Think E-Green?

[Gamer]

OK i know someone is not going to like me asking this but, the little tiny bit of tree hugger deep down inside me wants to know:

The Cartamizers that are "disposable" are they safe for the environment? I don't mean i throw them on the ground, I mean how long would it take to break one down? Sure its super small but from what i see its a little bit of metal, and one of my Vegan friends who has a "save the seals" tattoo on her .... was giving me some grief about them.

I was just wondering how environmentally friendly they were. maybe someone can give me something to fire back at her with?

and yes this could be said about any cart but i guess because those are normally plastic it doesn't matter as much? All around im just curious

 

[debook]

If you are refilling them then there is no environmental impact! Tell your friend that you are no longer filling the air with toxins and carcinogens by smoking regular cigarettes and the impact of a carto that can be re-used many times is less than all the equivalent cig butts that would go into a landfill. Al Gore would be proud!

 

[Stephra]

I've been thinking about environmental impact... I think my main concern wouldn't be "how long does it take to break down?" but "how harmful is collecting all the resources to make the stuff?". Think about the components, the production, nicotine extraction (how does that even happen? I don't know.) It takes resources to build each battery, each cartomizer, each little thing involved in vaping.

On the other hand, your batteries are rechargeable, so the impact is spread over many, many uses. Same for refillable cartos - if you were throwing each one away to sit in a landfill, that'd be one thing, but if you are refilling, you are spreading that impact over many uses, and it reduces the "footprint", so to speak.

I'd also point out that as the market for PVs grows, the products will become better (read: even more durable and reusable). That's when you can point out how V4L is striving to improve product quality so even fewer "duds" end up in landfills.

Of course, that's just my very non-science-y take on it. I'm sure others could be more specific about the environmental impact of vaping.

 

[maxx]

Can we see the seal tattoo?

 

[debook]

Can we see the seal tattoo?

I was thinking the same thing

 

[Katya]

OK i know someone is not going to like me asking this but, the little tiny bit of tree hugger deep down inside me wants to know:

The Cartamizers that are "disposable" are they safe for the environment? I don't mean i throw them on the ground, I mean how long would it take to break one down? Sure its super small but from what i see its a little bit of metal, and one of my Vegan friends who has a "save the seals" tattoo on her .... was giving me some grief about them.

I was just wondering how environmentally friendly they were. maybe someone can give me something to fire back at her with?

and yes this could be said about any cart but i guess because those are normally plastic it doesn't matter as much? All around im just curious

Dear Gamer,
I'm so glad you brought the subject up. One of the reasons I first ordered Green Smoke was that they accept spent cartriges for recycling (I returned the kit subsequently and am a loyal V4L customer now). I seriously think it's a valid point though. I don't have a tattoo but I try to do my part to recycle and reuse and not waste. And I support the SOS campaign--tell your friend that I'm really proud of her.

I put my used cartriges in my recycling bin (I empty them out first). I just collect them in an empty can and when I have enough, off they go. California is big on recycling and here's the list of the metals they accept:
Metal

• Hangers
• Aluminum cans
• Tin cans - soup, tuna, vegetable juice, coffee
• Empty aerosol cans (must be completely empty)
• Pie tins
• Paint cans (must be empty and completely dried out

They don't mention cartomizers yet, but it's coming, mind my word.

So, for all you tree-huggers out there--recycle your cartriges.

 

[MaryMarcelle]

Thank you Gamer for posting this and bringing it up. I'm kind of a big "tree hugger" myself and it got me contemplating the issue.

*Tucson is also quite good with recycling practices ~ I promise to contact the local recycling plant and/or a University professor (with cart in hand) and get their thoughts and opinions about it.

 

[Adrenalynn]

"how harmful is collecting all the resources to make the stuff?".

Yeah, it's pretty horrendous. All the cartomizers you'd use in your life might almost equate to a single battery in a Prius or a hundredth of the toxins released producing a small solar panel. Probably the same hundredth or less of just the processor in your computer.

Oh - sorry! No one wants any inconvenient actual truth. Nothing to see here - Carry on!

 

[MaryMarcelle]

I guess the first thing that came to my mind ~ probably from my recent research project on The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (if you haven't heard of it...you should definitely google it) ~ was the affect that the nicotine residue could have on wildlife that might ingest it. If the fish and Albatross are dying from eating plastics in the GPGP though, I doubt the nicotine residue is going to be the ultimate culprit of their demise.

I apologize in advance if this offends anyone, but seriously playing devil's advocate for a plus side of this ~ if the trace amounts of nicotine in a tossed out cart WERE to be the cause of death in the animals ingesting the trash and plastics of the GPGP it might be a quicker and less painful death in some cases. (Background ~ these animals die because they consume plastics that they mistake for food ~ which gives them the cessation of being fed but ultimately leads to a slow agonizing death of malnutrion and intestinal blockage)

And on another note regarding this ~ many of the dead seabirds are found with OLD DISCARDED LIGHTERS in their stomachs, with so many of us giving up analogs we are also giving up lighters...which makes less lighters floating around in the Pacific Ocean (and other ocean vortexes) for the Albatross to consume.

Let it be known that I am in no way trying to defend E-cigs as being "better" for the environment in such instances....I can't stand the fact that even ONE animal has to die from human practices ~ but it's the way of the world and happens 24/7 ~ only through knowledge, compassion, and understanding can we change this

 

[Katya]

I'm with you. With all my heart. We could all do much better for the environment if we only stopped and thought about the consequences of our seemingly innocent actions. Like tossing out a used lighter on the ground instead of in the trash can. Or tossing out a flaming cigarette .... out the car window. Or leaving a plastic bag on the beach. I went on a beach-cleaning expedition a couple of times with my children. You have no idea what people leave behind...

 

[MaryMarcelle]

I'm with you. With all my heart. We could all do much better for the environment if we only stopped and thought about the consequences of our seemingly innocent actions. Like tossing out a used lighter on the ground instead of in the trash can. Or tossing out a flaming cigarette .... out the car window. Or leaving a plastic bag on the beach. I went on a beach-cleaning expedition a couple of times with my children. You have no idea what people leave behind...

Oh I know, trust me! It makes me nauseated to realize the effect that things people do have on the environment. I do just about everything I know how to do these days for the environment; but it wasn't always like that! Only through knowledge (Planet Green/Animal Planet/College/Other media sources) have I learned the errors of my ways! I was COMPLETELY ignorant of the problems that my actions created! I think that the United States is making more of an effort now to educate our youth than they did when I was young, but as I continue to learn, I continue to be saddened and almost feel hopeless about the state of our environment. But ALAS I will never give up hope! Education and awareness is the true key to saving our planet, our wildlife, and our environment!

Thank you so much for being so responsible and teaching your children and taking them on clean-up outings. That's awesome and you are incredible!

 

[Wireguy]

If the fish and Albatross are dying from eating plastics

Are animals this stupid? I don't think so. I mean plastic doesn't taste or smell like any kind of food I've ever eaten and my taste and smell capabilities are far short of almost all animals out there.

(Background ~ these animals die because they consume plastics that they mistake for food ~ which gives them the cessation of being fed but ultimately leads to a slow agonizing death of malnutrion and intestinal blockage)

Like I said before. See above.This arguement assumes that all of the sources of food they see is inedible. They are eating only plastic? There is so much plastic out there that that is all they are eating? It's not like animals or avians will eat anything put in front of them. I mean if you put rocks in front of them will they eat rocks? Why are they eating plastic?

And\ on another note regarding this ~ many of the dead seabirds are found with OLD DISCARDED LIGHTERS in their stomachs, with so many of us giving up analogs we are also giving up lighters...which makes less lighters floating around in the Pacific Ocean (and other ocean vortexes) for the Albatross to consume.

Err umm. Wow I have a hard time even going to the trouble with coming up with a rebuttal for this. What kind of crap are you reading? Think! Think!
Think!

Let it be known that I am in no way trying to defend E-cigs as being "better" for the environment in such instances....I can't stand the fact that even ONE animal has to die from human practices ~ but it's the way of the world and happens 24/7 ~ only through knowledge, compassion, and understanding can we change this

I think your understanding is severly lacking. I assume you are a vegan?

 

[Katya]

Just as you said, Mary Marcelle, education and awareness and compassion. Our only hope. We are getting better, as a society and as individuals. My kids are much more aware than my generation used to be.

Take heart.

 

[Nilius]

I figure it would be easy enough to take the carts to a scrap yard. You would just have to remove the label and the filler/atomizer. I'm not sure what kind of metal they are made of though... I'd assume some sort of steel mix, because of the weight of them

 

[keyzygirl]

OOPs,I put mine in the recycle bin,am I in trouble?

 

[Nilius]

OOPs,I put mine in the recycle bin,am I in trouble?

Meh, I didn't think about that as we don't use the "bins" other areas use. It should be the same thing as throwing a soup can in there with the label still on... shouldn't it?

 

[impcat]

I can remember going on environmental cleanups with my father way back in the early 1970's as part of the Earth Day campaign. We used to walk through the woods with canvas bags picking up trash along nature trails and local streams.

Those Saturday cleanups left an indelible mark on my psyche. Although I am far from being a "tree-hugger," I am acutely aware of my part in not contributing to the destruction of our environment by discarding unwanted/unusable items in appropriate places.

I am an avid viewer of the Animal Planet, National Geographic and Discovery channels on TV. They often have programs that show, in sad and impactful detail, the effects of humans on our world. The tonnages of non-biodegradable waste that goes into our oceans is mind-boggling. I have watched them perform necropsies on fish and mammals that have died as a direct result of ingesting some of that waste.

Animals and fish must eat to survive. If they see something new in front of them, they have no idea if it is edible or not--they simply consume it, not knowing that it could lead to their death. I do not wish to contribute to causing another creature, furry, feathered, or finned, to meet their demise simply because I was too inconsiderate or lazy to dispose of my trash properly.

Because I am still very new to the usage of e-cig technology, I have yet to find a need to discard any cartos or batteries. I do plan to recycle my batteries by taking them to a battery drop-off location (some of our local stores have drop-off boxes in them). I also plan to contact our local recycling center to find out how to appropriately dispose of the cartos and all the components from which they are made. I plan to recycle my juice bottles by reusing them to mix new flavors of juice.

Along with the personal health benefits of giving up analog smoking, I have also reduced by a huge amount, the number of cigarette filters that were going into the trash each week. I gave up a 2 pack a day habit that lasted more than 38 years. That is a lot of cigarette filters, not to mention all the paper used to make those cigarettes and filters.

 

[skotsour]

Are animals this stupid? I don't think so. I mean plastic doesn't taste or smell like any kind of food I've ever eaten and my taste and smell capabilities are far short of almost all animals out there.



Like I said before. See above.This arguement assumes that all of the sources of food they see is inedible. They are eating only plastic? There is so much plastic out there that that is all they are eating? It's not like animals or avians will eat anything put in front of them. I mean if you put rocks in front of them will they eat rocks? Why are they eating plastic?



Err umm. Wow I have a hard time even going to the trouble with coming up with a rebuttal for this. What kind of crap are you reading? Think! Think!
Think!



I think your understanding is severly lacking. I assume you are a vegan?

Err, umm...have you ever been fishing with an artificial lure? Many animals are attracted to colorful, shiny moving objects and quite often ingest them. My mom's dog eats paper towels...so yes animals are that 'stupid'. Think! Think! Think!

 

[Stephra]

Yeah, my cats will eat tinsel off of a christmas tree, so... aniamals are no experts when it comes to cuisine lol.

 

[crmartin]

Yeah, my cats will eat tinsel off of a christmas tree, so... aniamals are no experts when it comes to cuisine lol.

My cat also did that and the next day he was walking around with a piece of tinsel hanging out his ..... 8-o We don't use tinsel any longer.