don't we see an abundance of such eco-friendly solutions? And where do the manufacturers of eco-friendly printouts find it? Or is it just a marketing text without any cover? Is there any label that can vouch for that?
Does responsible living leave more space to unresponsible living?

It looks to me that the efforts I'm doing to make my living more sustainable are worthless.

Indeed, when some of us make efforts to lower energy consumption, doesn't it only leave harvestable resources for the others at lower price (because of market law "offer & demand" making prices)?

If too many others have no clue how harmful they are for future generation, and only consume more because it is cheaper, is there any point making any effort in the direction of sustainability?
How environmentally friendly is palm oil with a certified organic label?

I'm trying to reduce my consumption of palm oil because palm oil production is responsible for deforestation, large forest fires and loss of biodiversity. The problem is that palm oil is present in many food and non-food products under many different names and it's sometimes difficult to find a good alternative.

When I can't find an alternative product without palm oil, I try to find one with a Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Standard (RSPO) label because I know it's somewhat better than non-certified products. Even if RSPO standards are low it's probably the best label there is. It's more strict than the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Standard (ISPO) and the Malaysian Palm Oil Standard (MSPO), at least according to this comparison. Unfortunately products with a RSPO label are scarce where I live (The Netherlands / Europe), but there are quite a lot of products with certified organic palm oil.

My question is: how environmentally friendly is organic palm oil, certified according to EU regulations? How does it compare to RSPO-certified oil and to products without any label?
Are building certificates under EU Directive 2002/91/EC, such as EPC, Energieausweis, DPE, directly comparable between EU countries?

Implementing Directive 2002/91/EC, the UK have the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), Belgium has the Energieprestatiecertificaat (EPC), Germany has Energieausweis, France has Diagnostic de performance énergétique (DPE), etc. All are graded A-G. Can they be directly compared?

For example, I rent a studio in England with an EPC which states a typical consumption of 354 kWh/m²/yr and classifies it as C. But on a Belgian real estate site I find homes with 205 kWh/m²/yr and D, 140 kwH/m²/yr and C, or 280 kWh/m²/yr and F, and the French Wikipedia would place 354 kWh/m²/yr in grade F. This Swedish certificate describes that new housing in Sweden must use at most 50 kWh/m²/yr, which there is apparently class C, even though Sweden is much colder than Belgium, France, or the UK.

I imagine it's not entirely fair to compare absolute heating costs between different climates. Is there a common system that defines the A-G scale?

Article 7

Energy performance certificate

Member States shall ensure that, when buildings are constructed, sold or rented out, an energy performance certificate is made available to the owner or by the owner to the prospective buyer or tenant, as the case might be. The validity of the certificate shall not exceed 10 years.
Certification for apartments or units designed for separate use in blocks may be based:

on a common certification of the whole building for blocks with a common heating system, or

on the assessment of another representative apartment in the same block.

Member States may exclude the categories referred to in Article 4(3) from the application of this paragraph.

The energy performance certificate for buildings shall include reference values such as current legal standards and benchmarks in order to make it possible for consumers to compare and assess the energy performance of the building. The certificate shall be accompanied by recommendations for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance.
The objective of the certificates shall be limited to the provision of information and any effects of these certificates in terms of legal proceedings or otherwise shall be decided in accordance with national rules.

Member States shall take measures to ensure that for buildings with a total useful floor area over 1000 m2 occupied by public authorities and by institutions providing public services to a large number of persons and therefore frequently visited by these persons an energy certificate, not older than 10 years, is placed in a prominent place clearly visible to the public.
The range of recommended and current indoor temperatures and, when appropriate, other relevant climatic factors may also be clearly displayed.
Can pumped water energy storage be combined with rainwater harvesting?
A recent question on what to do with harvested rainwater got me thinking about pumped energy storage systems. Since both systems require storage of water for later use, is there a cost-effective way in which the two could be combined? Specifically in small-scale applications (farms, rural communities, campuses) where rooftops are already available for rainwater harvesting.

As background, pumped energy storage involves pumping water to an elevated storage reservoir when energy is cheap and plentiful (excess wind, low demand, unused solar, etc) then letting it run through a turbine to generate power at times of low supply.

Some ideas about how this might work:

Rain water caught on the roofs of tall and/or elevated buildings could flow through a turbine (generating power) to shorter/lower reservoirs where it could be used for irrigation or other purposes
Overhead water tanks could be fitted with solar panels to drive pumps bringing up rain water from lower rooftops, where it would later be flowed through a turbine to provide power
A reservoir or tank could be built near a community or farm requiring water. Wind or solar power could pump water into the tank. When water is needed it could be flowed through a turbine
Have any such systems been implemented? Could it be cost-effective, or would it simply over-complicate things?
What is the environmental impact of toilet paper processed at a water treatment plant?

After toilet paper is flushed down a toilet and it goes to a water treatment plant, what happens next?

Does it decompose, if so what gasses are released? Is the carbon sequestered in any significant way?
Is it present in a solid form in the outflow of the treatment plant? (i.e. in to the sea?) Does that affect wildlife?
What, if anything, is consumed as it is processed? (e.g. are chemicals consumed)
I see there is a questions about alternatives to toilet paper. I'd like to understand the impacts of using it. Of course there is the impact of its production, transportation, etc, but I think that is a separate question.
How many hours a day would you have to pedal to generate enough electricity for your apartment?

The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever invented in terms of energy conversion.

The idea of converting the energy produced by exercise machines to electricity is hardly new.

Now suppose that your family's house (or apartment) were equipped with a generator, a stationary bike connected to it, and a number of rechargeable batteries.

With four people living in the house with the standard complement of amenities (i.e. two bedrooms, two laptop computers, one TV, one stove, one water heater for the bathroom, air conditioning, heat, eight light fixtures, one phone charger):

... how long would an average person have to pedal to generate enough electricity for one day?

(Should the answer be "Impossibly long," what could be improved: the bike, the generator, or the batteries?)
Renting solar panels in another state

I live in Pennsylvania in the United States. Due to a combination of frequent overcast days, potential storm damage, and my wife not wanting to cover up our recently-rebuilt roof, I'm not able to install my own solar panels, but I remembered seeing an article about a company that was essentially letting one invest in solar panels installed in sunnier states like California and Arizona (specifically ones built on rooftops there). I visited the company's website and thought I'd bookmarked it, but I cannot find the link anymore.

Do such resources currently exist? Have they proven economically feasible?
Composting used white shredded paper

I happen to have a lot of white used paper (with black ink on it, either from a printer or a pen), and also a very wet compost bin (I guess it's because my soil is heavy clay and the drainage is quite poor).

My thought was: I buy a paper shredder, I shred the paper that I have/produce and use it to make my compost pile dryer, by adding it little by little.

Is it safe (in terms of soil/plant health) to compost white used paper with ink on it?

Thanks!
How good is it to reuse water from plant pots?

I'm living in an apartment, and after I water my plants the water goes to plates below the pots. The pots are in a metallic structure above the plates, so I can take the plates to reuse the water (throwing it at the plants again).

This reuse seems beneficial, because I think I can get rid of mosquitoes that would reproduce in the stagnated water. And also some nutrients of the soil (as well as earthworms) can return to the vase.

Is there some negative points in doing that?
Sustainability of wood pellet sources for biomass boiler

We're considering a biomass boiler for our guesthouse (1820 vintage with corresponding energy issues). The opportunity to reduce gas usage and the economics of the RHI scheme in the UK (a sort-of feed-in tariff for logs) would seem to make this a no-brainer choice.

However, word-of-mouth comments question whether the source of wood pellets for the boiler is itself very sustainable.

Does anyone have any reliable references or pointers where I can learn more about this?
Does bokashi bran expire?

We've bought a house and found half a large tub of bokashi bran in the basement. This puzzled us a while as we'd never heard of the process, but a little Googling enlightened us. We've also got some bins, also left by the previous owners so we're interested in giving it a go.

We've no idea how old the kit is. Given the state of the bins (found under an archaeological layer of rubbish) and the wormery (well past it and the wooden lid rotted) I'd say it's probably been some years since any composting method was tried here.

Does the bran expire? It's been kept in cool dry conditions in a reasonable tub with a lid (loosely) on.
What method is best to gather energy?

Backstory: I dream everyday of running from society, setting up a little farm with my husband, and being free to enjoy nature. However, I love the internet and don't want to lose access. It's much better than owning 100+ books.

My only obstacle is generating electricity to run the computer. I don't want a power line going to my future home. I don't even want people be able to find my house from the highway.

The region I live in is not very windy, and has winter conditions basically 4-5 months of the year. I've been doing tons of research and both solar panels and those wind fan things won't do that well here. The area I'm interested in has several rivers that I'm not sure how to harness.

Question: Is there any way to generate energy that would do well in a wind-free valley setting with long winters?
More uses for bacon grease

We (my family) consume good amounts of bacon which produce a lot of bacon grease. I don't like wasting anything that I could reuse or repurpose, including this.
I use this byproduct in many different ways, including:

cooking. Filtered it can be used in cooking other foods or greasing the pans.
pet food. Mixed with other foods, it is a good addition to the animals' diet.
lubricant. Good for certain tools, or snow sleds.
candles. Good source of light while camping or in the back yard.
I'd like to find out more uses, if any, of this "unwanted" byproduct, the bacon grease.
More sustainable mosquito repellants

Having already looked at more sustainable ways of preventing mosquitos, this is a question on living with the remaining ones without getting bitten so much. What methods are there to avoid getting bitten. I have tried Zodia. This is big around Jakarta. Contrary to popular belief, mosquitos don't seemed to be bothered by the presence of the plant. However, when I lightly dust the leaves against my skin, I don't get bit and the effect lasts all night. In other words, the plant does not appear to drive away mosquitos but it does appear to interfere with their feeding on blood. The big downside is that I can smell it all night long. So far this has been the best success.

Are there any other plants I should be looking at (preferably that are available in tropical areas)?
Could global shift toward vegetarianism be a big step in solving food, water, health, ecological, and economical crises?

Some people, like myself, made a conscious decision to exclude various animal products from their diets, believing that this is an inevitable requirement if our species intends to live on Earth sustainably in the numbers we exist today.

I am aware of the following ways how vegetarianism / veganism benefits the Earth and humans who inhabit it:

it reduces our carbon footprint and contributes towards tackling the climate change.
due to a significant energy loss when moving up the food chain (about 90% is lost), consuming the primary producers of food (photosynthesizing plants, algae, etc.) seems to be an effective way of solving the global food crisis, which is caused by a rapid growth of human population that consumes at an ever faster rate the limited resources of the Earth.
it reduces the amount of pollution associated with livestock, such as air and water pollution. For example, agricultural runoff, among other things, causes eutrophication of water bodies and death of marine organisms. This can be viewed as a conservation and biodiversity issue.
it reduces deforestation, because large areas of forests are being destroyed to grow crops that are eaten by livestock.
it reduces soil erosion associated with overgrazing by cattle.
it addresses the growing concern in increase of antibiotic-resistant strains of human pathogens, which is associated with the use of antibiotics for livestock, compromising its effectiveness for humans.
I want to answer the question whether practices of vegetariansim or veganism, if implemented by the majority of the world population, could conceivably have a significant and positive effect on the issues outlined above or even solve them altogether. I am particularly interested in evaluating the consequences that such a change might have -- are there any potential negatives in moving entirely to plant farming?

To avoid making your answer an opinion, let me suggest you to focus on existing surveys and modeling, or back-up your opinion with data.
How can I estimate the gas usage of a pilot light?

Can anyone provide a method to estimate the gas flow rate to sustain a pilot light, using just the apparent size (flame width and length) and reasonable assumptions for things like gas line pressure?

Note that we have our gas (propane) delivered, not continuously metered, so no response that amounts to "don't use any other gas, and see how much is used" is going to work. I can't go days or weeks not using gas :).

Once I have a flow rate for the pilot light, in addition to determining the actual gas use per time period, I will convert it to equivalent energy units with electricity and compare it to other "vampire" or continuous baseline loads.