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Positive changes: What kind of lifestyle changes are or might you be making going forward to help the planet?


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Posted
  • Location: Godalming
  • Weather Preferences: Plumes and streamers
  • Location: Godalming
19 hours ago, The PIT said:

I like the I'm carbon free worn by some cyclists. I presume his/her bike has magically appeared without any manufacturing.  If you want to be carbon free when going to work walk. Of course if you've got to go between cities you can't walk.

Be funny if their bike is carbon fibre

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Posted
  • Location: Near Newton Abbot or east Dartmoor, Devon
  • Location: Near Newton Abbot or east Dartmoor, Devon
21 hours ago, The PIT said:

I like the I'm carbon free worn by some cyclists. I presume his/her bike has magically appeared without any manufacturing.  If you want to be carbon free when going to work walk. Of course if you've got to go between cities you can't walk.

That's a bit harsh. I mean I don't know the figures but the 'embedded carbon' in a bike must be vastly less that than in a car? And, yes, I have a car...But I'm not going to criticise someone who bikes to work as not trying hard enough.

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

I'm going to cast all my three votes, in the upcoming local election, for the Green Party!:oldgood:

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Posted
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire

Whilst I'm based at home now, my job does take me on the road a fair bit, given the nature of it.  However, at least I don't have to commute to the office in between, unlike a few years ago.  When I do occasionally visit the office, I catch the train.  I agree that more companies should encourage their staff to work from home when possible.

Edited by Don
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Posted
  • Location: Godalming
  • Weather Preferences: Plumes and streamers
  • Location: Godalming

I’ve discovered to get to a) stoke or b) kings lynn by train from London it can cost as little as £32

This means my eco-storm chasing plan could bear fruit - and as the north get all the good storms (particularly lincs) - I can still get there without spending hours and hours in the car and generating too much of a carbon footprint.

Has it’s downsides obvs, as I can’t easily find somewhere quiet and open for proper observation of the skies, but it’s another option for those days when the SLGTs and HIGHs are just that little too far north for driving, PLUS I can do my work on the train PLUS I can have some beers, too

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Posted
  • Location: Ireland, probably South Tipperary
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, Snow, Windstorms and Thunderstorms
  • Location: Ireland, probably South Tipperary

The biggest changes do have to come from the top down though, and that means political pressure and change. I rarely fly, live in a small city so walk to 90% of things, gave up red meat this year, blah blah blah. 
But an example of the societal problem with carbon emissions. A friend of mine is visiting friends in Bristol this weekend, travelling from Newcastle. To get a return return train, with low emissions, to Bristol and back = £200. To fly to Bristol and back = £40.
When someone is struggling financially, of course they're going to choose the 3 hour (including check in and whatnot) flight for £40 over the £200 train that takes 7 hours with stops. This is exactly the kind of scenario where an effective carbon tax would work. Tax the flight and use the funds to improve and subsidize train travel.

Whether or not you choose the plant based meal option on the journey matters little when compared to the mode of travel.

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Posted
  • Location: chellaston, derby
  • Weather Preferences: The Actual Weather ..... not fantasy.
  • Location: chellaston, derby
15 hours ago, Beverley Lass said:

brilliant news, thanks

 

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Posted
  • Location: chellaston, derby
  • Weather Preferences: The Actual Weather ..... not fantasy.
  • Location: chellaston, derby

as for meat..... try to cut down, ive had 3 vegi meals this week.

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

What's next...DAB radios are more polluting than open fires?:oldgrin:

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
On 26/04/2019 at 13:40, BornFromTheVoid said:

The biggest changes do have to come from the top down though, and that means political pressure and change. I rarely fly, live in a small city so walk to 90% of things, gave up red meat this year, blah blah blah. 
But an example of the societal problem with carbon emissions. A friend of mine is visiting friends in Bristol this weekend, travelling from Newcastle. To get a return return train, with low emissions, to Bristol and back = £200. To fly to Bristol and back = £40.
When someone is struggling financially, of course they're going to choose the 3 hour (including check in and whatnot) flight for £40 over the £200 train that takes 7 hours with stops. This is exactly the kind of scenario where an effective carbon tax would work. Tax the flight and use the funds to improve and subsidize train travel.

Whether or not you choose the plant based meal option on the journey matters little when compared to the mode of travel.

all about supply and demand..tax the flight and no one will take it as it becomes economically nonviable..the service is cut no tax revenue no subsidies for the train 

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Posted
  • Location: Gilwern, South Wales
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and Cold
  • Location: Gilwern, South Wales

We've got to stop thinking and acting as individuals.  We will never solve this if it was down to individuals to make changes alone.  Of course we should do our bit but we need to make a system where there is no option other than to be responsible.  E.g. All Electricity should be renewable and this should be delivered as quickly as we can, then it wouldn't be an option whether you used renewable energy or not.  Companies that produce waste should be responsible for the cost of recycling it to help move to incentivise them to move to a waste free lifestyle.  

It also has to equitable, you shouldn't be able to buy your way out of being responsible.  I like the idea of carbon rationing so everyone has the same quota for carbon they can use.  This incentivises investment in low carbon solutions as you effectively encourage people to find ways of doing more with less impact.  Maybe difficult to administer but I'm sure there are some clever bods out there that could make it happen.  

Ultimately we need to move away from GDP as a measure of progress.  We already consume far more resources than our planet can sustain and we want to continue to grow doubling our economy every 30ish years.  That makes no sense at all and ultimately it isn't making us happier, healthier, more connected etc etc etc and we are the lucky ones, people around the world are being forced to consider leaving their homes as parts of the Earth become uninhabitable millions already and it will be 100s of millions.  

This isn't an easy choice we are literally having to choose 'Do we want coral reefs to continue to exist? Are we happy that we will be displacing 100s of millions of people if not billions in the future and the civil unrest and conflict that will inevitably lead to?  Are we happy to continue to see our great forests being destroyed or risk drying out and burning?  Are we happy to leave our children with a world where 1000s more species are gone and natural areas become increasingly rare?

This could be the start of a new society where we are more equal, where nature is restored, our air, water and land is cleaner, we are more connected with each other as we move away form individualism, we are less materialistic and where we appreciate the incredible planet that is so precious and rare and that we are privelaged to inhabit.  These forums demonstrate how much joy and pleasure the nature and natural phenomenons of this planet can offer us.  

 

 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Godalming
  • Weather Preferences: Plumes and streamers
  • Location: Godalming
On 27/04/2019 at 07:56, mushymanrob said:

as for meat..... try to cut down, ive had 3 vegi meals this week.

I’ve done likewise - veggie meals every night except weds (had some octopus calamari)

Top tip: Veggie pizza deal at Spoons -> £7 (including a pint of falling-over juice) and the pizza is surprisingly good!

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Posted
  • Location: Downton, Wiltshire
  • Location: Downton, Wiltshire
19 minutes ago, Flash bang flash bang etc said:

I’ve done likewise - veggie meals every night except weds (had some octopus calamari)

Top tip: Veggie pizza deal at Spoons -> £7 (including a pint of falling-over juice) and the pizza is surprisingly good!

Me too. I haven't eaten meat in the week for around 8 months now. When eating out, I'll always have the veggie option these days.

I'll still have a bacon sarnie on a Sunday morning, as I'm not quite ready to give that up.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
On 03/05/2019 at 07:51, Sugarloaf80 said:

 

This could be the start of a new society where we are more equal, where nature is restored, our air, water and land is cleaner, we are more connected with each other as we move away form individualism, we are less materialistic and where we appreciate the incredible planet that is so precious and rare and that we are privelaged to inhabit.  These forums demonstrate how much joy and pleasure the nature and natural phenomenons of this planet can offer us.  

 

 

 

hate to be a killjoy..but wont never happen

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Posted
  • Location: Gilwern, South Wales
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and Cold
  • Location: Gilwern, South Wales
19 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

hate to be a killjoy..but wont never happen

What's it say at the bottom of your profile.  'Aim high you can reach the sky...aim low you have no where else to go'.  You never know, seems a long shot I'll admit.

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

Just read an article in the i...Someone 'best left unnamed' has mooted the idea of local communities generating their own electricity. And what a great, if simple, idea it is too: not only will foreign-owned conglomerates be unable to manipulate the market, millions of kilowatt-hours of power will no-longer be lost to power-line leakage...!

No doubt, the usual 'trouserers of ordinary folks' cash' will be aghast at such a sensible idea' though; a few might even become apoplectic with rage. Mustn't laugh!:gathering:

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Posted
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
  • Weather Preferences: Hot & Sunny, Cold & Snowy
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
43 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

Just read an article in the i...Someone 'best left unnamed' has mooted the idea of local communities generating their own electricity. And what a great, if simple, idea it is too: not only will foreign-owned conglomerates be unable to manipulate the market, millions of kilowatt-hours of power will no-longer be lost to power-line leakage...!

No doubt, the usual 'trouserers of ordinary folks' cash' will be aghast at such a sensible idea' though; a few might even become apoplectic with rage. Mustn't laugh!:gathering:

Think global , act local!

It will come to pass as will the world C.M. appears to not wish to see?

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

This thread has reminded of two songs, which were popular before I was even a teen:

 

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Posted
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
  • Weather Preferences: Hot & Sunny, Cold & Snowy
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
20 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

 

 

This has me mindful of my time here in Climate and Environment this past decade or so Pete and yet only now are we hearing more and more folk talking our talk and drowning out the lies and broken promises of the Denier.......

Now how did that old 'Topic' ad on telly go.......... "Funny how you always get it in the end?"

Edited by Gray-Wolf
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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
7 minutes ago, Gray-Wolf said:

This has me mindful of my time here in Climate and Environment this past decade or so Pete and yet only now are we hearing more and more folk talking our talk and drowning out the lies and broken promises of the Denier.......

Now how did that old 'Topic' ad on telly go.......... "Funny how you always get it in the end?"

Tell you what really gets my goat just now, Ian...being told (in that typically patronising manner) by media hacks, that I only voted Green because I feel 'betrayed over Brexit'. Nothing could be further from the truth!

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Posted
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
  • Weather Preferences: Hot & Sunny, Cold & Snowy
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......

We cannot give in though Pete?

I think the 'Hand' we end up dealt with this time may prove more efficacious to us than most others in all of our lifetimes?

But then 'Hope Springs Eternal!" does it not? 

Eventually we rise in "unvanquishable number...." do we not?

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Posted
  • Location: Brighton (currently)
  • Location: Brighton (currently)

That’s a great thread!

I used to work in south Manchester which meant a 40 minute drive but since 2014 I work close to home so I walk there. This has cut down my CO2 footprint a lot and my stress levels are down too.

I eat meat once or twice a week and I never eat beef. I can’t give up fish though as I love it!

I only heat the rooms that I use and not excessively. Living in a city centre apartment helps as the place is not exposed to the cold. I have energy saving light bulbs and I make sure I don’t have the lights on unnecessarily.

I recycle and I avoid using single use plastic but it is not easy. I need to shop in supermarkets less.

I use public transport when necessary but the city centre has everything I need in terms of entertainment, restaurants etc so most of the time I can walk to where I need to go. I fly for my European holidays on average 3 times a year.

I have replaced some of my balcony plants with ones that attract bees and other pollinating insects. I saw no bees last year but already spotted some this spring which I am happy about. I have also stopped spraying the plants with pesticides which has also helped.

I don’t buy things just for the sake it. I used to enjoy clothes shopping but it bores me now.

I shower instead of having baths. My plants do consume quite a bit of water and this spring has been diabolically dry. I need to find a way to collect rain water.

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