And now to do something.

The cumulative effect of millions of decisions brings about change!

Yesterday’s Post was about personal change.  It came on the back of a short series that was triggered by the Bill McKibben essay in Rolling Stone magazine that I republished on 31st July.  If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favour and read it soon.

The essay highlighted the challenge of how we change our ways, that is at a personal level, which is why I decided to devote a complete Post to the subject of change.  There was no doubt that the McKibben essay opened our eyes to the need for change, if they weren’t open already.  So being clear about the need for change and how, initially, it can make us feel less sure of ourselves, where do we go from here?  As John Fisher explains, within the change process, there is the stage where things start to happen.  This is what he writes about that stage,

Moving forward

In this stage we are starting to exert more control, make more things happen in a positive sense and are getting our sense of self back. We know who we are again and are starting to feel comfortable that we are acting in line with our convictions, beliefs, etc. and making the right choices. In this phase we are, again, experimenting within our environment more actively and effectively.

Keep this stage in mind as you journey along your individual path towards reducing your impact on the planet.  It really does act as a beacon for you, as a candle in the darkness.

OK, there’s an old saying in business ‘if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it!‘  So let’s start off by calculating the CO2 we are presently responsible for.

There are a number of CO2 calculators available on the Web but this one from The Resurgence Trust website seems as good as any.  Easy to use and it provides a starting point from which to plan your attack!  Make a promise to calculate your present CO2 output, soon!

Then to the plan of action!  A web search on reducing CO2 produces a huge number of results and I recommend that you undertake your own trawl to find the information that ‘rocks your boat’.  But on the Brave New Climate website there’s a summary that caught my eye, especially how it was introduced:

Top 10 ways to reduce your CO2 emissions footprint

Posted on 29 August 2008 by Barry Brook

Solving climate change is a huge international challenge. Only a concerted global effort, involving the governments of all nations, will be enough to avert dangerous consequences. But that said, the individual actions of everyday people are still crucial. Large and complex issues, like climate change, are usually best tackled by breaking down the problem into manageable bits.

For carbon emissions, this means reducing the CO2 contribution of each and every one of the six and a half billion people on the planet. But what can you, as an individual person or family, do that will most make a difference to the big picture? Here are my top ten action items, which are both simple to achieve and have a real effect. They are ranked by how much impact they make to ‘kicking the CO2 habit’.

Then follows ten solid recommendations:

  1. Make climate-conscious political decisions.
  2. Eat less red meat.
  3. Purchase “green electricity“.
  4. Make your home and household energy efficient.
  5. Buy energy and water efficient appliances.
  6. Walk, cycle or take public transport.
  7. Recycle, re-use and avoid useless purchases.
  8. Telecommute and teleconference.
  9. Buy local produce.
  10. Offset what you can’t save.

Each of these recommendations is supported by great web links and plenty of advice.  So don’t just skip through those 10 options, go here and commit to doing something!

And when you are ready to involve others beyond your family, 350.org has a great selection of resources for potential organizers.

We can make a difference!

7 thoughts on “And now to do something.”

  1. I am sorry to keep going on about this, Paul, but to me it is the “elephant in the room” that people (don’t or won’t) acknowledge: If you generate your own renewable energy you can use as much as you like and still have a clear conscience!

    Here in the UK, the government is insisting that demand for power necessitates the building of a large number of new power stations and a massive enlargement of the overground network of electricity transmission cables (the National Grid). At the same time, the government has recently slashed the subsidies paid to people willing to install solar panels on the roofs of their houses and/or the potential income the individuals could have had by selling unused power back to the Grid.

    This is simply insane; and I would love to know how the cost of all the new infrastructure that is proposed compares with the cost of actually paying local councils to install solar panels on the roofs of all suitable public buildings (including houses) and paying (or at least encouraging) private owners to do the same?

    Reducing the demand for centrally-generated non-renewable electricity (and centrally-provided energy) is almost certainly the biggest single change any individual can make. Furthermore, if we do not do it soon, India has recently demonstrated what lies in store for us all – power cuts/outages.

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    1. Much of what you point out is true. All it does, well all it does to my point-of-view, is to reinforce the need for each one of us to take action. As you can see from the Top 10 above, the very first individual action is to make climate-conscious political decisions.

      I sense that is starting to happen and, maybe, the fact that politicians seem blind to this upswell of public opinions is yet more evidence of the depth of influence of the power brokers. It seems insane, as you put it, but if we knew the half of what is going on behind closed doors, it would reveal a very perverse, corrupt sanity.

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  2. Thanks Paul. I walk to work and only drive if it’s absolutely essential (like driving the dogs to the vet in a nearby town). I know governments aren’t always doing the right thing, but we as individuals need to be aware and do our bit. I think we’re too reliant on power and mod cons and hubby and I are seriously considering going back to the country where we produce just about everything we need to keep us comfortable and alive and reducing our footprint.
    Thank you for posting 🙂

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    1. Thanks Diane (and thanks for still reading the blog!),

      You and millions of others are clear in their minds that it is down to each of us to make a difference.

      Paul

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  3. I think the point Martin makes is important. France, Germany and Britain have slashed the subsidy for individual power in the last year. But no one has produced deep numbers to explain this. A new nuke plant is something like 5 billion, but a new gas plant is still about a billion, and coal plants ought to be unlawful.

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    1. Knowing Martin, I wouldn’t be the slightest surprised if he didn’t do some digging in an attempt to understand what, on the face of it, does seem a crazy change of policy.

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      1. I am very pleased to see the double negative in that sentence Paul; as I may not do any more digging. The change of policy was almost certainly the result of aggressive lobbying by the fossil fuel industry; which is determined to delay the levelling of the playing field for as long as possible. In previous correspondence, the Dept. for Energy and Climate Change has told me that they changed their policy because the subsidies offered proved far too popular… But that does not change the probability that the solution to our energy crisis may well lie in as many people as possible generating their own electricity and temperature control.

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