Archive for carbon neutral

Green Energy Revolution

June 22, 2008 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, green energy, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

This week the UK will see a £100 billion renewable energy strategy unveiled.  Yes that is £100 billion.  The EU has set targets for its member states to reach 15% of their energy consumption to be generated by renewable sources by 2020.  As part of this is government is to build 3,500 onshore wind turbines and 7,000 offshore wind turbines.

 

For homeowners who generate their own power there are plans to allow them to sell surplus power to the national grid for a premium price.  What an incentive to get people to install renewable energy sources into their homes!  Although there is a large initial outlay in costs for the installation of renewable energy, eventually huge savings are made and if you can sell back surplus you may even make a profit!  Good news for the planet.

 

However, the government still aren’t doing enough in terms of grants for installing renewable energy sources such as solar panels.  Installation of solar panels cost between £5000 and £10000 which is beyond the reach of most homeowners no matter how eco-friendly they may want to be.  If the government can not offer bigger incentives it will be difficult for them to reach the targets set by the EU.

On the plus side of the green energy revolution using renewable sources of energy would result in a 5% drop in oil use by 2020.  This would significantly reduce the UKs carbon footprint.  Another positive, as pointed out by Greenpeace, is that this would make the UK more self-sufficient in terms of energy production as we would be less reliant on foreign countries.  Our energy bills would also come down in price in the long term which I think we would all agree is needed!

 

It would seem that the UK government has held back or as long as possible to look into renewable energy sources.  If investment had been put in ten years ago we would not be in the position we are now of huge increases in our fuel and energy bills.  You have to admit that it is not a surprise that fossil fuels have gone up in price as reserves run low and countries develop.  The fact that stores of fossil fuels will not last forever is not exactly a new concept.  So why has the government taken so long to act?

 

Long live the green energy revolution!  It has been a long time coming but things are gradually turning in a green direction.  For those of us who can not afford our own solar panels check out the Green Energy page and have a look at what energy companies are doing to go greener.  There is a list of companies that are offsetting their carbon footprints alongside those who are using 100% renewable energy sources.  If we all sign up to one of these tariffs we could make a huge difference to our carbon footprints.

Click here to go to the page.

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Greener driving- how to reduce your CO2 emissions

June 15, 2008 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, green driving, reduce carbon footprint, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions · Tagged , , , , ,

A while ago we looked at green cars and how engines are being modified to run on biofuels and alternative sources of fuel.  However, not all of us (me included) have a car that has low CO2 emissions so what can you do to keep emissions lower without having to fork out for a new car?  The obvious answer is to leave the car at home and use public transport or cycle/walk to your destination.  This is great but what if you need your car for work?  Thankfully some companies such as PwC have low CO2 emission company cars but this is not the norm.

 

If you want to reduce CO2 emissions whilst you are driving here are a few tips from the UK Government about driving efficiently.  When fuel prices are so high this is useful for everyone!

  • driving smoothly can reduce fuel consumption – check the road ahead, anticipate traffic and avoid harsh acceleration and braking
  • shift to a higher gear at the right time – shift up at 2500rpm for petrol cars and 2000rpm for diesel cars. A vehicle travelling at 37mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear
  • get in and go – modern engines are designed to be most efficient when you just get in and go. Keeping the engine running or pumping the accelerator wastes fuel, increases engine wear and increases emissions
  • switch your engine off if you know you won’t be moving for a while
  • check your tyre pressures regularly – under-inflated tyres can increase your fuel consumption by up to three per cent
  • stick to the speed limits - at 70mph you could be using up to 30 per cent more fuel than at 50mph
  • remove unnecessary weight and roof racks – they increase the weight and air resistance so they increase the amount of fuel you use
  • air conditioning and other on-board electrical devices (like mobile phone chargers) increase fuel consumption, so only use them when necessary
I have read elsewhere on the net that using your air conditioning doesn’t actually affect fuel consumption massively.  If you have any information on this get in touch.
I’ve just taken everything out of my boot (except the spare tyre) so we’ll see what a difference taking on board this information makes to my fuel consumption.
For more information on greener issues you can check out the UK Governments website by clicking here.

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The Big Green Idea

June 3, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, reduce carbon footprint, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions · Tagged , , , , ,

Here in the UK the BBC recently ran a series called It’s Not Easy Being Green that followed a family who were trying to live a sustainable lifestyle.  Since the show finished the family has been inundated with people asking for tips on how to live more sustainably, ethically and generally more green.

The result of this was The Big Green Idea.  If you are a UK resident or happen to be visiting the country this summer you may well see the big green bus.

The Big Green Idea busLet’s face it-you’re not going to miss this if it’s in your town and basically that’s the point.

Fear not those of you thinking about the bus pumping fumes into our atmosphere and making the project have a huge carbon footprint.  The bus is powered by bio-diesel.

The downstairs is going to be packed with ethical and green products that people can try out.  Examples include eco-friendly skincare products and energy saving devices.  Upstairs there will be workshops and a solar powered cinema showing demonstrations and convincing people that it’s not hard to go green!  Films to be shown are ‘An Inconvenient Truth” and ‘The Power of Community.”

All in all this is a great idea so pop along if you see the bus.  The Big Green Idea are also trying to get local councils on board and do follow up visits with a green man in a van if people want a consultant to come into their home with green ideas that also save money.

We are all really looking forward to this event.  An update will be posted when the bus has visited this neck of the woods.

The website is www.thebiggreenidea.org

 

 

 

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Will the credit crunch be the make or break for green issues?

June 2, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, ethical fashion, organic products, reduce carbon footprint, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

The credit crunch is hitting everyone at the moment.  You can’t escape the fact that food, fuel and bills are more expensive causing most people to tighten their belts.  Traditionally ethical and green products have been more expensive than there counterparts.

Take for example food.  The organic section is always more expensive than the imported fruit and veg.  The same goes for meat.  So with everyone cutting back will sales of organic food be hit?  Here in the UK we have heard suppilers complaining that profits have been down over the last few months.  Does this mean that ultimately consumers are fairweather eco-warriors?  The evidence seems to point that way.

The same is true for ethical fashion.  There is a comment on this blog to show that the ethical fashion industry is being hit by the credit crunch.   Check out the post here. It appears that people are flocking to places like Primark where you can pick up T-shirts for £3.

 

However, could there be a positive side?  In the short term some sectors may take a hit but then this is the same whether you are an ethical and green company or more mainstream.  We could see second hand clothing stores take off.  People may mend their clothes rather than bin them or swap them with friends.  In terms of food will people start to grow their own veg rather than buy from superstores?

In the world of travel will more people take to public transport as it will be so much cheaper than filling the car with petrol.  People are also more likely to take a holiday in their native country as exchange rates are less attractive and flights are more expensive.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be.  Hopefully the credit crunch will lead people to think more about their carbon footprint and how to become carbon neutral, if only in an effort to save the pennies!

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Go carbon neutral by offsetting or reducing emissions?

April 14, 2008 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, Companies going green · Tagged , , , ,

Going green and making your business carbon neutral has, over the last few years, come high up on people’s agenda.  Consumers are now looking at how green or carbon neutral a business is before deciding wether or not to use them.  That coupled with government and worldwide directives to reduce carbon emissions means that there is big business in carbon offsets.  In fact, such is the importance of going carbon neutral that KPMG actually has a Carbon Advisory Team!

 

According to Adrian Wilcox of KPMG’s Carbon Advisory Team many businesses have rushed into offsetting their carbon emissions before looking at how to reduce them.  As a result it is estimated that between 2008 and 2010 the carbon offsetting industry will grow to in excess of 60 billion euros!  Instead of rushing into carbon offsetting companies should look at how to reduce carbon emissions and therefore have a smaller carbon footprint.

We have already looked at how we can reduce our carbon footprint in the home so how can businesses do this?  Well there are a number of ways.  One of the most simple ways is to educate your staff in how to reduce carbon emissions by turning appliances off at the wall instead of leaving them on standby, switching off lights and only boiling the water you need when making a drink.  And lets not forget the three Rs- reduce, reuse and recycle!

On a larger scale businesses should look into switching to renewable energy sources such as solar power.  When purchasing electrical appliances businesses should be mindful as to their energy efficiency.

Some companies are encouraging working from home and doing conference calls thus cutting down on the travel that staff do as part of their work.  In the same vein, sourcing supplies from local suppliers can reduce your carbon footprint.

Obviously carbon offsetting is a great idea but in order to be as effective as possible reducing the carbon footprint should also be at the top of the agenda.  Carbon offsetting schemes include the planting of trees and investing in renewable energy research in the developing world.

 

Are you a business trying to become carbon neutral and reduce your carbon footprint?  If so get in touch and let us know what you are doing.  Alternatively maybe you have some suggestions.  Feel free to leave a comment.

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