The
BBC reported yesterday that the EU commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has announced plans to reshape Europe's carbon emission limits in an effort to fight climate change.
We're doing our bit as well, which might sound like not enough, but it's our little bit and I challenge readers of this site to disclose what they're doing to reduce their carbon footprint.
To begin, we've replaced all the lightbulbs in the house with energy efficient bulbs that use only 20w but provide as much light as a 100w old style bulb.
We bought a halogen bulb heater to keep us warm, it has three power settings (actually three halogen tubes), and on the lowest setting which is normally enough for us only uses 400w, compared to at least 1200w for a fan forced heater. If we need a bit more heat, the other settings use 600w or 800w respectively. Still much lower than a small fan heater, and also lower than a bar heater or oil filled radiator which use a minimum of 600w (bar heater) or 1200w (radiator).
We got used to recycling our plastics, glass, and paper in Germany and we continue to do this here in Spain. Most Spaniards don't recycle and we feel like we're setting an example for our neighbours, although to be truthful they probably haven't even noticed.
When we need to make a short trip into town, we park the car on the outskirts and then walk from shop to shop instead of driving from shop to shop. Not only is it good exercise, we're also reducing our exhaust emissions in town. More importantly however, we don't make unnecessary journeys. If we need to get the groceries and a few other things, and also need to be in town for other reasons then we try to get everything done on one day.
Lastly, we're going for walks in the countryside which is giving us a new appreciation for how beautiful nature is, because let's face it, if we don't take the opportunity now, it might not exist in it's current form 20 or 30 years from now, and then we'll have missed out on seeing it. So, what are you doing?
Paul said,
Friday, January 25. 2008 at 08:30 (Reply)
Costa Rica Aims to Become First "Carbon Neutral" Country
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4958
Carl said,
Friday, January 25. 2008 at 08:46 (Reply)
Didn't know that about Costa Rica. SEO and general web development would be in demand then if your clients manage environmentally aware corporations and want to reduce the amount of paper they consume.
Paul said,
Friday, January 25. 2008 at 08:51 (Reply)
I do so love dual 22" screens and 8GB of RAM though.
Carl said,
Friday, January 25. 2008 at 08:57 (Reply)
Also, I believe a solar panel on the roof or a small wind powered generator in the back yard would compensate for these, or you could just plant a shrub or tree every week and that would make a difference.
We have a small terrace and it's rapidly being filled with plants, and next week we're taking a walk into the Grazalema National Park to see what's being done on the conservation front.