My Town Is Cutting Down All The Trees :(

Discussion in 'The Environment' started by Laci, Apr 2, 2015.

  1. Laci

    Laci Members

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    Hey there, just saw your post, so sorry for the late reply!

    As far as what my alternative is, I think there's several. First off, the tiny house movement. People can choose to live in smaller homes with a more eco-friendly design. I can't help that there's so many people, but they can help their impact on the planet. Smaller houses won't take up as much space, not to mention how much cheaper they are than regular-sized housing. If we can use less land, more can stay natural and provide a safe and secure habitat for the trees, plants, and wildlife. Communual living is another idea, though it's not everyone's cup of tea.

    Do I think the idea of living in a 600 sq.ft. house would appeal to everyone? No. But I do think that with education and people learning all the positives to living green, they'll open their minds and hearts to it. It's a long-shot, but I'm not hopeless.
     
  2. I'minmyunderwear

    I'minmyunderwear Newbie

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    don't worry about it, that's kind of the nature of forums.

    i had never heard of the tiny house movement. that's interesting. personally, i'm a little too far on the hoarderish end of the spectrum to be able to fit comfortably into a 600 sq ft house, but i could see living in a pretty small place, as long as there was enough distance between my small house and the next one.
     
  3. Aerianne

    Aerianne Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    I've been looking at Tiny Houses. They're amazing but I couldn't do the stairs to the sleeping area. I don't know...maybe once a day when I rise because it's the going down stairs that hurts my bad knee.

    They're inspiring. I realize that I have way too much junk so learning about that lifestyle helps me to get rid of stuff I don't need.

    I saw a chick on the internet who was into Zero Waste. She's amazing. Her blog is awesome. She has one mason jar with trash from two years of her life. That's all the trash she has! http://www.trashisfortossers.com/p/about.html
     
  4. Tyrsonswood

    Tyrsonswood Senior Moment Lifetime Supporter

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    The cabin I had in California was 700 SqFt



    Now I have over 2500 not including basement and attached garage. My bedroom is 700+
     
  5. Laci

    Laci Members

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    I'm also a bit of a hoarder...I tend to think, "I need to keep this! I'm going to throw this away, and then eventually I'm going to need it and regret it. I'll just find a place to store it." Lately I've gotten better about it, only trying to get what I need and buying second-hand all that I can. Goodwill is the bomb :)

    My boyfriend and I are thinking about a tiny house. They can cost as little as $2000 to build, and you can build a larger one for $5,000-$25,000. I read about a couple from a local university that build theirs for $500 and by using eco-friendly building, they only pay about $200/year for utilities. That's a great deal! I have a cozy-snuggly type personality, so I'm all about a cottage-style house. You just have to know how to stay out of eachother's way and give people the space you need. If anything, it gives you that incentive to turn off the TV and go outside.

    Speaking of which, the local children were on spring break last week and I saw so many outside playing. I was proud of them for not having their nose stuck in video games :) Now they're back in school and I miss seeing them all and hearing their laughter. Luckily I live in a neighborhood where everyone is elderly and walks their dogs all the time, so plenty of four-legged cuties out and about :D
     
  6. Laci

    Laci Members

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    There are actually one-story tiny houses :) They're super cute. As for stairs, there's always a chair lift :D I've always wanted one, haha.

    I'm going to check out that website- I can't believe her trash of two years can fit in a mason jar! WOW!
     
  7. Laci

    Laci Members

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    Have any pictures you could share with us? Sounds beautiful!
     
  8. Tyrsonswood

    Tyrsonswood Senior Moment Lifetime Supporter

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    Check my profile...
     
  9. Wizardofodd

    Wizardofodd Senior Member

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    Laci.....I'll give you my point of view as a fellow Iowan and pro-environmental person but also a businessman who is regularly asked to bid the exact work you're unhappy about. We live relatively close to each other. I live near Ames, have family in Iowa City and extended family in North Liberty.

    The first thing I want to say is that, at 17, you can actually make a difference. You just have to go about it the right way. Holding protests, unless they are massive, will not change anything. A few phone calls or letters won't do anything. You have to organize your approach and be civil. Business deals are not really done at city council meetings. They are voted on but most people already have a sense of how the vote will go because....the people lobbying the vote are organized. They have connections. Things have been discussed. These things are decided behind closed doors. That's what you have to figure out how to do if you want to make a difference. You need to know the right people. You also need to be less emotional and more business-like. Articulate your points well. Realize that the people you oppose don't have to be the enemy. You can make them allies if you can find mutual interests...and you can if you look hard enough. If you can frame it as mutual interests...you will get much further in your quest. You want friends...not opponents...even if you disagree. So....we can disagree but we can still figure something out over a round of golf and a couple of beers. That's how it works much of the time. How do we both win? You're going to get what you give so be serious, informed, unemotional on the surface and be prepared to make concessions to close a deal. Know what each concession means to your plan. You're not going to get everything you want when millions of dollars are on the line. You might not get anything but you may get something if you can give them a viable alternative in a civil manner.
     
    2 people like this.
  10. Aerianne

    Aerianne Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    Wiz is right.

    You might want to try to negotiate them leaving some park areas with trees...for their children and grandchildren...most of them will have a soft spot for their offspring.
     
  11. Laci

    Laci Members

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    I definitely hear ya out on that.

    Like I said, I don't expect them to stop what they're doing. The town is growing fast, people need places to live, the trees go down, houses go up. It is what it is. But I definitely do feel that something should be done, even if it is leaving some nature areas.

    I grew up learning marketing from my mom who worked in healthcare and came to love activism- marketing my opinion to make a difference. I think it'll be great to make some connections and get with the right people. I did contact the conservation society locally and I'm hoping they can get me in touch with different people, and then I've also looked into other resources. I'm happy with compromise if it's the best I can get out of it.

    @Wizard, perhaps we'll have to meet up some time for tea and discussion :)
     
  12. Wizardofodd

    Wizardofodd Senior Member

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    For the record...I get bid requests for this kind of stuff in the mail all the time from different cities, counties, etc. They go in the garbage. Someone has to put them in front of me but no....we have no interest in involving ourselves in any of this. We don't even bother bidding it.
     
  13. Logan 5

    Logan 5 Confessed gynephile Lifetime Supporter

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    Laci, they don't understand that they can't eat asphalt nor can they breath car exhaust. Well, yeah. They could. But we know what those will do.
    They envision growth as success, and success as growth, failing to see that when they are successful, they could outgrow their success and then drop back to where they werre before, except with the growth they failed to manage, they now have a beast that will suck the community coffers dry.

    Just as we are dealing with this alleged global climate change, we have people like these city folks you're telling us about that are cutting down the very tool for fighting the climate changes. Compare it to a garden. If you do not plant carefully, you have no recourse but to harvest what grows, no matter how good or bad it may be.
     
  14. Ajay0

    Ajay0 Guest

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    This is true in my own city as well, which is fast developing. However what is ridiculous is that these activities are happening even with the tangible shifts and changes in weather patterns which bode ominous. It is sad that the authorities are focussed on development at the cost of trees and plants, even when unnatural weather phenomena is happening right in front of them, and people are feeling the heat.

    Presidents and prime ministers of the world are attending international conferences on global warming but failing to take appropriate action at the lower levels.

    Every tree should now be accounted for , and anyone cutting a single one should be arrested and jailed. Things should be brought to that level to arrest the rapid warming of the planet which can bring about an economic disaster later on worldwide. Extreme problems require extreme solutions, and preventing the cutting of any tree for the next 20 years and criminalising such activity is a good step in this regard.
     
  15. Meliai

    Meliai Banned

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    Since this thread was necroposted, I thought I would offer another perspective

    My city/metro area is one of the fastest growing in the country and while I have spent years mourning the loss of rural areas there are some benefits.

    In terms of the natural world the river that runs through town and into the southern part of the county has been cleaned up, the power company is being forced to remove thousands of pounds of coal ash from another nearby river, the downtown area has built a huge park around the first river I mentioned, and is building another, even bigger park nearby so now downtown is home to green space that wouldnt exist without the growth. Also with the population influx more people are coming in who will fight for environmental regulations in order to preserve the natural beauty of their community, who will support strict zoning laws so the growth isnt chaotic and damaging, and will support nearby state parks, etc
     
  16. TheGreatShoeScam

    TheGreatShoeScam Members

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    It should be illegal the "cul de sacs" chop and pave everything.

    Most of the woods where I grew up they turned into this kind of atrocity.

    [​IMG]
     

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