Saved the Planet

[Busy Lizzy]

Hi All

Feel so much better about things generally....Bought all my energy saving light bulbs and am now practically "not spinning at all on the meter"...Also put water saving blocks in the loo to. Have done my best to turn off all the standby items off completely...Hopefully the planet will still be here when I wake!!! Any body want a feel good feeling, join me and many other on this site......
NEXT project switching my energy supplier, changing my shopping habits not sure which one yet still chewing it over...
Ta Lizzy

[Alice]

You're doing great Busy Lizzie. You could also join Freecycle and find new homes for stuff you might otherwise send to the dump.

[mazel-bee]

How ironic! Today I have switched my electricity supplier to Good Energy. Well done me 100% renewable energy. I wanted to get a wind turbine but I don't own my house, so this is the next best thing.
I've always loved our lovely planet and made healthy effort. The other day I watched An Inconvenient Truth. Has anybody else seen it? It made my stomach turn

[yoanbob]

not seen it yet but would like too.
we have a wind up radio, as we listen to the radio all the time it saves batterys and electric, and burns calories, how cool is that!

[Mrs Dobby]

We too have both a wind up radio and wind up torches, both work fine and do save the use of batteries (and the cost), especially when we go camping for our hols!

[valmarg]

Oh dear, I'm now going to have a bit of a rant.

I'm sure your efforts were very well intentioned, but when compared with the carbon (et al) emissions from China, India and the USA, they were nothing more than a drop in the ocean. These countries are doing, and going to do nothing against the alleged threat of "global warming".

The only message that comes out of our government is that they also are going to do nothing about it, other than give Gordon Brown another excuse to raise further stealth taxes. If they were serious, don't you think they would be investing in alternative fuels (other that the dreadful wind farms). There are alternatives out there, but they are not prepared to put money into them.

The only thing that comes across from this that really gets me going is the fact that for the last 30-odd years Greenpeace and Fiends of the Earth have been banging on about something that 'happens'. They are the churches of the latter day end of the world is nigh merchants from the medieaval ages. Their arrogance that anything man can do changes the scenario is naive.

As a result of our government's inability to take the matter seriously, I shall do nothing to save the planet, other than chuck my rubbish in the council's designated recycle bins. I shall not turn off my standby buttons, and I shall definitely not be using the dreadfully inadequate local transport disservice.

[pigletwillie]

I agree with you Valmark in part. Yes whilst China builds a new coal fired power station every week our efforts pale into insignificance on a global scale and Yes its a new labour scam to tax us more in the name of the environment and yes public transport is expensive and crap.

However I dont want my country to choke under the weight of its own sh*t and therefore try to minimise my footprint on the environment by recycling what I can, saving electricity where prudent (but not to the extent of having 5 watt lamps in my home) and growing whatever I can to eat thats good and wholesome.

In an effort to keep the home warm when the gas runs out and to reduce our carbon emissions we have taken out a gas fire and installed a second multifuel stove that can burn wood or coal if we have too whilst having the back up of gas central heating whilst the gas is there. I fear that if we have a prolonged cold snap then it wont be.

In my opinion the greatest challenge is not global warming ,after all the Romans grew grapes as far north as the humber a 1000 years ago and nobody had cars then, but constant supplies of affordable energy as without it were back into the dark ages. And back there we will go soon!

[nick the grief]

Oh dear, I'm now going to have a bit of a rant.

I'm sure your efforts were very well intentioned, but when compared with the carbon (et al) emissions from China, India and the USA, they were nothing more than a drop in the ocean. These countries are doing, and going to do nothing against the alleged threat of "global warming".
........

Whilst I agree with you both ( the irony of it being I work for National Grid ) I think that if the weather patterns carry on as they are, the USA will do something when they have the ravages of hurricanes & flooding like they have had & maybe a few more tsunami's and India & China a may have to submit.

How ever great man thinks he is it is nothing wen compared tothe forces of good old Mother Nature

[Alice]

Valmarg, all I can say is - if you want to change the world, start by changing yourself. That applies to all of us.

[Snadger]

By adhering to the GYO philosophy I believe I am 'doing my bit' and will go to my maker with a clean conscience.!
Any more savings on the earths resources are just a bonus as far as I am concerned!

Apart from that I'm a tight git!

[beefy]

People the way I see it this country has a big decision to make in the very near future and it is - where does our power come from .
Weve had the enviromentalists banging on about renewable energy for more years than I care to remember , now its your "carbon footprint" or whatever the latest buzz word is .
Wave ,wind and all the other "green" renewable energies are not enough to fill the gap and meet the targets of reducing fossil fuel usage. We all know that the answer is nuclear energy but the government wont raise that so close to an election now will they?
Im no big fan of it myself but the French seem to have no problems with it and when did you hear of an incident in France?
All Im saying is if it works elsewhere why cant it work here?

Answers on a postcard please

I'm now back in my box

[Digger-07]

Whilst I am concerned, and think it is disguisting, what humanity is doing to the planet and the life it sustaines I think the global warming lobby may be a bit over keen. I remember from school, some consierable time ago, that coal, oil and gas was formed from tropical swamps, Tropical seas deposited coral which focilised into the limestone pavement of the Yorkshire Dales and that the planet has had at least two ice ages in its history.

We need to consider what we are leaving our children but be aware that we have been here before.

[NOG]

Yeah but on the Bright side we will soon all be able to grow Grapes.

[JennieAtkinson]

Oh yeah! Grapes Nog!

I am a great believer in everthing has to start somewhere!

[Alison]

My turn for a rant now - we all should do our bit, many of the things we've been talking about aren't actually difficult and in some cases save you money (turn the heating down 1degree, walking or cycling rather than driving if you're only going down the road etc). To simply blame governments is a cop out (yes I know they're not exactly innocent here) we are all part of this world and therefore should do our best to keep it nice for future generations and I believe passionately that to do nothing is a very selfish attitude. I'm sorry if this offends some of the posters above, but to be honest I find some of the things said on this subject quite offensive. Little things do add up and regardless of how much you chose to ignore some of the dire warnings it has never seemed sensible to waste energy and who really wants their green beans to be flown half way around the world only to taste of nothing on your plate - much more fun to look forward to the summer when you can eat them within minutes of picking from your plot.

Am off for a lie down now but will probably rant again later if prodded!