apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

so, um, you threw out perfectly useable existing plastic switch covers which are going to wind up in a landfill and sit there for a million years so you could have "hipper" looking burnished steel ones instead? i mean, yeah, technically those steel ones are "recyclable" but you've just (a) added to the wastestream without needing to and (b) required burning more fossil fuels in the production of those steel switchplates before you really needed to.

That is the complete OPPOSITE of being green.

I'd use "Decora" or other rocker type switches and plates rather than those. No need to feel for the switch in the dark, just slap the switch and it comes on. Great for turning on lights will arms full of groceries or child(ren), and effortless for people with arthritis.

As for the old switch plates and switches, you could send them to a building materials recycler.

I bought the 2-bin recycle center on Saturday. I spent some time thinking about what would work in my limited kitchen floor space, and I could not be happier with it. It had some grime on it, since it was a floor model, but it cleaned up beautifully (and I got 10% off). It works very well - the pulls are good, I like that the pails are removable for cleaning...it was expensive, yes, but since it works so well for me, well worth it.

Or, Dave, it could be possible that when the original post states that the plastic covers were "dingy", it means they were cracked, dirty, and gross beyond salvaging. Lord knows I've seen -- and cheerfully replaced -- my share of those.

i guess i just don't see what's so 'green' about throwing stuff in the trash that's going to take a million years to decompose and then self-congratulating oneself on the Internet for how environmentally responsible one is.

its like people who gut their perfectly functional kitchens in order to install more attractive, hipper cabinetry and then crow about how 'green' they are because they used bamboo woodworking when in fact the truly green thing would have been to put up with the less than attractive cabinetry and at worst maybe slap a little milk paint on them.

i'm an atheist, but i seem to recall reading in the gospels about how the truly faithful worship in private away from others while the faithful for show parade themselves around the temple for all to see.

die, green movement, die! wtf is so "eco-friendly" about steel switchplate covers? the fact that after maybe 20 years of use, you can actually not let five square inches of material go to waste? not to mention, as someone already mentioned, that the use of these steel plates probably necessitates throwing out plastic switchplates which otherwise would actually be used, and if the plastic plates can be recycled, then there's not much point in using the metal ones.

plus, danny seo is covered on AT to the point of tedium, which is why i can say that i'm pretty sure that we've seen plastic bottled water on his grocery list, which is why i think he's probably (well-intentioned but) full of it. it reminds me of how sheryl crow got on people's cases for using more than one square of toilet paper at a time and then it turned out she was demanding like seven full-size buses for her personal use during tour. if you're so intent on letting everyone know how environmentally aware you are and how small your ecological footprint is, then focus on the things that really matter.

just my opinion. sorry.

I 2nd Dave!

3rd dave!