[GDT] YYC Votes 2025

[Regorium]

Getting takeout food is where I'm accumulating these brown or white "reusable" bags that are just way too small to actually do anything with.

They don't charge me for it anymore, but it's a use case that's just so much better filled by single use plastic than these tiny reusable bags.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

The energy used for your google search is equal to producing 100 plastic bags.

...No it isn't...

https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009...le-search.html

0.0003 kWh for a google search.

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@...0Article212004

Around 0.48 megajoules (MJ) of energy is consumed to make one HDPE singlet bag including the energy content of the bag (the embodied energy). Another way of considering this is that the energy consumed by driving a car one kilometre is the equivalent of manufacturing 8.7 plastic bags (Nolan-ITU 2002).

0.48 Megajoule, or equivalent to 0.133333 kWh per plastic bag

Where the hell do some of you get your info on such weird ass claims?

Plastic bags have unquestionably always been an intensively resource hungry and wasteful environmentally damaging process. The contention is the solution (reusable heavy plastic or cotton bags) is arguably worse than the initial problem.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by simmer2

From Google:

Polypropylene (thicker plastic): Needs to be used an estimated 10 to 20 times to have the same climate impact as one single-use plastic bag.

Cotton (conventional): Can require 50 to 150 uses to break even with a single-use plastic bag.

We have about 30 re-usable bags in our house. We do our best to re-use them as frequently as possible. I don't know if we've achieved the goal of re-using each one 10 to 20 times though.

Don't pretend that all re-usable bags are equal in quality or cost. The cheap thin ones that you get from ordering delivery from a restaurant are hardly in the same cost / durability / impact as the thicker, stronger bags that you buy from the store so you can re-use them for years.

Originally Posted by simmer2

Running around with a family, sports, school, work, forgive a parent for forgetting to bring the reusable bag as they try to fit in errands between tasks.

Do better. If you are too lazy to walk the bags back to your car yourself then get your kid(s) to do it.

Don't pretend that being a "busy parent" is a justification for your position. Many of us are busy parents.

[Red Slinger]

Originally Posted by DFO

After unpacking groceries I just take an extra 15 steps into the garage and throw my reusable bags back in the car. Am I a crazy anomaly?

Based on some of the responses you are some kind of organization savant. It's hard to imagine how difficult life must be for some people if the f'ing shopping bags are too much to handle. And the fact that this is even triggering this much debate would be hilarious if it wasn't sad.

[mrkajz44]

What thread is this again?

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Oh, it's totally possible. Some people treat these things like they're the plastic bags of yore and stuff them straight into the garbage when they're done.

I know an older lady who was bitching about how much space they take up in her trash these days. I'm staring at this overfilling bin like... if nothing else, I'll take the large Lululemon ones to use... They're big, look nicer and way more durable than a bunch of the other ones.

No DoubleF. You can't have them because those are in the garbage now. But I'll put aside some Lululemon ones for you next time I go. I usually end up with a few of them every month (supposedly a few a month for Lululemon alone, not including other grocery stores, shopping etc.)).

She never remembers and just throws them out. Those are the people royally screwing up the averages. I estimate she easily throws out 20-30 a month. Someone like this alone contributes the accumulation average for a dozen people around them alone.

Maybe you should educate your neighbour on the various take-back programs or donation opportunities so that others can reuse her bags instead of stuffing them into her black bin.

Or if you want the pick of her bags and want to be kind to her, you could always offer to take ALL of her extra bags, then keep the ones you want and drop off the rest at one of the participating take-back / donation organizations.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Firebot

...No it isn't...

https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009...le-search.html

0.0003 kWh for a google search.

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@...0Article212004



0.48 Megajoule, or equivalent to 0.133333 kWh per plastic bag

Where the hell do some of you get your info on such weird ass claims?

Plastic bags have unquestionably always been an intensively resource hungry and wasteful environmentally damaging process. The contention is the solution (reusable heavy plastic or cotton bags) is arguably worse than the initial problem.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Don't pretend that all re-usable bags are equal in quality or cost. The cheap thin ones that you get from ordering delivery from a restaurant are hardly in the same cost / durability / impact as the thicker, stronger bags that you buy from the store so you can re-use them for years.

Do better. If you are too lazy to walk the bags back to your car yourself then get your kid(s) to do it.

Don't pretend that being a "busy parent" is a justification for your position. Many of us are busy parents.

Good job making massive assumptions. Gold star for you.

We rarely order take-out. Lots of waste. Food waste is a way I can impact helping the environment...that and take-out is also unhealthy. We try to eat well and don't over-buy.

We are very diligent at using re-usable bags, we have a label in a cupboard where we store them, we keep them in the back of our vehicle.

Do I remember all the time? No. But I'm pretty good at remembering.

Other families and other parents are likely doing their best as well.

But I do appreciate you up on your high horse assuming I do all of those things, telling me I'm stupid and lazy, and preaching to me about how to do better. Or that others are stupid and lazy.

Your conversation style is such a helpful contributor to a productive conversation.

[powderjunkie]

I just store one NDP light bulb in every extra re-usable bag I have.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Don't forget getting steamrolled by Murray Edwards on a second arena deal because the city process on the first one mandated solar panels and right-of-ways gave him an out.

Also how she handled the the water main crisis last year. Contrast her performance on that vs. Nenshi on the 2013 floods and you'll be reminded that the Mayor's job isn't only 'one vote on council' and advocating for the 'data driven' 'correct' policies' it's to actually represent the city intergovernmental and publicly on an external stage and to effectively communicate confidently to citizens on crisis management.

From an ideologically neutral perspective Gondek might be one of the worst 'leaders' or 'politicians' I have witnessed.

The water main was a much worse crisis to be mayor for than the flood. The flood affected like 1% of people directly and gave lots of people the opportunity to volunteer and come together as a community in the aftermath. And the flood was nobody's fault which was easy for everyone to understand.

The water main affected everyone and the only source of good vibes was bragging about how much yellow you could let mellow. The water main was 'the city's fault', even if that mostly traced back decades (but the fact that it was a difficult problem to detect in advance was hard for everyone to understand)

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

At the time I was really unhappy with the process more than the bridge itself - going and picking a foreign architect instead of a public tender process. Then they use the approach I would have gone with for the next bridge, which ended up costing just as much and being rather unmemorable. So I concluded I was wrong and it was worth doing it that way.

A foreign architect? Best the planet has had in this generation, for a pittance of money extra. Who's influence will most definitely affect many other structures in the city including a certain upcoming sports stadium?

[PepsiFree]

Sometimes I forget that something as simple as "reusable bags are easy" and "I put them in my truck and carry things with my hands" is enough to really cause a big reaction from some of our more engaged friends. Sorry guys. I see some strong reactions, but hopefully my comments didn't edge into offensive territory for you. I know it may seem like someone talking about how easy it is for them to carry and remember things can seem like grandstanding or looking down on you, but I assure you that wasn't the intent.

I think neurodiversity is pretty awesome tbh. Just so many different, creative ways of experiencing the world and interacting socially.

A good lesson that what might be easy and "basic" for some isn't for others and may present some unique challenges we should be respectful of.

[fotze2]

This should be in the GMG thread. Ticky tacky things that are annoying. I don't think anyone is 'triggered' and you definitely know no one is triggered by these things but saying triggered will get someone triggered and you know that.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by fotze2

This should be in the GMG thread. Ticky tacky things that are annoying. I don't think anyone is 'triggered' and you definitely know no one is triggered by these things but saying triggered will get someone triggered and you know that.

You sound a bit triggered.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by simmer2

Good job making massive assumptions. Gold star for you.

We rarely order take-out. Lots of waste. Food waste is a way I can impact helping the environment...that and take-out is also unhealthy. We try to eat well and don't over-buy.

We are very diligent at using re-usable bags, we have a label in a cupboard where we store them, we keep them in the back of our vehicle.

Do I remember all the time? No. But I'm pretty good at remembering.

Other families and other parents are likely doing their best as well.

But I do appreciate you up on your high horse assuming I do all of those things, telling me I'm stupid and lazy, and preaching to me about how to do better. Or that others are stupid and lazy.

Your conversation style is such a helpful contributor to a productive conversation.

Do you have a point? If this is a productive conversation then I am sure there is a solution that you want to get to eventually instead of putting words in my mouth. I did not say anything about "stupid" or "lazy" but I did say that being a "busy parent" is not an argument against reusable bags.

Going backwards to increase our reliance on single-use plastics is not a solution. So if that is your endgame then you are not really having a helpful or productive conversation.

[Knut]

I get paper bags. Am I an environmentalist or responsible for demise of thousands of species of animal ?

[puffnstuff]

If ever forget to bring a bag with me, or forget it in the truck, I do akways remember that there is no rule that says you have to place your groceries in a bag in the cart that you just took everything out of. I just load my purchases back into the cart and wheel it out to the truck and then put the groceries on the rear seat floor. Or a minute or two to bag it at the truck or when I get home.

[aaronck]

The bag thing has become so commonplace that I don't even think about it anymore, like wearing a seatbelt. The fast food bag thing was just dumb, but it's not like Calgary invented it or anything, they just implemented it to try and make a difference. Making businesses charge for bags and letting them keep the money is just silly, at least put the money towards something positive (but then I guess it's just another tax)

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Knut

I get paper bags. Am I an environmentalist or responsible for demise of thousands of species of animal ?

You really do

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

You sound a bit triggered.

The igger in that word is near triggering.