#BuildaBetterEden - Community Planning: 07.07.2011

The New Intimacy

#BuildaBetterEden - Community Planning: 07.07.2011

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Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Wondermom
100% recycled toilet paper isn't that bad
Paper is paper when it comes to toilet paper. It's all about what they do with the raw materials.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Redboxbaby Redboxbaby
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
You are in support of people cutting down the Amazon and redwoods?

Fruit trees should be used more frequently for wood. Apple and cherry make especially fine furniture.
I love apple wood. That is what the floors in my house are made of. It is really pretty.
07/07/2011
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy Wilde
In Asia, they use water. I wish those toilets were common here.
Something about a wet butt...I guess if there was an air dryer on the seat it would work.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Redboxbaby
Where I live the logging and clear cutting is not always done in a responsible way. That is sad! Sustainable is fine, but for the most part what we see is not. Homes here are boarded up because no one is buying. Yet builders keep building and ... more
Oh. Clearcutting is sad indeed. They sure left Wisconsin in rough shape back in the old days... and then just abandoned it all because they didn't want to pay property taxes on lands that they'd rendered useless.

Lots of state forest, now, I suppose, to look at the silver lining.

But, yes, clearcutting is not a good way to go about things.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Well, here's something that I would like to bring up, not sure if it's 100% on-topic, but there was a lot of discussion over in this thread about how the rankings for "most helpful favorable review" and "most helpful critical ... more
I'd agree with that. In general, the more higher rated the review in a weighted system, the better it will be for actual customers trying to decide on a product.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Ghost
My grandmother was an elementary school teacher and her school would get donations all the time.. of things they unfortunately never have time to use: art supplies, toys and non-standard notebooks or paper. What they did use tended to be cleaning ... more
It's good that you bring that up. For those of us that don't have the experience with teaching that your grandmother does, we don't know that. I know I didn't at least. It makes sense, but I never really thought about it before.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Redboxbaby Redboxbaby
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Oh. Clearcutting is sad indeed. They sure left Wisconsin in rough shape back in the old days... and then just abandoned it all because they didn't want to pay property taxes on lands that they'd rendered useless.

Lots of state forest, ... more
Property Taxes in WI are outrageous! My husbands parents live there and complain each year they have to pay 'em about them going up.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Wondermom Wondermom
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
I'd agree with that. In general, the more higher rated the review in a weighted system, the better it will be for actual customers trying to decide on a product.
I agree, I have not liked the new system of the averaged reviews, some of them are just really terrible
07/07/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Therein lies the problem. Aside from the national forests in the US (and even then, it's a regional thing), the clearcuts and the roads leading to them cause a great deal of environmental degradation. Logging can be done sustainably, but ... more
In Wisconsin I haven't seen any clearcutting in my lifetime. Even in the red pine (for pulp) plantations, which are just unaesthetic rows of trees (hardly a good example of an ecosystem), they still don't level the whole patch at once. It's all staggered.

But! I think we're all agreeing.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by Wondermom
I agree, I have not liked the new system of the averaged reviews, some of them are just really terrible
Honestly, I don't even look at them. I go straight to the "view all reviews" link and sort from there.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Ivy Wilde Ivy Wilde
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
I'd agree with that. In general, the more higher rated the review in a weighted system, the better it will be for actual customers trying to decide on a product.
If weighted averages work they way that it sounds like they do, then it seems it would certainly be a more accurate way to determine the most useful reviews.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Gary Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Well, here's something that I would like to bring up, not sure if it's 100% on-topic, but there was a lot of discussion over in this thread about how the rankings for "most helpful favorable review" and "most helpful critical ... more
I will revisit this.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Wondermom Wondermom
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
It's good that you bring that up. For those of us that don't have the experience with teaching that your grandmother does, we don't know that. I know I didn't at least. It makes sense, but I never really thought about it before.
basic school supplies do help though, many teachers end up using their own paycheck to purchase supplies for low income kids in their classes

so you could pick up a back to school list at most stores that are selling school supplies and buy some of those supplies, donate to your local low income schools
07/07/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by Gary
I will revisit this.
Thanks Gary. I think some excellent points were brought up in the thread Antipova linked.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
Honestly, I don't even look at them. I go straight to the "view all reviews" link and sort from there.
But casual visitors to the site (who are the ones we really want to see the cream-of-the-crop reviews) might not a) know how to or b) take the time to do that.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Ghost Ghost
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
It's good that you bring that up. For those of us that don't have the experience with teaching that your grandmother does, we don't know that. I know I didn't at least. It makes sense, but I never really thought about it before.
If you have specific schools in mind, I would contact them first and see if they can give you a list of supplies most badly needed, and depending on what programs they have, it will be anything from cleaning supplies to tissue to new basketballs for the gym class to new classroom desks and chairs (these are ALWAYS falling apart).
07/07/2011
Contributor: Gary Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Therein lies the problem. Aside from the national forests in the US (and even then, it's a regional thing), the clearcuts and the roads leading to them cause a great deal of environmental degradation. Logging can be done sustainably, but ... more
I will take your word for it. If the system is not sustainable, then it needs be to improved.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Wondermom Wondermom
kleenex, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are always needs for schools.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Redboxbaby Redboxbaby
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
Honestly, I don't even look at them. I go straight to the "view all reviews" link and sort from there.
Same here. I read one today, it was the most favorable helpful review and only had 2 useful and 4 somewhat useful (but the reviewer gave it 5 stars so it won out). The review in my opinion was awful. The system makes no sense to me.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
But casual visitors to the site (who are the ones we really want to see the cream-of-the-crop reviews) might not a) know how to or b) take the time to do that.
Oh I totally agree. I was just saying that the new format is so bad that I completely bypass it.
07/07/2011
Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
Quote:
Originally posted by Wondermom
kleenex, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are always needs for schools.
Kleenex especially.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Ghost
If you have specific schools in mind, I would contact them first and see if they can give you a list of supplies most badly needed, and depending on what programs they have, it will be anything from cleaning supplies to tissue to new basketballs for ... more
PTAs and PTOs also tend to organize these things, so they would be a good way to find out as well.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Ivy Wilde Ivy Wilde
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
But casual visitors to the site (who are the ones we really want to see the cream-of-the-crop reviews) might not a) know how to or b) take the time to do that.
Yup, when I first got here (not that long ago), I had no idea how to view all reviews or who to trust in terms of giving a good review. I simply clicked on the reviews listed as most helpful.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Redboxbaby
Property Taxes in WI are outrageous! My husbands parents live there and complain each year they have to pay 'em about them going up.
Absolutely they are! It happens in tourist locations. City folk buy and build outrageous cabins, and everybody's values rise as a result. There's a lot of tension when so much of your economy is tourist-based...


But the clearcutting was all in the 1850's or round-about, and property taxes were lower...but the logging companies systematically didn't pay their taxes as a business strategy. Which I think sucks.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Wondermom
basic school supplies do help though, many teachers end up using their own paycheck to purchase supplies for low income kids in their classes

so you could pick up a back to school list at most stores that are selling school supplies and buy ... more
That was what I was going to try to do.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Redboxbaby
Same here. I read one today, it was the most favorable helpful review and only had 2 useful and 4 somewhat useful (but the reviewer gave it 5 stars so it won out). The review in my opinion was awful. The system makes no sense to me.
Oh, I'm glad you agree with me about the 5-and-1 stars shouldn't trump 2,3,and4 stars.
07/07/2011
Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
Quote:
Originally posted by Redboxbaby
Same here. I read one today, it was the most favorable helpful review and only had 2 useful and 4 somewhat useful (but the reviewer gave it 5 stars so it won out). The review in my opinion was awful. The system makes no sense to me.
I totally agree. I find it unnecessary and found the previous system to work very well. It was less complicated but worked just fine in my opinion.
07/07/2011
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
It's good that you bring that up. For those of us that don't have the experience with teaching that your grandmother does, we don't know that. I know I didn't at least. It makes sense, but I never really thought about it before.
The hard part is every district is different. Back in Colorado they needed totally different supplies than they do UP here. For instance, the teachers here do not need paper, pencils and crayons, they need glue and construction paper more.
I think it is always best to ask the district where you are looking to help out to find out what is needed the most.
07/07/2011
Contributor: Redboxbaby Redboxbaby
Quote:
Originally posted by ~LaUr3n~
I totally agree. I find it unnecessary and found the previous system to work very well. It was less complicated but worked just fine in my opinion.
Agreed!
07/07/2011
Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
Quote:
Originally posted by ToyTimeTim
The hard part is every district is different. Back in Colorado they needed totally different supplies than they do UP here. For instance, the teachers here do not need paper, pencils and crayons, they need glue and construction paper more.
I ... more
Very good point. It's different in cities than it is in rural areas too.
07/07/2011