Guilt

[Jabez]

Okay, this isn't your normal thread about feeling guilty for wearing. I tend to feel guilty from time to time when I think about the environmental impact of our diapers. A lot of us wear them when we really don't need to. It kinda makes me feel guilty at the time, but I get over it. I know there are cloth diapers which would help tremendously, however I personally am not in a situation in which that would be a good idea.

I was just wondering if anyone else ever felt guilty about this from time to time?

[TDL]

i never feel quilty because of that! BUT, is it because there's someone who needs them and you don't? i'm confused ...

[Mischa]

I don't feel guilty about the environmental impact, because for every diaper I will probably use, I've recycled a lot more other stuff.

I've heard that there are companies that have started recycling disposable diapers, but the technology doesn't seem as cost effective right now as it will eventually be.

I also use the rationalizing that for every diaper I wear, there are babies and others that have used more, so the entire ABDL community is just a drop in the overall diaper pail.

[Honu]

I wear cloth diapers at home and thus really limit my contribution to the landfill. I know its not for everyone, but it is a bit more environmentally responsible. I'm proud of you Jabez for considering the environment. Rather than feel guilt, can you find something you can do about it? Finding times to use cloth diapers is one approach and I know that there are more environmentally conscious disposibles for infants.

While the ABDL community is not at the pointy tip of the spear on this issue, progress starts with a single step.

Regards,

Honu

[tcc]

It's too bad you aren't in a situation where you can utilize cloth diapers. They ARE environmentally friendly, CAN be handled quickly if need be - washed out, dried on a shower bar and kept for a while before laundering, depending upon how much you're in diapers - AND, there simply is no comparison to the feel and absorptive qualities they provide as compared to disposables. It is true, too, that adult disposable diapers comprise a small percentage of the refuse stream, however, they ARE larger in size, so a single adult diaper takes up the space of several infant diapers. Cloth rules, but disposables have their place. I'd be more concerned over guilt over being an AB or DL as opposed to the garbage you generate! LOL I EMPOWER you to be okay with using what you do, when you do! MY two cents...

[Junibug 4 Lucy]

i too feel bad that i use them, i just dont get on with cloth...i get bad rash...wich is wierd as when i was baby i came up with disposable..and my son was the same...we used cloth for him as soon as we could, but they didnt do prem ones then...think they do now:)...

lucy wears cloth so i tell myself we are doing a good thing by trying to minamise it, and also, as i said for our children we will/have used cloth....if not cloth than biodegradable...my friend had not so good ones but we foynd some good ones...made by abena:) just wish they did them in adult size!!

also, if i can help it i do not bag them as it stops them degradeing even more...and if i do i use a biodegradable one:)

so i tell my self i am doing my best and can use them fairly gilt free...

hugs

juniper

xxx

[curiositykilledthecat]

Meh, I hope they name a hole in the o-zone after me.

My town has a trash to energy plant so i can care less.

[hidden]

Relative to everything else that goes into landfills, if everyone quit wearing diapers, the world would only last a couple seconds longer. The amount of trash 1 Mcdonalds generates in 1 day would equal the volume of several months worth of diapers.

[Moana]

Relative to everything else that goes into landfills, if everyone quit wearing diapers, the world would only last a couple seconds longer. The amount of trash 1 Mcdonalds generates in 1 day would equal the volume of several months worth of diapers.

True dat! When I used to work there, I would take out the trash and look at all the tray liners, burger boxes, wrapping paper, pie boxes, cups, straws, napkins, and not finished food

There are so many worse things to the environment than adult diapers right now. At least the diaper users cut their water use in the toilet department. McDonald's is doing absolutely NOTHING to clean up after themselves. and that is just one store of the millions of McDonald's of the hundreds of franchise that has Thousands/millions of stores themselves.

Good for you guys for caring about the environment, but we are just one termite in the infestation of our planet.

[sarah_ab]

I was just wondering if anyone else ever felt guilty about this from time to time?

Nope.

[DailyDi]

When it comes to the environment I have always taken the opinion that "there's no down side to treating the planet better." It shuts down the anti-global-warming crowd and is just a good way to live. I recycle where the option exists, and I limit my use of unnessesary packaging.

Being incontinent, diapers are a necessity. But being a DL, I wear more than I "need" but honestly, I don't worry too much about it.

[Mingo]

When concerned with this question, you just have to ask yourself: Would you sacrifice your children for your own body?

If you really are empathic to the environment and the Earth, you should give up eating meat and driving any private vehicle. These are probably the greatest cause of global warming that you personally do.

[Bettypooh]

Meh, I hope they name a hole in the o-zone after me.

"o-zone" ? Here's the real "O-zone" : <

Sorry Curiosity, I just had to because "ozone" doesn't have a dash in it

I do care about the environment but my infrequent use of disposables doesn't worry me. If each of us makes some effort it makes a difference in the end- and I know very few people who make every effort to be environmentally friendly Those people are obsessive which probably isn't a good thing for their mental health It's good to care but at some point things get out of hand so quit worrying about your disposables and work on the rest of what you can do. There's enough negativity connected to being ABDL already so don't add more to your burden

Bettypooh

PS I can't get the HTML selector to make the above link active so dig it up yourself and enjoy!!!

[gweg]

When concerned with this question, you just have to ask yourself: Would you sacrifice your children for your own body?

If you really are empathic to the environment and the Earth, you should give up eating meat and driving any private vehicle. These are probably the greatest cause of global warming that you personally do.

What global warming? Right now the last ten years are in a downward global period. not a warming but a cooling. This coincides with the proof shown by scientists computer models relating to ocean cycles and the BBC is reporting that those computer models are accurate at their prediction and the gore-ites can not come up with one computer model that has predicted anything correctly at any time!!!

http://news.bbc.co.u...ure/8299079.stm

Also for those wearing disposables the more sunlight that gets on that disposible the faster the plastic disintegrates in the sun. In a month that plastic will be gone in the winter air but if they cover it... it will stay around for many many years... so show those diapers the sun... lol

just a thought to take to bed tonight...

[Yvhuce]

When concerned with this question, you just have to ask yourself: Would you sacrifice your children for your own body?

I don't ever plan on having kids, so the answer there is YES!

If you really are empathic to the environment and the Earth, you should give up eating meat and driving any private vehicle. These are probably the greatest cause of global warming that you personally do.

In that case, I should drive around more. I won't be happy until we've gotten rid of winter.

[hidden]

well, if everyone is so concerned with the environment, i could use some funding to get my idea of a limitless power source off the ground. been thinking about it since middle school and have been adding to it but haven't had the time to go to electrical engineering courses and such or $.

or in the mean time, give me some green body paint so i can go "green".

[fluff]

I do a bit.

I've gotten more and more environmentally and ethically friendly in the past couple of years so hopefully all the energy saving lightbulbs, household recycling, water conserving and bamboo clothing make up a little bit for my diesel and nappies.

[diaperpt]

I sometimes do feel a little guilty about using diapers when I don't need them.

Let's not get into the whole global warming thing here - its pretty obvious this would get a rant going from too many sources. I do think that the messed up weather we've been having in the last several years IS an indication that we've messed just a little too much with Mother Nature. I also think its pretty short sighted of people to just think we can trash the planet indefinitely without any consequence.

With that point of view, the many different opinions already stated show a range of our own rationalizations for wearing. I'm not going to criticize that, because I've obviously rationalized the whole thing for myself. I make a huge effort to recycle as much as I can, but I can't stop myself from using my car - more than necessary (including driving a distance to buy my Attends!!) or burning oil to heat my home. If I were really serious about being easy on the environment, I'd probably get rid of my power lawn mower, trimmer and chain saw.

The issue of whether cloth diapers are really easier on the environment is, I think, still up in the air anyway but if we don't need diapers, its still a drain on the environment.

The amount of savings I create environmentally is a drop in the bucket (I like the drop in the diaper pail image!! ) and the dent I put in things with my own diaper wearing is too. The big culprits are not only McDonalds, etc (as pointed out) but the entire business, manufacturing, sector. The government (both parties, too) have been lax on pushing for environmental protection, let alone other industrialized nations of the world.

Saving the environment, I feel, is certainly a worthwhile issue that we ALL ought to be working for, but it will NOT be enough to get me out of my diapers!!!

[PArms]

I still use and will always use incandescent lamps because in the winter, they are 99% efficient. They create heat and I want heat. Nothing goes to waste. In the summer, I use a dimmer at night and almost never use them during the day.

The environment is impacted most because we are trying to change the environment itself. We heat our homes in the winter and cool them (not me) in the summer. Both of these take energy which is created mostly at the source of power: Your local power plant.

If you really want to reduce the impact, you have to get everyone to move to the portion of the world that are bodies have been created for: Tropical weather. And you would have to get them to agree on not using many of the technologies we're accustomed to. We wouldn't have to spend as much time, money, or energy on heating, creating clothing, transporting food, etc.

Obviously that's not going to happen. So, wear your diapers to your heart's content. Don't feel guilty at all (unless you really can do the above).

Don't feel bad about using water, either. The more clean water you send down the drain, the more diluted your dirty water is. Then the sewer treatment plant needs less water to clean your dirty water anyway.

[fluff]

I'll be honest I'm not entirely convinced of the whole media interpretation of global warming etc. And I cannot stand it when people use the phrase "climate change" because lets face it, it hasn't stayed the same since the dawn of time anyway - Just look at that film with the sloth and the talking mammoth!.

But what really gets to me is the fact that we do actually waste monumental amounts of materials and services then end up creating more and more products and services to deal with it. Oh, and my money!

Simplictically take food packaging for one example, buy a common takaway sandwich wedge and unfold the thing, its about A3 size, for a sandwich.

Particularly annoying when in a supermarket where they're apparently made fresh, why isn't it just in a paper or recyclable plastic bag?

It'd be cheaper, more efficient, more environmentally friendly to use far less packaging for such goods.

I'll stop, my rants usually end up proving me wrong or going off on such a tangent that they rarely address the subject.

[loopy]

Simplictically take food packaging for one example, buy a common takaway sandwich wedge and unfold the thing, its about A3 size, for a sandwich.

They aren't made fresh, delivered like everything else. Food packaging is truly horrendous, take mullercorner yogurts, the six packs come in boxes with two packs, so you end up with tons of waste cardboard at the end. At least they recycle but purely because they get some money for it.

[fluff]

They aren't made fresh, delivered like everything else. Food packaging is truly horrendous, take mullercorner yogurts, the six packs come in boxes with two packs, so you end up with tons of waste cardboard at the end. At least they recycle but purely because they get some money for it.

I think it depends on the shop, service stations etc are all pre packaged I know. Certain shops are fresh.

[loopy]

I think it depends on the shop, service stations etc are all pre packaged I know. Certain shops are fresh.

The only place I know that makes em fresh is greggs, and maybe other small sandwich shops . Maybe waitrose? they seem posh enough to do that .

[fluff]

I think Waitrose do, I've been ina sainsburys that does and the morrisions by my work does.

But on greggs - how anoying are those greggs ads?

And back to the original topic

[tcc]

You know, if everybody will do their OWN thing in regard to what they feel comfortable with being "green" and giving the environment a break, we'll all be fine. We want to follow the alarmists and feel like we simply cannot handle what we need to handle. Fact IS that when it's time, and the technology is there, we'll follow it!

So, you believe you can do your own thing with disposables? Go for it. Me, I will revel in cloth diapers and plastic pants. I prefer e'm, anyway....The fricking "Al Gore Syndrome" makes me ill. So many believe what SOUNDS reasonable, but is NOT backed by SOUND science. If it makes you feel good, go for it. USE YOUR HEAD. YOU ARE INTELLIGENT. THEN, make your decisions.

For me, I'm going to pee and poop into my cloth diapers, which I repair, when needed, on my own sewing machine, and am in the process of learning how to sew my own perfect cloth diapers. Eventually, we will have a way to properly process human feces, to be recycled as fertilizer of some kind - besides the current "Milorganite" on the market -and further "recycle" what WE interally "process".

Cloth diapers rule. We ARE on our way to harmony with the "vanilla" world"!