Republicans recycle an old idea: the foam plastic coffee cup

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Republicans recycle an old idea: the foam plastic coffee cup
Polystyrene makes comeback in US Congress building after Republicans reverse green initiatives brought in by Democrats
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent guardian.co.uk,
Monday 28 February 2011 21.34 GMT

bit like the Republican party, they are white, seemingly indestructible and bad for the environment. But after an absence of four years, foam plastic coffee cups have made a comeback in the basement coffee shop of the United States Congress building after Republicans began reversing a series of in-house green initiatives undertaken by Democrats.

The about-turn was announced by a press aide to John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, who tweeted on Monday morning: "The new majority – plasticware is back".

When the Democrats held the house, the former speaker Nancy Pelosi put the cafeterias at the centre of a plan to hugely reduce the carbon footprint of Congress.

The ancient power plant in Washington DC a few blocks from the Capitol building, which provides heating and cooling for Congress and the supreme court, was converted from coal to natural gas. Compact fluorescent lighting and energy-efficient vending machines were introduced.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/28/republicans-foam-coffee-cup-environmentally-bad

[lillypaddle]

1. WTF is wrong with them???

It's like they just do stupid shit on purpose to "piss off the liberals."

[Arugula Latte]

11. They're sociopaths.

They enjoy inflicting pain and enjoying things, either on a small scale such as this or a grand scale.

[area51]

25. +1

I don't call them nazis lightly.

[Arugula Latte]

29. Oops, I meant to write "enjoy destroying things" ... too late to edit.

[fishwax]

38. god they're obnoxious

:puke:

[DainBramaged]

2. I hope one breaks, they get burned, and then dare to sue, stupid fucks

[jmowreader]

18. Even without the lawsuit it would be poetic justice

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

3. Why do they hate the environment so much?

[defendandprotect]

14. Exactly ... No coincidence that capitalism is a suicidal war on nature ....

and patriarchy, of course, is, as well!!

Mary Shelley covered that in "Frankenstein" --

and Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" -- of course!

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Always backward - never forward

Fucking reactionaries!

[drm604]

5. This isn't even consistent with their philosophy.

It's financially wasteful. As others have said, it's like they do things simply to piss off people.

I'll bet they get money from makers of foam cups and plastic ware.

[madrchsod]

7. republican philosophy ?

[drm604]

16. "Fiscal responsibility"

They make a big deal out of supposedly being fiscally responsible. Disposable coffee cups and plastic ware are at odds with that.

[defendandprotect]

15. Rather ... "this advertises their stupidity" -- !!

[madrchsod]

6. add that to their growing list of accomplishments!

[cheneyschernobyl]

8. This nonsense reminds me of "Freedom Fries"

what a mess.

:freak:

*any of several smilies were appropriate, but that one's my favorite*

[TygrBright]

9. Hope all the Dems bring their own refillable coffee cups. n/t

[defendandprotect]

10. That's really destructive of them - what's new -- ??? !!!

Repugs have no new ideas -- they are creating shock and awe by

unburying ideas that were defeated centuries ago --

and they're bringing them back by buying elected officials to do it for them!!

[Kingofalldems]

12. That's a pigboy specialty---annoying 7th grade teasing

[Snoutport]

13. Locusts...they are human locusts.

Take what you can, destroy the rest, leave nothing for the next generation.
Corporate Republicanism

[eowyn_of_rohan]

17. they are just SCUM!

stupid re:puke:s

[jmowreader]

19. Let me guess...

They're going to convert the power plant back to coal.

Then replace all the CFLs with 400-watt mercury vapor, which would have two benefits (as far as they're concerned): vastly increased energy consumption, and Boehner wouldn't look orange anymore.

And finally, they're going to find enough of the refrigerators Castro took away from the Cuban people so that every Repuke can have one in his or her office.

[truthisfreedom]

20. I have a pet peeve... compact fluorescents. They're full of mercury, they DON'T last (it's a lie)

and they look like crap compared to incandescents. This is from the article:

"Next on the Republican agenda of environmental retro moves? Lightbulbs. House Republicans introduced a bill last week to repeal the government's decision to phase out the old energy-inefficient bulbs, which was due to start in 2012."

I agree with this completely. What we need are options, and more decentralized power generation, tons of solar and wind power, and on-site power storage. So we have plenty of power at our disposal to do whatever we wish with.

Seriously, those stupid compact fluorescents are a crock! They're heavy, fragile, expensive, and full of mercury, and THEY DO NOT LAST LIKE THEY CLAIM. This is a ridiculous burden on the poor... no cheap light bulbs anymore? C'mon. This is one law that was not thought through!

[DainBramaged]

21. CF's are small, CHEAP, LAST YEARS and the new ones are super bright and instant on

but why change to help the environment.

[truthisfreedom]

22. They don't last years. My apartment is less than 2 years old and there's a new one burned out every

day in the hallway. They're full of mercury and people are going to throw them in the trash where it will seep into the drinking water. It's ridiculous... they're harsh-looking, not warm, and they set my nerves on edge. They're heavy, wasteful, and they do NOT last for years.

[DainBramaged]

23. Meh, meh and meh

Maybe they should check the electrics in the building instead of you blaming it on CF lamps. I have 2 in my stairwell that are over three years old and are perfect burning hours every day.

Meh, meh and meh.

[Hannah Bell]

24. the ones i've tried don't last for years either. and people shouldn't have to rewire their houses

to use a light bulb.

[yellowcanine]

36. Are you sure they are burned out? Maybe people twisted bulbs in too tightly.

It flattens the little tab in the socket. Incandescent bulbs tend to have an electrode which sticks out a little further. If they were twisted in tightly the little brass tab at the base of the socket may have gotten flattened over time. When the bulb burns and the CFB is inserted it may work for a while until corrosion builds up on the electrodes and then not enough current gets through to start the bulb. CFBs generally need a better contact to light up. The solution is simple. Turn off the breaker to the circuit and take a needle nosed pliers and bend the little tab back up a bit. Then turn the breaker and the switch back on before screwing the bulb in. Turn the bulb in until it lights up and then give it a slight turn tighter. Here is a link which discusses the issue a bit.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/EM0017_Light_Bulbs_Burn_Out_Quickly.shtml

If the light bulbs really are burning out you may indeed have a wiring issue and I would have it checked out by a qualified electrician. It is not something to ignore.

CFBs really do last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs on average.

[David__77]

27. I'm in the energy efficiency sector...

The problem with the CFLs is that the quality is widely divergent. Look for Energy Star-approved models, though that's not even a guarantee. It's true that some do not last that long. Also, they cannot be in a small enclosed fixture or they will quickly burn out. They work best open or with a lamp shade around them.

They DO make a big difference in energy consumption, it is true. For instance, hotels replacing incandescents with CFLs is a big deal. The mercury thing hasn't been focused on enough, because surely people will throw them out. Your apartment owner probably can incentivized/rebated for installing all those CFLs in common areas.

[rbixby]

35. I've had one on outside my apartment

for almost 3 years now, it turns on whenever it gets dark, its never burned out, and the light its totally acceptable.

[PADemD]

26. Mine didn't last long either.

I stopped using them in the bathroom because they didn't last.
They are not CHEAP either.
Now I have a bag of batteries and CF lightbulbs to throw away
and the nearest recycling place is 25 miles away.

[slackmaster]

30. I replaced most of my incandescent bulbs with twisty CFs in 2000, and only 3 have failed since then

Maybe you have a problem with your wiring. A common one is corroded contacts in your light sockets, which causes excessive heat.

[apnu]

31. Yeah those bulbs suck, and burn out faster than incandescents.

What I saved in energy I spent on replacing the buggers. And that's not even getting into the environmental issues surrounding those bulbs. They are not the cure. So we've gone back to incandescents.

[reformist2]

33. The *one* thing I want this Republican congress to do is repeal the phase-out of incandescents.

I *hate* fluorescent light.

[midnight armadillo]

37. I've replaced a handful of CFLs in 12 years

I've moved twice with some of my CFLs. I love 'em, I love the lower power bills, and love using less coal-fired electricity. I have a small number of incandescents - the bathroom light fixtures (which I'll eventually replace) and in a few rarely used utility sockets.

Once LEDs come down in price I will sloooooooowly convert over as the CFLs reach the end of their 5-8 year lifetimes.

[NickB79]

40. Care to quantify what you consider "full of mercury"?

Your fear of mercury in CFL's is largely unfounded: http://www.energy.gs/2007/05/cfl-mercury-myths.html

[Javaman]

28. This is all part of their master plan to create jobs!

today it's the foam cup, tomorrow it's take out boxes!

How that's creating jobs is beyond me, but they said they were going to create some so...I guess this is how they do it?

They are a sad bunch of people.

[reformist2]

32. Don't those styrofoam cups cause cancer?

I don't know where I got this idea from, but I've never been able to drink out of a styrofoam cup ever since...

[defendandprotect]

34. Keep in mind that our Shock & Awe are simply based on GOP unburying long defeated scams ....!!!

Why are we in such Shock & Awe?

Simply because they have the balls to bring these issues back --

"Devil in a new blue dress" --

And we're also shocked that we have so little defenders cause our "free press"

and political parties are now taken over by corporate crooks!!

[unkachuck]

39. these Republicons....

....are contrary sons of bitches....and besides, coffee tastes like shit in styrofoam cups....assholes.