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Tips for going green at work and at homeSource: Extract from communitycare.co.uk newsAs government ministers return to work this week, they should notice something different about the way things are done at the office: Westminster is going green. Prime minister Gordon Brown announced just before Christmas that, from now on, all policy and investment decisions made on his watch must take account of the cost of their impact in terms of climate change damage. In effect, this means ministers will have to factor in a notional "carbon price" into everything they do, making green policy choices appear relatively cheaper and eco-unfriendly options more expensive. Responding to Brown's announcement, Tony Juniper, head of Friends of the Earth, said: "At the moment there are gaping holes in government policy, with them professing concern for climate change on one hand and rushing to expand airports and widen roads on the other. If this helps to fill in that gap it has to be a step in the right direction." While few of us have the power to make such environmentally significant decisions as whether to build an extra runway or back a nuclear power station, we do make decisions with environmental implications every day as we go about our lives. And many of us are as guilty of the same "gaping holes" as the government in terms of claiming to want to reduce our own carbon footprint yet still driving to the corner shop to buy a newspaper and using two or three new carrier bags every time we pop to the supermarket. No one is suggesting we need to go as far as ministers and sit down with a calculator to factor a notional "carbon price" into everything we do. But making an effort to think about the environment before we act and challenging a few old habits is probably a good start. Here are four simple ways you can start making a difference today. Getting to workThe obvious answer if you live in an area well-served by public transport is to let the train - or bus - take the strain. If you are more remote, and you work too far away to walk or cycle, consider your car-related options carefully. First, do you need your own car or could you share? Most cars parked at work will have arrived with four empty passenger seats this morning. Asking colleagues who live in a certain area to share lifts could save you all money as well as immediately reduce fuel consumption. Alternatively, log on to www.carshare.com to see a full directory of car-sharing schemes and whether you can find or organise a group to match your needs. Second, what kind of car do you use? Your car of choice can make a huge difference - Greenpeace claims that some of the worst gas guzzlers consume up to 300 times more petrol than a fuel-efficient family car and advises drivers to choose the most fuel-efficient car in their price range. Converting your car to take liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a clean-burning by-product of the oil production process previously considered waste, is another option. At about 46 pence a litre, LPG - or Autogas - is cheaper as well as producing lower harmful emissions than unleaded petrol or diesel. However, refuelling might be an issue - only one in five Shell garages sells LPG, for example. Go to www.boostlpg.co.uk for more information and to find your nearest LPG filling stations. Third, what kind of driver you are matters. Servicing your car regularly, taking off unnecessary roof racks and bike racks and driving at lower speeds all help make your car more efficient and less damaging to the environment. |
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