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10:10 Carbon Footprint Reduction

Back at the end of 2009 I signed a pledge to reduce my carbon footprint by 10%, called 10:10, here’s my results.

Well, it was close… depending on how you calculate it… although in another sense I totally failed.

Electricity

First of all it’s worth saying I’ve always tried to have a low Carbon Footprint so I was starting from a fairly low base – well I’d like to think so, must of my electrical hardware has a high energy rating and they are switched off when not in use. However, one area I thought I’d be able to make some progress on was lighting. Low-energy bulbs should be an easy way to cut back so I replaced all but two bulbs in my house with these.

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Hydroponical Crop

Hydroponics

Just put my hydroponics windowsill kit back to work after I cleaned it up months ago – hopefully we’ll get a nice harvest this time. Last time my mountain strawberries grow very well… they just didn’t produce any fruit. I’m hoping that was just a consequence of the plant dying off before it had a chance, and that I’ve now removed the reason for it’s death too. I think I also made the mistake of letting them grow as tall as they could, when a better idea would have been too cut them back going for more outward than upward growth.

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10:10 – The year of green change

10:10 campaign logo
10:10 campaign logo

The time for debate on climate change has passed, it’s real – now it’s time to do something about it. 2010 could go down in history as the year when we decide to combat this threat, that’s if the people at 10:10 UK get their way.

10:10 UK was set up late last year as a way for people (and businesses, schools, organisations) to state they’ll make a 10% cut in the carbon emissions in 2010. Anyone can join through a simple form. There’s no tracking of your savings so you’ll just have to be trusted (You’re only be cheating yourself… and the 7 billion others on Earth…)!

As of writing, there are 53’044 individuals signed up, which is a great number, but a really small percentage of the UK’s population – I’ve already signed up and hopefully encouraged others to join but they really need to reach more people.

Some of the things I’ve done or plan to do are:

  • Replace all my lights with energy saving ones.
  • Track my electricity usage minute by minute.
  • Look into the feasibility of insulating, double glazing and making other improvements to my four hundred year old rented house.
  • Drive my car less, use public transport and cycle more.

I’ll be following up on this from time to time through out the year.

If you live outside of the UK try this site instead: http://www.1010global.org/

A Happy New year to you all.

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I've changed to electric green.

In the long and difficult struggle to fight global warming and pollution I’ve taken what must be the simplest step of all.



I quick phone call to Southern Electric meant I was paying for electricity from a renewable source: hydro-electric. I say “paying for” because I still think I actually get my power from the big menacing coal burning power station down the road, but at least my money is has its heart in the right place!



Also, I’m not entirelly sure that hydro-electricity is totally green anyway – I know of one hydro-electricity power station that is located in between two lakes, one high up in the hills and one much lower down. When the UK power grid needs extra power the flood gates open and water from the upper lake rushes down through turbines into the lower one. This is 100 % renewable… to a point… obviously the upper lake would haver to be replenshied faster than it was drained, this does not happen so what do you think they do? And this quite surprised me, when the power grid doesn’t need that extra power they take power away and use it to pump the water back up!



If you use SouthernElectric then you can have a look at the details here:

http://www.thepower2.co.uk/



Switch now! (It’s free and takes less than a few minutes). More and more electricity providers are doing this so check out you place now. (And if you find one for your area add a comment and tell everyone else.)



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Petitions and light pollution.

The UK goverment now lets people create online petitions which amongst others, the prime minister will see. Not a bad idea.

If you want to have a look click here:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/search?q=light+pollution

Also note that these few petitions are for solutions to the problem of light pollution, something which I get quite annoyed about, so please go ahead and support these ideas, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to.

Some people don’t even realise that there should be 1000’s of stars visible in the night sky, a view which makes us far to inward looking. Also, less light pollution equals less electricity used, so less greenhouses gases released as well as less pollution. It’s a no lose decision!

#flag: “Light pollution”, Petitions

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August

Well, I’ve been slacking again, no post for several weeks.

Apparently July has been the hottest month ever (since records began anyway), and I mean the hottest of any month, not just the July ones… I really should get around to finishing my Green website… but SO busy…

Work is also offering some new challenges, I’m currently working on Flash, I’m supposed to be creating a installer menu thing, but actually I’m just playing with it – I’ve never used it before!

OU work is also catching up on me, I’m supposed to finish reading a 300 page assignment book by end of August… which now seems pretty impossible… still, I’m sure I’ll be able to blag it! :0)

Also, around bank holiday in August I’m going camping and surfing – really looking forward to the surfing… not so sure about the camping… I’m going here.

#flag: work, OU, camping, green, links