In 1977 the rock band Emerson Lake and Palmer released a track entitled Fanfare For The Common Man, which reached number 2 in the UK. 45 years later, Light Green is the environmental equivalent of that hit.
If, like me, you want to do your bit for our planet but don't have the disposable income to buy an electric car or your own wind turbine this is for you. Along the way we'll see some examples of 'greenwashing' where things might not be quite as they seem, we'll explore ways of being sustainable - some perhaps less obvious than others - and hopefully find ways to save a bit of money in the process.
Firstly I have to say I'm a dedicated petrolhead. Also, I'm not going to be scouring verges for roadkill, I've no interest in making soup out of nettles that a variety of animals have peed on, and I will produce methane, particularly after a curry or a plateful of green veg.
I'm also no eco-warrior. Full time employment - amongst other things - prevents me supergluing myself to roads or buildings.
I've got 3 petrol-engined motorbikes I ride on the road, plus one which has been stripped down to be a restoration project. My daily ride is 4 years old, but the youngest of the others is 51 this year. This to my mind demonstrates sustainability. The fossil based energy that went into building these bikes was created over half a century ago. They haven't been sent to landfill or melted down to create the same again, and they're still capable of performing their original function.
If necessary they could also fit between protesters glued to the road so my petrol engine isn't idling and polluting the atmosphere while I sit and wait for the police to show up and clear the route.
Having said that I'm toying with selling one to buy instead a small electric motorcycle. I've got my eye on a British designed and built commuter machine, which although not very exciting in terms of overall performance will be ideal for my daily travel to and from work. Selling one is unlikely to completely pay for the other, but I'll recoup the difference in fuel savings and be better off financially thereafter. Another win/ win where I'm saving money and reducing my carbon emissions.
An electric pushbike could also be an option, but I hold a motorcycle licence and they're quicker!
I'm still very much aware, though, that the electricity to charge the battery could well be generated by the use of fossil fuels. therefore it's not quite as green as the hype would have us believe. Even if it comes from a wind turbine, these have an average life of 25 years before they have to be replaced. Although about 85% can be recycled or reused, the blades are made of fibreglass so tend to largely end up in storage or landfill. Again, not as green as it's painted.
I'm currently investigating whether I could charge the batteries using the EV (Electrical Vehicle) tariff, so I'll let you know the result in a future post. In the meantime, if anyone's interested in buying a 1971 Triumph T120....
Another way of saving money would be to use the kettle less. Although having fewer brews would achieve this - also saving on tea, coffee and milk - I'm probably too long in the tooth now to make a sustainable move away from hot drinks so another solution needs to be found. And I may have got one.
There's no guarantee this will work, but my intention for future posts is to share the planning, construction and trial of a small solar water heater. The idea - if successful - is that this will be cheap to make and will supply warm water for filling a kettle. Said kettle will then have less work to do to bring the water to the boil, so will be on for a shorter time and therefore require less electricity. Any water boiled and not used could be poured into a thermos flask and used next time. As electricity and gas prices seem set to rise further this could be a timely project. If it does work it could also provide hot water for washing the dishes, or maybe be scaled-up for other applications.
Using less energy may also help prevent the lights going out due to demand exceeding supply. Even if things return to normal on the energy front a personal ongoing saving opportunity will remain. When the sun shines, anyway.
Sunshine is also useful in helping plants grow, as we know, so producing your own veg can be more successful in the UK the further south you live. I know my tomatoes are weeks behind other peoples, being outside in the north west of England. I've no room for a greenhouse.
My plan is to grow more of my own veg next year in a way that can make use of restricted space, I want to bring my veg and salad veg on earlier, without having to increase my energy bills in the process. I've got some ideas, which again I'll be sharing. If that works the next stage will be a compost heap so I can recycle my organic waste and reduce my spend on compost.
By the way - I got 4 tomato plants this year from the 'condemned corner' of the local garden centre for 60p. They were the ones that don't get watered so are sold off cheaply, but soon responded favourably to a bit of moisture, and currently have a load of fruit waiting to ripen.
There's so much to cover on this subject. I haven't even scratched the surface. There must be so many ways we can help both ourselves and the planet, and my aim is to bring these to life in future posts.
Thanks for reading this far. Join me again on the next one.
Chris
