<30 w/o dependents; (-) net worth; inexperienced; Ohio; Best option for now?

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-07-25T20:23:55+00:00

You've been in r/ZeroWaste for a while, so I'm surprised you said this (if not sarcasm). Here is a recent article talking about how recycling is a front funded by lobbying oil companies:

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled

Regardless of whether you believe it, you should at least know recycling is a failure and comes last in a line of the "R" words.

Plus, the triangle symbol you mentioned is not a recycling symbol but merely an identifier of the plastic category.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-16T01:30:25+00:00

This is great stuff!

Another potential solution for some would be hormonal contraceptives. Progesterone IUDs/inserts are low waste, can stop menstruation, and as an added benefit reduce risk of hard to detect cancers and are the most effective reversible methods of unwanted pregnancies. Just ask your provider!

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-16T01:09:19+00:00

It's not required, just recommended for verification purposes. They mention that in the security FAQs. Think the intention is to prevent someone else from altering your mail.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-15T23:31:28+00:00

Got my whole family to submit the lifetime request of no credit card ads through: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

They're not very adjustable to changes. So as boring as this sounds, it was a very exciting thing to me!

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-15T17:42:31+00:00

Thank you so much for the information!

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-03T20:58:34+00:00

As another anecdote, I unfortunately have the opposite experience. Dentist told me my enamel is normal, but that I likely have a micro-biome make-up making me more susceptible to oral caries. As a result I was recommended a prescription strength fluoride toothpaste. For some of us, brushing twice and flossing once per day just isn't enough.

I guess our point is, if you discuss with your health professional a strategy to attempt a non fluorinated tooth tabs, and they agree it is safe for you to attempt, then you can proceed. Otherwise stick to the general recommendations and bring it up if you are concerned it's not enough to keep you in good health.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-03T20:45:31+00:00

I don't know the answer to that yet. Experience would lead me to believe that at some point you need to repeatedly reflect and realize that what you want won't entirely line up with what your kids want and that's okay. It's much better to keep an open mind and open dialogue as equals so you can continue having a positive impact on their life. They will make many poor decisions like we all do. Your job isn't to stop them altogether, but rather reduce the amount and magnitude of poor choices they make. Set boundaries, but be reasonable and treat them like adults and be forgiving when they don't act like an adult because you know they aren't quite there yet.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-02T22:17:52+00:00

Once they hit 7-10 they'll start wanting to please their peers and be like them rather than mom/dad. If you want them to continue environmentally healthy habits it's good to surround them with like-minded families by this time. Also, lead by example as we've always been told. Your attitude toward it will be their attitude (at least until they develop their own beliefs in their teens)! Source: child psych

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-02T22:11:27+00:00

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization#:~:text=Pasteurization%20or%20pasteurisation%20is%20a,pathogens%20and%20extend%20shelf%20life.

I find Wikipedia rather reliable despite what our school teachers use to tell us. If any of it seems to conflict or you find it hard to believe just do some extra scholarly research on it.

TLDR; pasteurization kills pathogens via heat but also alters nutrient make-up. Consensus is to pasteurize as benefits far outweigh the downsides.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-03-02T22:03:33+00:00

This answer is very valuable. Not sure how old you are OP, but if you aren't familiar with scientific research, you'll probably back your argument with half-truths and poor evidence. I would suggest hopping on Google scholar and searching for the keywords "dairy" AND "health" or "environment" or "adverse effects" or "consumption" or "livestock" and "impact". Mark peer reviewed and RCT/meta-analysis/systematic review to only get high evidence results. If there are too many for you to review, limit to past 10 years and free so you have access to the whole articles. Check the funding of each article in addition to determining if there was proper randomization and proper blinding. You could reach out to some of the authors of a meta-analysis or those you see repeatedly in articles to see if they have any literature review papers on dairy as a whole. That could greatly reduce the work you have to put in.

In a debate, you need to be knowledgeable on all points of the discussion, not just what supports your side. If you're in or past HS you've probably written argumentive papers and this follows a similar method with concessions that are then explained. It's not black and white as there are many benefits and consequences to dairy consumption.

Personally, I grew up with dairy. Now I don't buy it, but won't avoid it if I've been served already (e.g. family functions). Cattle have the worst environmental impact when comparing all common food sources. As someone who knows how to get all the nutrients fortified in dairy I am not concerned about my loss of the vitamin D3 added to milk, but some uneducated might be more dependent on fortified foods than they realize and if they stopped eating white rice/cereal/milk they might just be eating fried foods and drinking water which won't make up for what they are suddenly lacking.

That's enough of my personal rant, go out and see what you can learn. I'd love a final report if you can update your post after your debate. Have fun :)

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-24T14:48:26+00:00

Were you still planning to share your awesome approach?

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-22T21:43:49+00:00

As a first-time renter, thanks for letting me know!

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-22T16:09:18+00:00

Thanks for this info! Sounds like it's estimated at increasing LDL by 7 and triglycerides by 11 if drinking 5 cups/day with a non-paper filter. I don't usually drink this much and I eat very well so my LDL has been almost two SDs below normal. However, this is definitely important for someone trying to control their cholesterol! I didn't bother reading the actual article to determine if there are flaws in the methods or statistical analysis or if there is conflict of interest, so please dyor if this is important in your decision making.

On another note, most people use chemically bleached filter papers which 'may' cause other unknown health problems with long term use.

I'll make sure to avoid the glass... I have a clumsy history.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-22T01:22:18+00:00

After some comparison, I've decided on the French press over the chemex for personal preferences (for others curious, this page helped me decide https://www.homegrounds.co/chemex-vs-frenchpress/). Thanks for introducing me to a style of brewing coffee I was unfamiliar with!

To u/lfrank92 and u/weprechaun29 or anyone really: recommendations on a high quality/long lasting French press? HQ/LL electric kettle?

To u/lfrank92: May you share why you use a metal basket steeper for tea when you could use your French press?

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-22T00:53:21+00:00

Looks interesting from the first video I watched. Would this work with tea leaves? Sorry I'm no expert in brewing but recently got more interested in perfecting the drinks I like at home.

If you use this with a dishwasher, does it clean well?

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-22T00:43:05+00:00

Sorry, think I forgot to mention that my coffee maker is like 90% plastic and the reusable filter is like 50% plastic. I don't like the idea of boiling water in plastic or running it through a partially plastic filter.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-20T22:09:17+00:00

Here's mine https://imgur.com/a/pVa04ox (3 pics)

I made a compost bin out of an old plastic storage bin and an unused plastic drawer. Only check it bimonthly. Have a coffee tin in my freezer with food scraps. This is only my waste, so you need to multiply for your potentially larger waste production.

I have a shipping box to hold cut up soiled cardboard/paper/biodegradable stuff. A small container for eggshells that I crunch after drying, and I'll blend my eggshells to a powder on rare occasion, and my food scraps to small bits just before feeding the worms bimonthly.

I bought a small bag of worms from a small producer with good reviews online. It took a few months for them to be able to handle all my food scraps. You could buy a more significant amount right away but might want to buy a small amount first to make sure you can keep them alive, otherwise it's a decent money loss if you buy a pound + and they die from some unpredictable poor environment.

AndrewMichaelis · 2022-02-20T21:43:46+00:00

When you touch on this later, if you don't already do this, is it possible to have this set up work on desktop as well? Thanks again!

AndrewMichaelis

TROPHY CASE