Coming clean: my 10:10 commitment

I've been mulling for a while on what to do for my 10:10 commitment. According to the Carbon Detox method of counting, my carbon footprint is about 18% below average*, so I've done the quick wins and much of the more difficult stuff.

So, I've decided to:

1. Cut my meat intake to a maximum of once per day when I've got a choice.

2. Make a much bigger effort on the allotment this year so I'm both producing more food and providing a carbon sink in the soil by using permaculture and no-dig methods to build up humus (more on this as I get stuck in).

3. Putting another 4 inches of sheep's wool insulation in the loft and growing some climbers up the north wall of our house - the latter will provide insulation and a habitat for wee beasties.

* Actually, the method would now give me an even lower footprint since Jimmy was born as things like heating and car use would get shared between four rather than three, but that seems a bit of a cheat!

UK Govt Announces Green Home Makeovers

Today the UK Government announced a package of green measures for every home in the UK. For some reason this will not start until 2013, which would be after at least one general election, but as the other two main political parties are proposing similar measures, this is unlikely to go away.

Very welcome, but maybe a little more haste would be in order.

There's plenty of work to do too, with the Energy Savings Trust estimating there are 7.3m cavity walls that could be filled with insulation, 7m solid walls that could be insulated, and 12.9m lofts which do not have the recommended depth of insulation, and 4.5m G-rated (the least efficient) gas boilers.

Eco-Living Myth No 2: Small things matter

Despite what you might read in the press and many books, you will not save the planet simply by reusing your plastic bags, switching off your TV at the plug or putting your recycling out. You should do them, of course, but that's not eco-living. In fact these things are pretty much mainstream now.

In the West our ecological footprint is huge and small stuff won't make much of a dent. You will only cut that footprint significantly by hitting the big ticket items:

1. Food: buy local and organic, less meat, avoid processed foods, use leftovers and plan your purchase of fresh food to avoid waste.

2. Transport: walk, buy a bike, use public transport, work close to home (or at home), holiday locally (cycle touring is a top option).

3. Heating your home: insulate, insulate, insulate. Set your heating controls to what is comfortable wearing suitable clothes.

4. Consumerism: buy second hand, buy quality over quantity, spend your money on services (haircuts, pampering, sports, renting DVDs etc) rather than stuff, don't buy anything at all if you can help it.

So, yes, do the small stuff, but you're not eco-living unless you're doing much more than that.

Weekly Tip #1: The Power of Cold

The first of a series of weekly eco-living tips which you might find more useful than reading my rants against media numpties:

Use cold mornings to spot poorly insulated areas on your roof (ie where there is no frost). It is also a good time of year to search and destroy draughts ('cos you can feel 'em coming!).

Another tip next Monday!

It's... Energy Awareness Week!

After shamefully letting Green Blog Day pass me by last Monday, I'm determined to try to keep abreast of all these days, weeks, millenia etc of environmental action.

Well, this week, starting tomorrow, is the Energy Savings Trust's Energy Awareness Week - with themed days throughout. Good stuff, although I'm a little baffled about the difference between Women's Day and Men's Day - do the sexes have wildly different carbon footprints?

But, anyway, the effective things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint are the old faves:

• Insulate your house
  
• Use a bicycle for short journeys
  
• Try to holiday at near to home
  
• Buy local & organic food from local shops
  
• Switch stuff off when you're not using it
  
• Buy energy efficient equipment (eg lightbulbs and appliances)

And, I know, I'll get flamed for this, but I still think is worth offsetting the rest!

Update 22/10/07: I've managed to penetrate a bit further into the EAW site and found the list of what's happening on the different days of this week. Women's day is being sponsored by Cafe Direct and involves Women's Institute coffee mornings, and Men's day is 'gadget day' sponsored by Curry's. Now I'm not the most PC of people, but is that not outdated stereotyping? Most young women I see on the bus/train have their iPod Nano in one hand and ultra-high-spec phone in the other. I've been told men drink coffee too...