Cows and Aluminum

[vercimus]

I just watched an episode of "Stuff Happens" on Planet Green, in which Bill Nye explained that the toxins pumped out when turning bauxite into aluminum build up on grass eaten by grazing cattle, which can cause them to lose their teeth. Does this make new aluminum non-vegan? I don't know, but it's yet another reason to recycle.

[Tofukitty]

I have heard that the manufacturing process for aluminum is pretty toxic. There was something years ago in Canada where an aluminum company was poluting a lake I think. The toxins were chaning all the fish to girl fish.

As I rarely use the stuff, I can make a roll of aluminum foil last about 2 years.

[vercimus]

Yeah what he was saying was that although new aluminum production is highly toxic, recycling aluminum is very green (by comparison at least).

And apparently most sunblock used today contains chemicals that can change the gender of some fish and kill coral reefs. That was on the next episode though :)

[Ruby Rose]

It seems quite an extreme interpretation of Watson's "practical and reasonable" to me, but of course it's entirely up to you whether you see aluminium as non-vegan.

[vercimus]

Lol I wasn't seriously asking, but I thought it was interesting. Avoiding aluminum would be virtually impossible.

[horselesspaul]

By that reasoning almost everything is "un-vegan", even drawing breath and then exhaling is adding to global warming which will no doubt cause animals to suffer in many, if indirect, ways.
Use less, recycle more.

[vercimus]

I agree

[bradders]

something far worse is nickel which is used in Prius batteries. The area around the plant in Ontario is now a dead zone used by nasa for simulating barren environments!

[vercimus]

Yeah I've heard about the batteries being terribly pollutant. It really makes buying a hybrid not so desirable. Luckily I can unicycle lol

[bradders]

if you have to drive, drive something like a golf diesel and drive it economically, you can get 80mpg (british gallon) out of one of those when driven reasonably. Driving with more than one person is as efficient as the train. If there's a full car then it's almost as efficient as the bus! This is provided you're driving a mid sized family car such as a 5 door Golf, small focus etc, 1.4- 1.6 litre engine and don't accelerate and brake ridiculously, and that you do drive in the higher gears but at lower speeds where possible.

[vercimus]

Here in Texas, everybody has to drive lol. I've been wanting a little Smart car for a while now. One of my German friends has one and I got to drive it a bit around Stuttgart. They sell them here too, but hardly anyone has one. Texas is big truck/SUV land, and gas is generally cheaper here than elsewhere because we produce our own oil.

When I'm in downtown Dallas, I always take the train, but the it basically only runs in downtown. Bus routes are spotty and not convenient at all, so I drive almost everywhere outside of downtown. I miss the public transportation in Germany, it was excellent (mostly).

[bradders]

thankfully I live in London where a car would be a huge inconvenience as opposed to the tube, rail, overground, trams, light rail and buses that whisk me around the city. I can get to uni 20 miles away for £1.10 each way and it it takes just 45 mins!
sorry to rub it in

[pat sommer]

Beijing transport is getting better...

question about aluminium: better than glass containers?

My preference is reuse before recycle as is often the case in Germany (beer bottles).
Now I am trying to buy more in tins as metal gets recycled everywhere, it appears.