RO/DI units environmentally destructive?

[RL831]

lol you noobs are still using water in your aquariums?

 

lmao

 

Oh...so because Vegas wastes billions of gallons of water a year then it's ok for us to waste a little bit, since our little bit is inconsequential anyway? Or, because I live next to one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world means its okay to waste it?

 

That's our answer? It's okay to waste water because what we waste is small compared to others? Maybe that's why our environment is going to the pits, because most of us think that our small little world has little impact to the rest of the world at large. But it does.

 

Switching topics a bit -- what do people in this Board do to give back to our oceans? Anyone contribute to reef preservation or conservation efforts? If so, which ones?

 

Thanks for humoring me. These are some the things I think about as I look at the little slice of ocean in my living room...which of course is already hypocritical in it of itself. To ease my conscience, I'm a financial supporter of the Coral Reef Alliance (http://www.coralreefalliance.org/), a nonprofit member-supported organization whose mission is to promote sustainable coral reef management and tourism.

 

I don't work for CRA nor do I get anything for plugging them. But if all of us contributed a fraction of what we spent on livestock and equipment to organizations such as these, maybe we'll preserve a little bit of what's left of the oceans for our grandchildren.

 

Human beings are parasites on a planet. All we can do is improve our negative effect on the environment. But I don't think we can ever completely eliminate it. Bottom line is, no matter how much you want to help the environment or no matter how much your concerned about the environment. Your always going to be a parasite that is draining the earth of its resources. But on the other hand, im not saying that you shouldn't think about and help the environment.

[yardboy]

I'm trying to decide if I'm a tick on the butt of the planet, or a yeast infection on the ......uh, I think you know where.

Upping the post count on a "lame" topic!

[Mr. Fosi]

This topic quit being fun once the troll stopped posting.

 

Once it quit being fun it quickly turned to lame. Now we have people on here classifying humans as parasites...

 

Are lichen parasites as well? Can something be a parasite upon a non-living host? I suppose all decomposers would be parasites as well. How about the bacteria that live in desert rock veneers?

 

Nothing like some retarded crap to make up for a boring Monday.

[ezcompany]

This topic quit being fun once the troll stopped posting.

 

Once it quit being fun it quickly turned to lame. Now we have people on here classifying humans as parasites...

 

Are lichen parasites as well? Can something be a parasite upon a non-living host? I suppose all decomposers would be parasites as well. How about the bacteria that live in desert rock veneers?

 

Nothing like some retarded crap to make up for a boring Monday.

 

maybe it came from the GAYA theory...oops GAIA where the earth is one huge living thang~ lol

[Phixion]

Thang?!?

 

Man, there's some crazy theories out there, lol

[sslak]

The bottom line here is extremly simple.

 

We are not taking water off the planet. Ultimately the water we discard (RO/DI passthrough or old saltwater from water changes) will all eventually evaporate, and return to the environment as pure fresh water.

 

That is all.

[pbrael]

Let's assume for the moment that your assumpion regarding non-passed water as "wasted" is true.

 

~4gpw (my aquarium-related usage) adds up 208 gpy, which is less than I use to flush my toilet for a month.

 

If you want to nit-pick about the specks of RO water, here are a few planks for you to chew on: Do you own any manufactured goods? If so, you should think long and hard about the amount of water used and discarded during their manufacture. Think doubly hard if you own anything that was manufactured in China or any other country with lax environmental legislation/enforcement.

 

Do you flush toilets, use a dishwasher, or bathe using potable water? Do you eat any food that was raised by agribusiness?

 

If a person wants to be environmentally-friendly all they have to do is kill themselves. Oh wait... make sure you don't get embalmed or cremated. Plus, you'll release any bio-persistent compounds you may have injested during your life.

 

Bottom line: Anything that humans do, own, drive, ride, create, destroy, or use can be construed to be environmentally destructive. The RO used by aquarists is a drop in the bucket which, if it could be eliminiated likely wouldn't offset the evaporation from the swimming pools and fountains of Las Vegas.

Living in Las Vegas, I totally agree. Plus how many f***** golf courses do we need in the middle of a desert. I don't know the exact count, but I bet its pushing 100 easy. (Steve Wynn has his own Private golf course, how much water does that use?) And the local water authority is concerned about how much water I use in my apartment? Environmental wackos if you ask me.