Reducing your carbon footprint

With a life span that is twelve times longer than the ordinary bulb, a fluorescent tube can last up to 12 thousand hours, and runs on a much lower consumption of electrical supply.

Reducing your carbon footprint around the home is really easy once you accept that we have spent a lifetime wasting cheap energy and living a disposable lifestyle.

The place to start is with reducing our use of electricity.

The time is approaching when we will no longer be able to buy traditional light bulbs because of the mandated change over to the low energy fluorescent type.  In England, traditional lightbulb sales soar as customers stock up ahead of the switch over – and that is a selfish move!

Unfortunately, some low energy bulbs don’t fit many standard light sockets – particularly table lamps where they protrude out from the light shade.

The light output leaves a bit to be desired.   The ones I have used give off a cold glow – more blue than the traditional brown light of incandescent bulbs.  And, of course, dimmer switches do not work with these energy efficient bulbs.  I find them quite ugly and bulky but they do a job – and they save money and energy.

Next on the agenda is to get out of the ‘disposable’ lifestyle.  Be selective in your shopping and refuse to buy excessive packaging.  At a bare minimum, pick up your game in recycling everything that can be recycled. In England, one ecofriendly family have cut their waste to the point where they now throw away only 100g of litter every week – the equivalent of filling one rubbish bin every six months.

Anti-poverty campaigners claim that those with ‘affluenza’ have already caused more carbon emissions in 2009 than a person in the poorest countries will create all year, and that Going green can save the average family £1000 a year.

What other ideas are you practicing?