I attended the UK launch of "The Sustainability Project" last night at the RSA.
It is a series of twelve books about the global environmental crises and our responsibilities to the future.
The books were published on virgin paper,
the blurb was published on virgin paper,
four of the speakers were flown in from Germany,
they served non-organic wine from South Africa,
the reception was in an air-conditioned room that could easily have been naturally ventilated, the projector remained on for entire event even though no overheads were being used by the speakers,
the reception was entirely lit by old-fashioned incandescent bulbs....... needless to say I did not buy any of the books.
During the Q&A session I asked if the books had been published on recycled paper and what the carbon footprint of the panel members was and how often did they eat meat.
The publishers stood up and stated that the books were on 100% FSC certified paper. I replied that this meant nothing as regards the recycled content and then the chair moved on without putting my question to the panel. It was the only unanswered question of the evening....
Recycled paper uses on average 40% less CO2 than virgin paper, even if it is certified as being from sustainable sources. Generally what this means in Europe is that the paper has come from the Scandinavian monoculture forests like it has done for decades and so is generally meaningless in terms of recycled content, unless the recycled content is itself included.
I admit I came home pretty despairing that if this was the type of pseudo eco-event being put on by the RSA, then what hope have we really got of changing in time. However, on a positve note the RSA Fellows that I met at the reception were equally disturbed by the failure of the panel to answer the question about their own carbon footprints and were very positive about the issues raised.
Eco-activator Action: When attending eco-conferences or presentations do ask the speakers about any issues you have with the eco-standards of the event and ask the speakers if relevant to the presentation, about what their own eco-performance or carbon footprint is.
Contact Haus Publishing and ask them why they did not publish the supposed sustainability books on recycled paper.
sustainability@hauspublishing.com
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Monday, 15 June 2009
The Guardian "Turn Train Station Lights Off" Campaign
The Guardian has allowed me to launch a Turn Train Station Lights Off Campaign, asking people to go to their local train station and if the lights are on unnecessarily during the day, to ask them politely to turn them off.
They are then requested to report their experiences on the comment section of the article.My dream is that we could help get every train station in Britain to turn their daylights off and so save millions of pounds and thousands of tonnes of CO2.If successful, The Guardian might consider rolling this out into other such individual empowerment campaigns.
So please check your local train station, tell them you are part of The Guardian Turn the Train Station Lights Off Campaign and report back on the comment section.If you are part of any eco groups, local FOE groups, Facebook group , CRAGS group, Transition Town group, etc etc then it would be GREAT if you could spread the word by forwarding this blogpost.
The link is : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jun/02/public-transport-energy
Many thanks
Donnachadh
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Good News on European CO2 Reduction
Extraordinarily positive news about CO2 reductions was recently released by the European Commission.
Emissions in 2008 were an extraordinary 6 per cent lower than in 2007. This was a first since the European Emissions Trading Scheme was introduced.
If such a rate were continued for the next 17 years, the zero carbon dream could be realised. If this were copied across the developed and developing world, we might finally have a chance of averting the worst exceesses of the climate crisis, saving millions of lives and protecting hundreds of millions of family homes.
Whilst some of this reduction was due to the onset of the credit crunch crisis later in the year, it is also due to increasing awareness amongst consumers and businesses about the urgency of the climate crisis, leading to direct action to reduce their personal carbon footprints.
The downside of the figures of course reflect the loss of many jobs in existing fossil fuel dependent industries, whose political lobbyists are expending huge efforts to persuade European governments to take action to refloat their dinosaur industries.
The UK government's recent budget shows how successful their efforts have been with huge tax give-aways included for the motor, oil and coal industries. The challenge is now for us to persuade consumers and governments that the refloating of the economy cannot come at the expense of destroying our future prosperity but must rather concentrate on cinvesting in a new green economy based on eco-friendly industries, replacing the old destructive fossil fuel industries.
Ecoactivator Action Point
If you see any biased media articles bemoaning falling car sales without any balancing coverage of the positive aspects of a fall in fossil fuel powered vehicles during the current climate crisis, write in and point them out, including sympathethic references to the need for urgent action to create new eco-friendly jobs for those suffering loss of employment in the old destructive industries.
Emissions in 2008 were an extraordinary 6 per cent lower than in 2007. This was a first since the European Emissions Trading Scheme was introduced.
If such a rate were continued for the next 17 years, the zero carbon dream could be realised. If this were copied across the developed and developing world, we might finally have a chance of averting the worst exceesses of the climate crisis, saving millions of lives and protecting hundreds of millions of family homes.
Whilst some of this reduction was due to the onset of the credit crunch crisis later in the year, it is also due to increasing awareness amongst consumers and businesses about the urgency of the climate crisis, leading to direct action to reduce their personal carbon footprints.
The downside of the figures of course reflect the loss of many jobs in existing fossil fuel dependent industries, whose political lobbyists are expending huge efforts to persuade European governments to take action to refloat their dinosaur industries.
The UK government's recent budget shows how successful their efforts have been with huge tax give-aways included for the motor, oil and coal industries. The challenge is now for us to persuade consumers and governments that the refloating of the economy cannot come at the expense of destroying our future prosperity but must rather concentrate on cinvesting in a new green economy based on eco-friendly industries, replacing the old destructive fossil fuel industries.
Ecoactivator Action Point
If you see any biased media articles bemoaning falling car sales without any balancing coverage of the positive aspects of a fall in fossil fuel powered vehicles during the current climate crisis, write in and point them out, including sympathethic references to the need for urgent action to create new eco-friendly jobs for those suffering loss of employment in the old destructive industries.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Gordon Brown's Green Budget Farce
I was contacted by the Guardian last week to see if I would be willing to comment on Budget Day, on whether the prime minister's promised green budget actually delivered. I said then that such promises of a green budget by Gordon Brown were almost as regular as daffodils in March but were as regularly blown over by April's reality of yet another brown climate-destructive budget.
Sadly yesterday proved to be no exception. The much heralded and dubious electric car revolution was not even mentioned in the chancellor's speech. Instead we had the usual give-aways to New Labour's lobbying friends in the oil, car and nuclear industries. The passing mention of nuclear turned out to be buried in a massive new budget of over £400 million. The chancellor declared his undying commitment to squeezing every last drop out of the North Sea oil fields, whilst the bonanza for upmarket rich car-buyers continued apace.
Take for example a Rolls Royce customer. If you were buying a new Rolls Royce this year, you will already be benefitting from a £7,500 reduction in VAT and now if you want to turn in your old 11 year old Rolls Royce, you get given another £2,000. What a great way to spend taxpayers money that we have to borrow to spend! To balance this out, the poor driver will have to fork out an extra £5 in Vehicle Excise duty next year and £35 the year after to acknowledge its extra emission.... and the RAC is already complaining about the miserly 2p rise in fuel duty.
The so-called new money for domestic renewable energy installations is just actually a decision not to shut down the current grant scheme, as was scheduled for this June, rather than a new scheme. However, such promised grant money in previous budgets proved to be just a con, when the dust cleared from Budget Day. We will see what happens this time.
Likewise the supposed new money for off-shore windfarms is seemingly again not new money at all ,but money to be re-allocated from other technologies from the Renewables Obligation which is paid for by electricity customers and not by the government.
The much vanunted £100 million for new energy efficient council housing will pay for less than 2 new such homes in each of the UK's local authorities.....and so the depressing usual litany of green cons went on.
As this is likely to be Labour's last budget that will cover a full year in office, we have to accept that Brown and New Labour have tragically squandered the opportunity to make a real step change in responding to our climate crisis. Green taxes have been slashed during their term in office. Aviation and private transport emissions have soared and the number of homes in fuel poverty is beginning to rise, when they promised to eliminate such fuel poverty. Twelve wasted years is their epitaph.
Instead of that bright new envinronmental dawn promised in 1997, Labour simply continued the Conservatives love affair with the nuclear, aviation, oil, car, coal and GM industries. The revolving door between the government, senior civil service and corporate interests fuelled by party political lobbyists ensured that big business interests came first and not the public's or the planet's.
However, that does not mean that we cannot change things for the better. Instead it means that we each have to work that much harder in our own lives, communities and work-places to generate a real step change in the take up of urgently needed green practices. We will now achieve this despite the government and not because of it. When we succeed, maybe it will mean we will have an even greater sense of achievement?
Sadly yesterday proved to be no exception. The much heralded and dubious electric car revolution was not even mentioned in the chancellor's speech. Instead we had the usual give-aways to New Labour's lobbying friends in the oil, car and nuclear industries. The passing mention of nuclear turned out to be buried in a massive new budget of over £400 million. The chancellor declared his undying commitment to squeezing every last drop out of the North Sea oil fields, whilst the bonanza for upmarket rich car-buyers continued apace.
Take for example a Rolls Royce customer. If you were buying a new Rolls Royce this year, you will already be benefitting from a £7,500 reduction in VAT and now if you want to turn in your old 11 year old Rolls Royce, you get given another £2,000. What a great way to spend taxpayers money that we have to borrow to spend! To balance this out, the poor driver will have to fork out an extra £5 in Vehicle Excise duty next year and £35 the year after to acknowledge its extra emission.... and the RAC is already complaining about the miserly 2p rise in fuel duty.
The so-called new money for domestic renewable energy installations is just actually a decision not to shut down the current grant scheme, as was scheduled for this June, rather than a new scheme. However, such promised grant money in previous budgets proved to be just a con, when the dust cleared from Budget Day. We will see what happens this time.
Likewise the supposed new money for off-shore windfarms is seemingly again not new money at all ,but money to be re-allocated from other technologies from the Renewables Obligation which is paid for by electricity customers and not by the government.
The much vanunted £100 million for new energy efficient council housing will pay for less than 2 new such homes in each of the UK's local authorities.....and so the depressing usual litany of green cons went on.
As this is likely to be Labour's last budget that will cover a full year in office, we have to accept that Brown and New Labour have tragically squandered the opportunity to make a real step change in responding to our climate crisis. Green taxes have been slashed during their term in office. Aviation and private transport emissions have soared and the number of homes in fuel poverty is beginning to rise, when they promised to eliminate such fuel poverty. Twelve wasted years is their epitaph.
Instead of that bright new envinronmental dawn promised in 1997, Labour simply continued the Conservatives love affair with the nuclear, aviation, oil, car, coal and GM industries. The revolving door between the government, senior civil service and corporate interests fuelled by party political lobbyists ensured that big business interests came first and not the public's or the planet's.
However, that does not mean that we cannot change things for the better. Instead it means that we each have to work that much harder in our own lives, communities and work-places to generate a real step change in the take up of urgently needed green practices. We will now achieve this despite the government and not because of it. When we succeed, maybe it will mean we will have an even greater sense of achievement?
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Un-Eco Exhibitors at UK Aware 09
For some time now, I have been increasingly concerned at the amount of climate crisis destructive activity of many exhibitors at the increasing number of national eco-exhibitions that are thankfully now taking place.
Stands flooded with destructive halogen bulbs and stocked with un-eco freebies such as plastic bottled water abound. I have gradually started asking some of the worst offenders why they are acting so counter to the ethos of the eco-exhibitions that they are attending? The reactions have varied from the genuinely appreciative of having something pointed out to them, that they had not thought about before to the downright hostile.
So it was again when I visited the UK Aware exhibition at the Olympia Exhibition Centre yesterday in London. However, rather than be frustrated, I decided this time to ask an increased number of those stands that were being especially wasteful or were using lighting in areas that were naturally lit, to turn off their unnecessary lights or ask them why they were using very wasteful old -fashioned lighting systems. The following is a taste of the responses I received:
The National Trust
They had a stand situated in a naturally lit portion of the exhibition hall that had a pop up stand lit with 3 halogen tubes, that looked like were using 2oo watts apiece. I asked a staff member why and I got a hostile reply of ask the manager. He eventually turned up and shrugged his shoulders and replied that they came with their marketing materials.
Energy Saving Trust
They had a stall handing out literature on energy saving but had a floodlight in a naturally lit area. I asked why and their friendly reply came that they agreed it was a waste but they did not know how to turn it off. I pointed at the switch on the flood-lamp and turned it off for them. They laughingly acknowledged the friendly humour in the situation.
Avasarah.com Jewellery
Their stall was lit with hundreds of watts from wasteful individual halogen bulbs. When asked why, the reply was that they had to light their products but when it was pointed out that this lighting was using more than 30 times the amount of energy used by similar LED lamps which were available two stalls down, we were meet with a frozen smile saying "thank you " but in reality felt like "bugger off and drop dead" !
WWOFF (World Wide Organic Farm Foundation"
When pointed out that their lights were on in a naturally lit area, they thanked us for pointing it out and again thanked us again when we helped find the switch to turn them off.
Saab Bio-diesel Car Stand
The Bio-diesel Saab car was parked in a special halogen drenched lit enclosure, using well over a thousand watts in a space the size of a small bathroom. When this was pointed out, the aggressive reply was that we would have to ask "Marketing" why they used such wasteful lighting in a naturally lit space.
When asked where could we speak to "Marketing", we were told they were not available. We then asked, as the stand was being so wasteful at an eco-exhibition if they could turn the unnecessary lights off and we received a blank refusal.
Eco-eye Electricity Monitors
This naturally lit stand was also lit with a incandescent flood-lamp. The stall was dominated with a large poster stating
"Saved Electricity is the Greenest Tariff of All".
But apparently this message is not for them as when asked if they would turn off the unnecessary floodlights, the reply came that as other stands were using them, they did not see why they needed to. When pointed out that other stands had turn4ed theirs off, they then said that they needed the light to highlight their monitor product. When asked if this was necessary, they admitted it did not but then said they needed to get the boss to turn off the light, which he did not do.
Little Leaf Magazine
When we pointed out to the friendly staff on this stall that their lights were on in a naturally lit area, the gushed back "we know and we hate it but we do not know how to turn them off". They thanked us profusely when we pointed out where the switch was and turned them off for them. Seemingly one member of staff suffers from migraines caused by such lighting and so were even more grateful.
We then reported the results of the impromptu survey at a plenary question and answer session and were really astonished at the deafening applause that followed our revelations and we were mobbed by supporters after, providing all sorts of suggestions, including one from a friendly young man named Agamemnon, who said that all we needed to do now was to take it to the next step and ask others to start asking the same questions.
So this led to a decision to try and in future include in each Eco-activators Blog a suggested "Eco-activators Action Suggestion" and to use the comments section for that particular blog to be a place where people can report back on their own experiences and actions resulting from the "Eco-activators Action Suggestion". So here is our very first such suggestion:
Eco-activators Action Suggestion
Any time you are next at a local or national eco-exhibition, if you spot any stand using wasteful incandescent or halogen lighting, ask them why and suggest they change to LED lighting.
Also where lighting is being used in natural lit stands or too much lighting is being used, ask them politely if they would turn them off.
As this initiative is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, please do not return aggression if refused, no matter how rudely by the stall-holders.
Try to stay calm, polite and centered and if due to possible aggressive or negative response, you find you might lose your politeness, then just move gently away and ask another stall politely.
We would love to hear from your experiences on this in the relevant blog comment section. Good Luck and enjoy!
Donnachadh
Stands flooded with destructive halogen bulbs and stocked with un-eco freebies such as plastic bottled water abound. I have gradually started asking some of the worst offenders why they are acting so counter to the ethos of the eco-exhibitions that they are attending? The reactions have varied from the genuinely appreciative of having something pointed out to them, that they had not thought about before to the downright hostile.
So it was again when I visited the UK Aware exhibition at the Olympia Exhibition Centre yesterday in London. However, rather than be frustrated, I decided this time to ask an increased number of those stands that were being especially wasteful or were using lighting in areas that were naturally lit, to turn off their unnecessary lights or ask them why they were using very wasteful old -fashioned lighting systems. The following is a taste of the responses I received:
The National Trust
They had a stand situated in a naturally lit portion of the exhibition hall that had a pop up stand lit with 3 halogen tubes, that looked like were using 2oo watts apiece. I asked a staff member why and I got a hostile reply of ask the manager. He eventually turned up and shrugged his shoulders and replied that they came with their marketing materials.
Energy Saving Trust
They had a stall handing out literature on energy saving but had a floodlight in a naturally lit area. I asked why and their friendly reply came that they agreed it was a waste but they did not know how to turn it off. I pointed at the switch on the flood-lamp and turned it off for them. They laughingly acknowledged the friendly humour in the situation.
Avasarah.com Jewellery
Their stall was lit with hundreds of watts from wasteful individual halogen bulbs. When asked why, the reply was that they had to light their products but when it was pointed out that this lighting was using more than 30 times the amount of energy used by similar LED lamps which were available two stalls down, we were meet with a frozen smile saying "thank you " but in reality felt like "bugger off and drop dead" !
WWOFF (World Wide Organic Farm Foundation"
When pointed out that their lights were on in a naturally lit area, they thanked us for pointing it out and again thanked us again when we helped find the switch to turn them off.
Saab Bio-diesel Car Stand
The Bio-diesel Saab car was parked in a special halogen drenched lit enclosure, using well over a thousand watts in a space the size of a small bathroom. When this was pointed out, the aggressive reply was that we would have to ask "Marketing" why they used such wasteful lighting in a naturally lit space.
When asked where could we speak to "Marketing", we were told they were not available. We then asked, as the stand was being so wasteful at an eco-exhibition if they could turn the unnecessary lights off and we received a blank refusal.
Eco-eye Electricity Monitors
This naturally lit stand was also lit with a incandescent flood-lamp. The stall was dominated with a large poster stating
"Saved Electricity is the Greenest Tariff of All".
But apparently this message is not for them as when asked if they would turn off the unnecessary floodlights, the reply came that as other stands were using them, they did not see why they needed to. When pointed out that other stands had turn4ed theirs off, they then said that they needed the light to highlight their monitor product. When asked if this was necessary, they admitted it did not but then said they needed to get the boss to turn off the light, which he did not do.
Little Leaf Magazine
When we pointed out to the friendly staff on this stall that their lights were on in a naturally lit area, the gushed back "we know and we hate it but we do not know how to turn them off". They thanked us profusely when we pointed out where the switch was and turned them off for them. Seemingly one member of staff suffers from migraines caused by such lighting and so were even more grateful.
We then reported the results of the impromptu survey at a plenary question and answer session and were really astonished at the deafening applause that followed our revelations and we were mobbed by supporters after, providing all sorts of suggestions, including one from a friendly young man named Agamemnon, who said that all we needed to do now was to take it to the next step and ask others to start asking the same questions.
So this led to a decision to try and in future include in each Eco-activators Blog a suggested "Eco-activators Action Suggestion" and to use the comments section for that particular blog to be a place where people can report back on their own experiences and actions resulting from the "Eco-activators Action Suggestion". So here is our very first such suggestion:
Eco-activators Action Suggestion
Any time you are next at a local or national eco-exhibition, if you spot any stand using wasteful incandescent or halogen lighting, ask them why and suggest they change to LED lighting.
Also where lighting is being used in natural lit stands or too much lighting is being used, ask them politely if they would turn them off.
As this initiative is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, please do not return aggression if refused, no matter how rudely by the stall-holders.
Try to stay calm, polite and centered and if due to possible aggressive or negative response, you find you might lose your politeness, then just move gently away and ask another stall politely.
We would love to hear from your experiences on this in the relevant blog comment section. Good Luck and enjoy!
Donnachadh
Thursday, 16 April 2009
New UK Nuclear Power Plant Sites Revealed
The UK government announced the list of proposed sites for the next disastrous generation of nuclear power plants today.
The irony of this being announced in the very week, when the huge financial losses caused by the last nuclear plant to be built in the UK at Sellafield was not lost on well informed environmentalists. That reprocessing plant which was hailed by the nuclear industry as breaking new ground for financial success of nuclear plants, has been an abject failure. Despite the investment of literally hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money, the plant has never actually properly worked!
So why are the government in the light of all the past failures of the nuclear industry insisting on going down this route? The answer does not lie in the threat of climate change or their belief in yet another false dawn for nuclear power but rather in the corrupt power of political lobbying/ This sadly dwarfs the recent fiascos over second homes and porn as a source of deep decay in our domestic political processes.
The swinging door between New Labour and senior civil servants in the relevant departments of state and the higher echelons of the nuclear power industry have been widely reported on elsewhere. It is the well funded actions and nobbling of their New Labour government minister buddies by these New Labour nuclear political lobbyists year in year out, that has overwhelmed our democratic processes and forced through this disastrous decision. This is simply repeating the history of similar nobbling of Tory governments by paid Tory nuclear political lobbyists and no doubt would happen if there were a Liberal Democrat government by Liberal Democrat paid nuclear political lobbyists.
So what can the ordinary person in the street do? Until those companies that we favour have sufficient financial clout that they can match the nuclear industries lobbying investments, then we will continue to face the destruction of our political needs and desires.
If your electricity bill is still with a nuclear promoting company such as EDF or EON, then you are helping to fund these New Labour lobbying cronies. But you can do something today, rather than just whinging about this corruption and calling for the banning of political lobbyists being members of political parties.
Go and find your electricity bill now and switch to a green non-nuclear electricity supply company such as Good Energy. Their profits will go towards lobbying for a safe green future for all of us. So do something positive and switch today. www.goodenergy.co.uk
The irony of this being announced in the very week, when the huge financial losses caused by the last nuclear plant to be built in the UK at Sellafield was not lost on well informed environmentalists. That reprocessing plant which was hailed by the nuclear industry as breaking new ground for financial success of nuclear plants, has been an abject failure. Despite the investment of literally hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money, the plant has never actually properly worked!
So why are the government in the light of all the past failures of the nuclear industry insisting on going down this route? The answer does not lie in the threat of climate change or their belief in yet another false dawn for nuclear power but rather in the corrupt power of political lobbying/ This sadly dwarfs the recent fiascos over second homes and porn as a source of deep decay in our domestic political processes.
The swinging door between New Labour and senior civil servants in the relevant departments of state and the higher echelons of the nuclear power industry have been widely reported on elsewhere. It is the well funded actions and nobbling of their New Labour government minister buddies by these New Labour nuclear political lobbyists year in year out, that has overwhelmed our democratic processes and forced through this disastrous decision. This is simply repeating the history of similar nobbling of Tory governments by paid Tory nuclear political lobbyists and no doubt would happen if there were a Liberal Democrat government by Liberal Democrat paid nuclear political lobbyists.
So what can the ordinary person in the street do? Until those companies that we favour have sufficient financial clout that they can match the nuclear industries lobbying investments, then we will continue to face the destruction of our political needs and desires.
If your electricity bill is still with a nuclear promoting company such as EDF or EON, then you are helping to fund these New Labour lobbying cronies. But you can do something today, rather than just whinging about this corruption and calling for the banning of political lobbyists being members of political parties.
Go and find your electricity bill now and switch to a green non-nuclear electricity supply company such as Good Energy. Their profits will go towards lobbying for a safe green future for all of us. So do something positive and switch today. www.goodenergy.co.uk
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Downturn In Oil Consumption Cause for Green Cheer
In the midst of the gloom on the terrible number of jobs being lost in current banking crisis, the fact that the resultant reduction in fossil fuel consumption, might be providing a last gasp opportunity for us to take genuine action to avoid the worst effects of the climate and environmental crises, is being drowned out in the media, in the welter of the special pleading by the fossil fuel lobbyists.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) last week announced that oil demand this year would be 2.8 million barrels lower than 2008. Yet, instead of welcoming this as the first glimmer of good news in the last ditch battle to avoid even more catastrophic emissions, it talks about there being a "recovery" in oil consumption 2010.
Imagine reporting on an alcoholic in a similar manner, describing their resumption in alcohol intake as a "recovery" in consumption?!
Even George Bush in the end described America's consumption of oil as an addiction. We therefore need to urgently change the media's choice of language in how it describes the effects of the banking crisis, if we are to have any chance to grab the unique opportunity of this pause for breath of the fossil fuel economy's dash to the environmental precipice.
So instead of describing a potential rise in oil consumption in 2010 as a "recovery", the IEA should instead be warning of a "dangerous resumption in the growth of oil consumption".
If this happened then maybe our misguided political leaderships might begin to grasp the opportunity for a new renewable energy economy, instead of wasting billions on trying to revive the dying dinosaur car and fossil fuel industries and instead concentrate on creating good green sustainable jobs for those who are tragically losing their jobs in the current downturn.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) last week announced that oil demand this year would be 2.8 million barrels lower than 2008. Yet, instead of welcoming this as the first glimmer of good news in the last ditch battle to avoid even more catastrophic emissions, it talks about there being a "recovery" in oil consumption 2010.
Imagine reporting on an alcoholic in a similar manner, describing their resumption in alcohol intake as a "recovery" in consumption?!
Even George Bush in the end described America's consumption of oil as an addiction. We therefore need to urgently change the media's choice of language in how it describes the effects of the banking crisis, if we are to have any chance to grab the unique opportunity of this pause for breath of the fossil fuel economy's dash to the environmental precipice.
So instead of describing a potential rise in oil consumption in 2010 as a "recovery", the IEA should instead be warning of a "dangerous resumption in the growth of oil consumption".
If this happened then maybe our misguided political leaderships might begin to grasp the opportunity for a new renewable energy economy, instead of wasting billions on trying to revive the dying dinosaur car and fossil fuel industries and instead concentrate on creating good green sustainable jobs for those who are tragically losing their jobs in the current downturn.
However, lets conclude by raising a cyber glass of organic champagne to the first positive reduction in oil consumption in nearly two decades Goodness knows we are in severe need of such positive green shoots.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Peckham Library Action
Yesterday Southwark News published coverage of an impromptu eco-audit visit I made to Peckham Library on Monday.
The visit showed that the Library had great potential to make significant savings on heating and lighting. It was estimated that over £4,500 could be saved every year by switching off the external floodlights during daylight hours.
The visit showed that the Library had great potential to make significant savings on heating and lighting. It was estimated that over £4,500 could be saved every year by switching off the external floodlights during daylight hours.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
