Dumb people and the environment

My biggest beef with the environmental craze that's going on right now is how mis-information and dis-information is everywhere. There are so many people out there who haven't thought things through and spout out a load of crap as fact.

The "green revolution" is a perfect example of Quantum Bogodynamics where Bogons and Cluons are interacting - and in my opinion the Bogons out number the Cluons 10:1 right now.

Example 1 - "Tap Water is unsafe, dontchaknow?"
I have a co-worker who started a conversation taking the position that city run tap water is unsafe because the recently published report on pharmaceutical chemicals discovered in tap water of several US cities. Being married to a hydro-geologist (aka. water geologist, aka. ground water scientist) I am privy to her complete confidence in city run water treatment.

Aforementioned co-worker was of the opinion - nay - the conviction that his well water is "pure" because he "got one of those expensive lab tests done" and everything passed.

Thing is - the city of Ottawa performs over 125,000 tests per year on over 350 different parameters while his well is tested, what, once per year? Check the report yourself.

And don't even get me started on bottled water vs. tap water (hint - they're the same thing).

Example 2 - "Compact fluorescent lamps are not better for the environment"
Same co-worker. His argument was:

1. CFL's don't produce as much heat, increases the heating bill
2. CFL's have mercury in them and are hazardous - "think of the children"
3. Hazardous material waste disposal requires going to a landfill - burning fossil fuel
4. Hazardous material waste days at the landfill are busy - everyone's cars are idling - burning fossil fuel
5. When he went to the HazMat day, the line up took "so long" that he just left is HazMat at the side of the road and left
6. The city should collect hazardous waste are the road side so he doesn't have to make the trip.

My responses:

1. Every dollar spend heating our house using electrical resistance would cost you $0.40 (approx) in natural gas.
2. The CFLs last for 5 years. Incandescents last for 1. Mercury and other heavy metals are recycled because they are valuable.
3. Hazardous material water disposal is a once every 5 year occurrence for most households (sometimes never, thanks to hardware store drop-offs). Don't complain about something you do once every 5 years with proper storage - "go when you have enough to make it worth the trip"
4. See response #3. If you only go once every 5 years, suck it up.
5. His fifth point revokes is right to talk to me
6. The city should also pay someone to wipe the poo from my bum so I don't have to do it. But that would not be cost effective. The same argument applies to his point.

Round 2.

Him:

1. I like soft incandescent light.
2. I have a chandelier that don't take standard type-2 bulb sizes - do I have to buy a new chandelier?

Me:

1. CFLs exist with softer, diffused light so solve this problem. We don't live in an autocratic society - shelve your bleeding hart.
2. CFLs exist on all the same socket sizes as conventional incandescents.

End result:

He still thinks "the man" is out to get him. I still think he others like him will eventually out-breed people like me.