Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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Biff Vernon
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10:10 | Quote: | New Carbon Campaign 10:10 Launches
Not many things bring The Guardian and The Sun together. Even fewer unite energy companies with climate activists. Enter 10:10, a national drive to reduce the UK's domestic greenhouse gas
emissions by 10% during 2010.
The plan is simple: by signing up, any individual, school, business or organisation pledges to do their best to reduce their emissions by 10 per cent during the year 2010. It's easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting large numbers of people and institutions around immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference.
Launching on September 1st in the Tate Modern's iconic Turbine Hall, 10:10 will be backed by a huge publicity push and is already supported by some of the biggest names in business, the arts, sport and politics.
Timeline
10:10 has three distinct phases:
Firstly, the gathering of commitments from individuals, families, businesses, and organisations from schools to football clubs, to cut 10% of their emissions by the end of 2010 (see our methodology documentation for details on how this will work).
Stage two, in late September, will see us collectively challenge the UK government to match the commitment made by the thousands who have signed up to 10:10 by promising similarly tough action for the country as a whole.
The third stage begins in January 2010 as we help our supporters to implement the cuts they have pledged to make, offering them expert advice and allowing them to share their hardearned wisdom. This stage will be backed by regular features in our partner newspapers, together with online networking tools.
10:10 is unique because:
It is such a simple, catchy concept
It is universal and open to all, actively engaging every sector of British society under one
banner to reduce our emissions
It places these individual efforts firmly in the context of a national movement to tackle
climate change
It frames this collective drive around a concrete, near-term, science based target
It provides an unprecedented mechanism to translate individual action on climate change
into a powerful, popular mandate for political action
It is guaranteed extensive coverage across a wide spectrum of print media
It is an idea whose time has come - a fact that is clear from the huge cross-sectoral support 10:10 has already secured, even before it has launched
Why 10%? Why 2010?
Because while politicians argue about targets for 2050 and 2020, scientists say it will not be possible to meet these targets without the right action now. World emissions must peak and begin to fall within the next few years, and that means we need significant reductions in the developed world as quickly as possible. The longer we leave it, the harder it will be - so a 10% cut in 2010 is the perfect place to start.
Who is behind 10:10?
10:10 was devised by the team behind The Age of Stupid in partnership with The Sun and The
Guardian. We have a powerful support network providing 10:10 with expertise and funding from a wide range of organisations. 10:10 is registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
What about Copenhagen?
By forcing the British government to make a dramatic commitment to immediate emissions
reductions, 10:10 aims to put Britain in an historic leadership role in the run up to the crucial climate summit. Those involved in negotiating the Copenhagen deal say the chances of getting developing countries to sign will be increased if they see the rich world leading by example.
10:10 for Individuals
Cutting 10% really is easy for most individuals and families. It's at the level of lagging your loft,
upgrading your boiler, or taking one less long-haul flight. 10:10 will walk people through the steps they need to take to make their 10% cut, with support from the Energy Savings Trust and others.
10:10 for Businesses and Organisations
For most organisations the first 10% is ambitious but achievable. It's typically about low or zero cost measures. Many businesses will see savings as a direct result of cutting their emissions. The combination of a compelling campaign message and wholehearted support from two of the UK's
most prominent newspapers means that organisations can expect their participation to yield
excellent publicity and CSR benefits.
What about those who don't reach 10%?
We're sure that 10% reductions are achievable for almost every business, organisation and
individual. That said, any reductions in emissions are worth celebrating, and that's what this project will do. 10:10 is all about getting society as a whole to aim higher - or rather, lower. After all, we won't know what's really possible until we try.
Is 10:10 just about Britain?
10:10 is being launched as a UK campaign but the scientists say it is the right target for the whole developed world. The hope is that the campaign will be replicated in other countries, and we'll be
making it as easy as possible for that to happen.
Will there be a symbol like the Make Poverty History wristband?
10:10 is producing metal tags that can be worn around the wrist or neck (or anywhere else). They are made from scrap metal salvaged from old airliners.
Is this just another greenwash campaign?
10:10 is not about hair-shirt environmentalism or forcing people to make major sacrifices for the
sake of the planet. But it is about starting to make genuine changes to British society, changes that we need so our children can look forward to a brighter future. That's why 10:10 does not recognize any form of offsetting as counting towards the 10% target. Becoming truly 'carbon neutral' is a long way off, and 10:10 is just the first step on the journey to this destination.
How can people sign up?
On September 1st there will be a mass sign-up event at Tate Modern. But individuals and
organisations will be able to sign up on the 10:10 website (www.1010uk.org) at any time until mid 2010. |
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Biff Vernon
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| Quote: | Q: What have Spurs, Alistair McGowan and the Science Museum got in common?
A: 10:10
This Tuesday, thousands of individuals and organisations from every sector of British society are putting aside their differences to get behind one simple idea: that together we can take the first step towards tackling climate change.
All will be revealed at Tate Modern this Tuesday 1st from 4-7pm with live performances from Reverend and the Makers, Stornaway and Sara Cox.
Get yourself down to South Bank this Tuesday and help write the first chapter of the biggest story of the 21st Century.
www.1010uk.org
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PLUS
~ Free Champagne for the first 1,000 to sign-up courtesy of Ocado
~ Massive Gigapan photo on Southbank. (Remember Obama's inauguration? http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374) Come and be included to be featured in The Guardian)
~ Grab yourself a free piece of a 747 Jumbo Jet (seriously see www.1010uk.org for more)
~ Sign-up yourself, your family, your business and everyone you know, this is the start of something big
~ Follow us live as it happens on Twitter @tentenuk
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Silas
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Can someone have a word with this guy?
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Treacodactyl
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| Silas wrote: | | Can someone have a word with this guy? |
I know, I think people could pledge more than a 10% reduction in carbon emissions but then we have to start somewhere.
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cab
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Just looking at this part of it today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/01/how-to-reduce-emissions-10-10
Well, yes, I get it. I get that you have to start somewhere... But its a bit lame in places.
Heres a selection your CO2 savings in tonnes by changing your lifestyle (bits selected from the article):
Cycle everywhere 0.3
Cut your annual mileage in half 0.7
Sell the second car 0.7
Buy a new car with emissions in car tax bands A or B, then scrap the old one 0.5
Join a car club or set up an effective local car-sharing scheme 0.4
Share car to work 0.3
Go on a day's eco-driving course, fit low-resistance tyres and check air pressure every month 0.2
Don't ever use a car for shopping. Buy online 0.1
Work from home one day a week rather than commuting by car 0.1
So... Scrap a car, buy another and save 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per year? What about if you never owned one? Cycle everywhere and save 0.3 tonnes, but thats one hell of a lot less than you save by driving a bit less?
Its ill thought out and badly presented. Theres some good stuff there too, but to be honest I think its more about making people feel better for making trivial changes when what is needed is far more fundamental. Lowering haystacks off the deck of the Lucetania.
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cab
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| Treacodactyl wrote: | | Silas wrote: | | Can someone have a word with this guy? |
I know, I think people could pledge more than a 10% reduction in carbon emissions but then we have to start somewhere. |
We've been having to start somewhere for donkeys years now. We've started somewhere over, and over, and over again. Hasn't worked, more people than not have failed to make a start. What should we do now?
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Lorrainelovesplants
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Ive saved more than that this year alone, because we had to cut costs. In Cornwall you need a car, but we plan journeys now to do all the things we need in one journey. So like today, Ive got to do a small shop, so will do this, drop books at library and drop off egg delivery at the same time.
I make a list when I shop, so that I only need to shop once a week, (instead of daily trips to Tescos), and plan meals.
Heating supplied mainly by wood now, which we source locally free and stack (cos we have the room) in 3 seperate areas to season.
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Biff Vernon
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Loads more stuff on 10:10 now.
Yes, for all of us who have already been downsizing (or never up-sized in the first place) cutting by a further 10% in 2010 might be a big ask. Hey ho. Let's not give up the fight.
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cab
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| Biff Vernon wrote: | Loads more stuff on 10:10 now.
Yes, for all of us who have already been downsizing (or never up-sized in the first place) cutting by a further 10% in 2010 might be a big ask. Hey ho. Let's not give up the fight. |
I can't help but be concerned by information like that I quoted above though. The 10:10 campaign info there tells people flat out that they're doing more than twice as much good by cutting their car mileage in half than they are by cyclng everywhere (which would of course cut car miles to zero!).
I support the fight to get more people to take positive steps to reduce the harm they do. It isn't immediately apparent to me that 10:10 is the right vehicle for that support if its saying things like that; comes across as being far too praiseworthy of little steps while simply not acknowledging bigger contributions. Seems counter productive to me.
I dunno... I don't want to be overly negative because I think that the intention is good, the cause is noble. Am I missing something here?
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mochyn
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Like others on this site I'm racking my brains for how to reduce my emissions (  ). I live in a very rural area: nearest shop 7.5 miles away up and down lots of hills. sadly I'm not well enough to cycle all that way! So that's one return car trip I can't do without. I already try not to drive unless it's essential: 1 shopping trip a week, taking animals to the abbatoir 1 or 2 times a year, 1 trip to feed merchants a month.
Getting groceries delivered: you must be joking! Even if they wanted to come this far the truck could never get down the track and it would also mean using supermarkets rather than local shops. My husband does emergency shopping for me on his way home from work.
Now that's another thing: the old chap having to go 35 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. If we could get broadband he could work from home occasionally but you try telling BT that's what we need to do! "Well, you could try again in a couple of years..."
Hot water, heating and cooking are provided by our Rayburn, soon to be changed out for a stove that works well on wood, so there goes the coal bill.
We don't fly.
Don't use much electricity: Scottish Power keep checking our meter to make sure we're not fiddling it.
Please: if anyone has any ideas what more I can do tell me! 
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tahir
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| mochyn wrote: | | Like others on this site I'm racking my brains for how to reduce my emissions ( ) |
Reduce consumption of pulses and brassicas
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mochyn
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| tahir wrote: | | mochyn wrote: | | Like others on this site I'm racking my brains for how to reduce my emissions ( ) |
Reduce consumption of pulses and brassicas |
Luggage.
do you want a drawing of the paving or just numbers of blocks?
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tahir
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A drawing + numbers would be appreciated 
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mochyn
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| tahir wrote: | | A drawing + numbers would be appreciated |
Okey dokey: that's this afternoon taken care of, then!
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oldish chris
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There is a tradition that ideas such as this should be proposed either at the end of a ('plane) trip to the far side of the planet or from the deck of a billionaire's yacht.
If we were to take a simplistic method of determining the carbon footprint of an item, I'd suggest that the carbon footprint is roughly equivalent to the cost, in the case of a durable, e.g. motor-car, the total lifetime cost.
This logic suggests that switching from one item to another, e.g. getting all ecograde "A" kitchen gadgets isn't going to create a net saving of CO2 unless one's total annual expenditure is reduced.
However, saving the money won't help, 'cos someone else will spend it. (My little knowledge of economics suggests that the amount saved will be spent several times by various borrowers.)
The answer is quite simply to earn less. This can be achieved by all of the rich and famous taking a running jump and breaking both legs. With all of the rich and famous off work for 3 months, problem solved.
Now what should they break for 2011's CO2 reduction?
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ksia
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| oldish chris wrote: |
This can be achieved by all of the rich and famous taking a running jump and breaking both legs. With all of the rich and famous off work for 3 months, problem solved.
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.... but people will have no-one to watch on telly. They'll start thinking. Could be dangerous.
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Biff Vernon
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So, has everybody signed up then?
Here's an e-mail from Franny:
| Franny Armstrong wrote: | Afternoon,
Welcome on board the 10:10 rollercoaster and to our very first mailing list message.
<<<< STOP PRESS - The whole cabinet has apparently just signed up.... We cannot believe it.... Hang on, here comes a text from Ed himself... Yes, it's true... STOP PRESS >>>>
Thanks to everyone who made it down to the solar launch at Tate Modern on Monday. We're all still hallucinating from lack of sleep, but pretty sure it was a triumph. My favourite line was the very last of the evening, from Kevin McCloud's brilliantly impromptu wrap-up. "If you all go out and get 10 people to sign up to 10:10 and get them to sign up another 10 people on Friday, then by next Tuesday the whole planet will have signed up and we will have won." I reckon Kevin's suggestion - if not his maths - is brilliant. Keep reading...
But first, we've got to hand it to the Guardian: the whole front page, the whole G2, more than 30 articles on the website, plus podcasts, photo galleries, video interviews... we all felt a little cheated on Day 2, when we only had seven full pages in the paper. All their stuff is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/1010 Great coverage, too, in The Sun, Telegraph, Reuters, PA, Treehugger..Here's all the latest news coverage.
Sure you heard the big news from yesterday, when all the Tory frontbench signed up. As did Nick Clegg.... How much longer till Gordon cracks do you reckon?!? [See - that really is a stop press above - this was accurate 10 mins ago]. Other big names since launch are Stella McCartney (have you asked Dad yet?), Mark Ronson and Alan Rickman. Plus we have two seriously iconic British companies almost ready to cross the finishing line (it's actually the starting line, but no need to emphasise that at this point.) All these sign-ups are fantastic, but they are not enough on their own... We've got to get from 0 to 60 very very quickly or we will lose momentum.
So - and with apologies to Kevin McC - here's the plan: every single person who has signed up so far (that's 9,182 of us - but we'll round that up to 10,000 in recognition of the fact that it's been 15 years since the last maths lesson) goes out and persuades 10 more people to join by the end of tomorrow (Friday). Except anyone who lives in solitary confinement in a prison or in a hermit's cave. As you are speaking to your ten - probably shortly after they've agreed and think they've got rid of you - casually drop in that they also need to persuade another ten people.... by the end of the weekend. 10,000 x 10 x 10 is, correct me if I'm wrong, 1,000,000. One million. Ahem. One million.
So: how to get 10 people signed-up by the end of Friday... Call round all your family and friends tonight? Make an announcement before choir practise? Stick up the poster at work? Speak during school assembly tomorrow? Send an email to all your colleagues? Put out a shout on your company/campaign/choir/church/cat-lovers mailing list? Use our online email-invite tool?
Add a note to your Facebook/Twitter/MySpace page?
As Daniel so eloquently described at our team meeting this morning, the 10:10 ship has most definitely set sail and she's a thing of beauty with great potential to sail far seas. But, right now, she is springing quite a few leeks which are in need of lots of hands on deck (do ships spring leeks on the deck? sorry, this analogy is falling down) to plug before she starts floundering.
Repeating the above paragraph in English, we urgently need help with:
- Money - we were very skint last week, but then had to spend quite a few thousand on the launch so now we are very very skint. In fact, some of us are personally quite seriously in debt as we couldn't resist buying the plane once we'd thought of it. If everybody could please donate ten pounds today, we'd have 100,000 pounds, which coincidentally (and genuinely) is exactly how much we need to pay off the debts and run the campaign as far as the Copenhagen climate summit in December. Please give ten pounds or more here: http://www.1010uk.org/donate
- Web People - Many apologies for all the technical problems with the website. Rest assured we have received your 400 emails and are looking at them lovingly. But here's the problem: the Age of Stupid lent us their 3-strong web team for two weeks, but have now had to take them back. So we are in desperate need of web programmers or all types (including social networkers). Please contact mal@1010uk.org if you can help.
- A designer - Ditto a graphic designer who can take our designs and turn them into all the free adverts we are being offered. Contact mal@1010uk.org
Sorry for so many requests so soon. But hopefully you've had a couple of days admiring your tag (oh, if you didn't get one, email tags@1010uk.org - we're setting up the distribution asap) and are now rested and ready for round 2. As everyone who has ever run a campaign before has said to us: this idea is ridiculously ambitious. You'd need two years, 100 staff and five million pounds...
Onwards and upwards
Franny, Dan, Leo, Mal, Harriet, James, Robin, Ian & many others
Team 10:10
hello@1010uk.org
10:10 Sign-Ups, as of midday Thurs 3rd Sept
Individuals: 9,182
Businesses: 352
Schools: 53
Organisations: 157
Politicians: All the cabinet, all the Tory frontbench, Ed Miliband (Climate Change Minister), Nick Clegg (leader of Lib Dems)
Actors: Samantha Morton, Jason Isaacs, Pete Postlethwaite, Colin Firth, Tamsin Greig, James Purefoy, Alan Rickman
Fashion Designers: Vivienne Westwood, Nicole Farhi, Stella McCartney
Artists: Anish Kapoor, Anthony Gormley, Gillian Wearing
Footballers: Graeme Le Soux
Chefs: Delia Smith, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
Authors: Ian McEwan, Sarah Waters, Irvine Welsh, Anthony Horowitz, Antony Beevor, Ali Smith, Carol Ann Duffy, Andrew Motion
Lords: Lord Giddens, Lord Stern (author of Stern Review)
Film Directors: Mike Figgis, Richard Curtis
Impressionists: Rory Bremner
Musicians: Stornoway, Reverend & The Makers, Bloc Party (Russell only), Mark Ronson
Energy Companies: Eon, British Gas, EDF, Scottish & Southern
Football Teams: Spurs FC
Organisations: Science Museum, Tate, Spurs Football Club, Royal Society of Arts (RSA), Women's Institute (NFWI), British Fashion Council, Business in the Community, Mumsnet, Sage Gateshead, Julies Bicycle, Arcola Theatre
Universities/ Colleges: Edinburgh Uni, Westminster Uni, King's College, Liverpool Uni, South Thames College, Newcastle Students Union, National Union of Students (NUS) nationally, Birmingham Students Union, UEA Students Union, Leicester Students Union
Councils: Hackney, Islington, Richmond, Oxford, Slough, West Sussex, Stroud, Eastleigh, Kirklees
Schools: Fox Primary, St Martin Primary, Petchey Academy, Crispin School, Ashley Primary, Rosemary Musker High, Ambler Primar, Kings College School, Whitby Community, Winton Primary
Charities: Comic Relief, ActionAid, ), Global Action Plan, Women's Environmental Network, Campaign for Greener Healthcare, Operation Noah, Envision, OneClimate, Fauna & Flora Intl, Green Thing
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ksia
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No I haven't Biff.
I'm grateful to this thread for something oldish chris wrote: The answer is quite simply to earn less. This has been rattling round my head for the last couple of days.
Even though it's what we consciously did, and it's "obvious", it'd never struck me before. But do this and everything else "green" follows. (With the proviso that if you don't earn much anyway you can relax some. And being poor is crap.)
We just need people to see how funky, fun and better life is when you downsize.
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resistance is fertile
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What a crock!
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ros
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I'm with Cab on this one, a good-ish idea with potential to educate and encourage towards greater savings is wrapped up in a package full of errors, half-truths and annoying emails.
C- could do better
however I do pledge that we will cut our leccy and oil consumption by (another) 10% and to further reduce car usage
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resistance is fertile
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I promise, without any particular focus, to try (if I can), to maybe or possibly cut down my energy use, (but I'm assuming there is no way of anyone actually checking this or making me feel silly, right?), particularly if it gets me enough media attention to increase sales, votes, share prices for me and allow me to continue my extravagantly profligate lifestyle, safe in the knowledge that I havent actually done anything except use up someone elses energy creating some media hype and attending some parties with the usual Tate Modern suspects.
Thank goodness there is some real action on this important matter 
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ros
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cab
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| Biff Vernon wrote: | So, has everybody signed up then?
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No, and unless the literature and press releases from this organisation improve then I'm not going to.
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resistance is fertile
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| cab wrote: | | unless the literature and press releases from this organisation improve then I'm not going to. |
Don't encourage them!!
Think of all the fossil fuel this cobblers is using 
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RichardW
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| mochyn wrote: |
If we could get broadband he could work from home occasionally but you try telling BT that's what we need to do! "Well, you could try again in a couple of years..."
Please: if anyone has any ideas what more I can do tell me! |
How fast does he actually NEED?
Would a 3G dongle do the job? You can get them quite cheap enough now that his fuel savings for 1 day would cover the months cost.
Just check who has the best signal in your area. Our phone is best on Orange but the 3G is best on Three. Even if the signal is marginal a better antenna could make all the difference (just bought an anttena so can let you know who much better it is with it once it arrives).
Richard
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cab
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Its name dropping the stars politicians signing up there that gets my goat. So someone who I know to be a model who was formerly married to someone who used to be a Beatle has promised to shave 10% off the carbon footprint of a jet setting lifestyle? Big deal. Really. Who cares? What of it?
Its totally missing the point, its providing a salve for the conscience of those who aren't doing their bit, so as such it appears to me that this campaign is counter-productive.
To those of us who have done what we can already (and who continue to strive to do better), having some self serving celebrities and grasping Tories telling us that they're going to do a trivial amount to avoid being quite as god-awful as they are, and to see that they're trying to turn this meagre effort into some positive publicity, its a slap in the face. But even that could be rescued if the information in press releases corrected this perception in some way by being accurate. But, alas, I discover that by not having a car, by instead cycling pretty much everywhere, I'm doing less good than someone who merely reduces how much they drive.
Want my support? Get these issues fixed and I'll consider it. But really, it isn't my support that this campaign wants, it wants Stella McCartney, Alan Rickman. Whoopee. That'll save the world 
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mochyn
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| RichardW wrote: | | mochyn wrote: |
If we could get broadband he could work from home occasionally but you try telling BT that's what we need to do! "Well, you could try again in a couple of years..."
Please: if anyone has any ideas what more I can do tell me! |
How fast does he actually NEED?
Would a 3G dongle do the job? You can get them quite cheap enough now that his fuel savings for 1 day would cover the months cost.
Just check who has the best signal in your area. Our phone is best on Orange but the 3G is best on Three. Even if the signal is marginal a better antenna could make all the difference (just bought an anttena so can let you know who much better it is with it once it arrives).
Richard |
What is this signal of which you speak? Signal? We don't even get TV or FM!
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ksia
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"I earn more than the median for my country so I pledge to earn 10% less next year."
That would be a good thing for clebs and politicians to sign up to.
(And happily ksia get off!)
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mochyn
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And I agree with cab.
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Fee
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I think the point is that yet again, this really isn't aimed at those already doing their bit.
So, yes, they get 'celebrities' involved because there are a lot of people out there who look up to even the most minor of celebrity, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a mascot hidden away in there somewhere too.
However, we definitely have room for improvement.
One thing we need to get done this year is cavity wall insulation, so it's jogged my memory on that.
We also need to get the MGF fixed, and sell it (maybe), now that we know we can survive quite happily with one car.
However, we're flying for the first time in 5 years this year, so we'll have to do a hell of a lot extra to make up for that  Oh, the guilt!
Hopefully with it being in the Sun and the Gurniad it will bring the problems to the attention of those who really don't know what it's all about, I must ask my Mum if she's heard of it and what she thinks when I speak to her this afternoon. They get the Sun every day
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vegplot
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I've made myself a little green ribbon so people know I'm green.
Anyone else want one? The ribbon is from Vietnam and the pins are from China.
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Fee
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Biff Vernon
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Royal Mail signs up to 10:10
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/09/10-10-royal-mail-environment
Have you?
(Does Royal Mail count as a celebrity? Come on folks, get real. There's a planet-wide human life support system that needs saving and moaning that you won't join in because a pop star's ex girlfriend is associated with it is just silly.)
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oldish chris
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Me - I'm waiting for carbon rationing. The good and the great swapping one of their limousines for a luxury saloon with a diesel engine won't save the planet. Now if they were to squeeze their fat arses into a G Wiz or join cab in the cycle lane - then I'd give up my car.
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robkb
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They're presumably saving their 10% by not delivering mail any more.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Mail_misery_as_strikes_delay_20m_letters&in_article_id=735299&in_page_id=34
Cheers,
Rob.
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Piggyphile
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I am afraid that what really gets my goat is posters who cut and paste huge volumes of text instead of links. I'd rather have a genuine dialog with people who type for themselves after going to links that interest me. I'm afraid if its too long I yawn and skim to the next comment.
Having said that, tokenism in the carbon industry is rife, trying to make people feel like they can make a real difference (phrase pimple on a cows backside springs to mind) when there is so much corporate/public services wastage.
The dept I work in are practicing trading carbon for next year when its for real. The quantities of emissions are huge.
I do think we can live the best we can, reducing waste and emissions but ultimately its public opinion that will make the most difference. When we stop voting for wasters or it hits suppliers in the purse, thats when thing will happen.
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Stacey
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| Piggyphile wrote: | | it hits suppliers in the purse, thats when thing will happen. |
Totally agree with that. Of course we should all live as 'responsibly' as we can but we're aiming it at the wrong end of the chain all the time IMO.
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Andy B
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I am affraid that the defeatest in me has kinda given up! I know were screwed through a combination of greed and stupidity.
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cab
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Someone saving 10% on a massive carbon footprint and claiming good publicity for it is a kick in the knackers for those who live much lower carbon lifestyles already. And that is compounded by campaign groups like 10:10 who endorse such lifestyles by implying that quitting, say, one long haul flight per or driving slightly less makes you one of the good guys.
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cab
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| oldish chris wrote: | | Now if they were to squeeze their fat arses into a G Wiz or join cab in the cycle lane - then I'd give up my car. |
Firstly, get out of the cycle lane, they're designed and built by motorists to keep cyclists out of the way without (usually) improving safety; they're there for 'other people' to cycle in. Theres usually a perfectly good cycle lane already, its called a road
Secondly, get out on to your bike anyway, its better for you than sitting in a car
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oldish chris
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Been thinking. So, in 2010 a self selecting group attempts to reduce their carbon footprint by 10%. All participants will be able to claim "success", even a 2% reduction is a reduction.
Its the "then what?" that has set me thinking. Is carbon footprint reduction going to be the new trendy thing (along with getting an allotment). At what point will the scale of the required reduction become apparent, even a target?
I might be warming to the idea.
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