Green or any other colour - how you combat global warming

Pacion

Pacion

New Member
It is all in the papers about being 'green' and global warming (whether it is true or not!) and that the British government plans to phase out regular light bulbs in about two years, to energy saving ones. Last point, not really 'original' as I remember reading just a few weeks that the Australian goverment had introduced such a step.

So, do you think about being 'green' and reducing your 'carbon footprint'? (Carbon footprint being the latest buzzword!)

I try to recycle where I can :? and am thinking about what I can do re the rest eg. turn off the taps whilst brushing my teeth! :D

(No, haven't given serious thought about bathing with a friend to save water... as yet ;))
 
DH and I are trying to think about it.

He drives a hybrid (I like it for the green part, he likes it b/c the mileage reimbursements compared to gas usage make it pay for itself). We keep the heat set as low as tolerable in winter, and the AC temp set as high as tolerable in summer. We delay using AC until we positively can't stand it anymore. We watch our water consumption (like with teeth brushing, showering, laundry, dish washer). We try to be mindful of our energy consumption (switched to low energy bulbs, turn things off whenever possible). I'd like to get thermal curtains, and a good storm door for our front door, but the money bit means we'll have to wait.

We think about it, but it's kinda hard.
 
After reading the articles about how much electricity Al Gore's home uses (even when he's not there!), I am frankly not worried about it.
 
When I moved house 10 years ago, I was sent a booklet containing energy saving tips -- it explained various options, how much they cost and how much money they would save too. While some things (like double glazing, solar panel) needed too much outlay to be practical, there were also simple things that were cheap and very effective (like energy saving bulbs and reflective sheet behind radiators). The booklet said that, if every household in the UK replaced the light bulb(s) in the main living room with an energy saving bulb, one whole power station could be decommissioned.
 
Well. I recycle what can be recycled, I try to turn off lights when I don't need them. I pay attention to my car's gas mileage, so I will not buy a gas guzzler. I have some of my light bulbs replaced by energy efficient ones (as they burn out). That's pretty much it, I guess.
 
I've been buying those compact flourescent light bulbs recently. Also trying to keep unnecessary driving to a minimum.
 
DH and I recycle a fair bit of stuff, including putting plant-based organic material in a compost pile. We grow a lot of our own food, so I suppose the backyard is as "local" as you can get. The majority of our bulbs are energy-efficient, and we try to make good energy decisions when we make home improvments (like I bought the most insulating garage door on the market when it was time to replace). We try to combine errands into a single trip.

The "problem" is that we do most of these things for enjoyment (gardening), practicality (bulbs that require a ladder to change, and compost), or financial reasons (energy efficiency moves). I have read articles that suggest that adopting these moves for your own gain is as bad as not reducing your "footprint" at all. So, I guess we are sort of green, but if you look closely it is more the green of dollar bills. ;)
 
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