November 3rd, 2009
If you were out and about in Dorset on Thursday 29 October 2009 there is a high probability that you were seriously delayed by at least one road traffic accident. This situation probably applies to numerous places all over the UK. Why? Because of the end of British Summer time and the return to Greenwich Meantime.
You may get an extra hour in bed on the last Sunday of October, but this time of year is notorious for an increase in car crashes, disturbed sleep patterns and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
There is nothing we can do about the shorter days and reduction in daylight hours, but we could consider abandoning the end of BST and leave afternoons and evenings lighter, then next spring add another hour onto BST. This idea is not new and Double BST was trialled from 1968 to 1971 – the reduction in evening road accidents was significant (2,500 fewer recorded deaths and serious injuries in the first 2 winters of the experiment) but the darker mornings were met with hostility from farmers, builders and postmen so it was eventually abandoned
However, in addition to safer roads and less depression the greener advantages of sticking to BST are that we would be in line with the rest of Europe and according to a study by Cambridge University we would also save energy by burning less fuel in the lighter evenings and so cut 170,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions!
Tags: British summer time, energy saving, greener, Greenwich Meantime | Posted in carbon emissions, environment
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October 29th, 2009
Halloween is fast approaching, so why not keep it green and keep it cheap? Give the ghouls and ghosts an energy saving, healthy treat by:
Making your own sweets
Grape lollies – take a bunch of loose grapes, rinse them (dip them in sugar, if you must) and put them in the freezer for an hour or so.
Choc fruits – dip strawberries, raspberries and satsuma segments in melted chocolate and set in the fridge.
Ensuring you have no-waste pumpkins
Separate the flesh and seeds as you go and use the flesh to make a warming winter soup or pumpkin pie.
The pumpkin seeds can either be roasted or eaten raw as a light snack. -After Halloween, put your hollowed out pumpkin lanterns on the compost heap so they can be later used to fertilize your garden.
Creating your own costumes
Collect old rags, rip them up into strips, dye them black if desired and pin onto conventional clothes.
Make witches/wizards dresses and capes out of black bin liners
Make monster masks from papier-mâché.
Make scary ‘hands’ by padding out latex gloves.
Use old pillowcases to collect ‘treats’ – dye it with the rags or decorate with felt-tips.
Creating a Gloomy Glow
Switch off the lights and fill the house with candles.
Torches – when out and about use ones with rechargeable batteries or the wind-up versions.
Car Sharing
Share the fuel, hassle and expense by all bundling into one car on way to your trick or treat venue.
Recycling
Take a bin liner with you to collect up all the ‘treat’ wrappers. Recycle what you can on your return.
Closing Doors
When Trick or Treaters appear, close the front door behind you to conserve energy
Tags: energy saving, Green Halloween, Halloween, Recycling | Posted in Events, Recycling, Self sufficiency
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June 1st, 2009
Rather naively I simply assumed that wind generated energy was a great idea: no burning of coal or oil or dangerous nuclear technology, just wind – that has to be a good thing surely!? I have to admit that now I am not so sure.
DART: Dorset Against Rural Turbines has a great website and it has turned my initial preconception regarding wind turbines on its head. DARTs prime concern is the proposal to erect four wind turbines at East Stoke, clearly visible from the historic town of Wareham.
Personally I struggle with the aesthetic argument, not because it not a very valid point, but because it has never stopped anyone before. Power stations are not exactly easy on the eye, neither are electricity pylons, but governments do not refuse their construction because they are ugly blots on the landscape. Wind Turbines are not pretty either, but will that really stand in the way of our energy needs?
DART’s money over common sense argument is particularly interesting. If the science does not stack up, then why is the government continuing with the scheme? The simple answer appears to be £’s. Surely we have wasted enough time and money on destructive forms of energy generation than to go down another dead-end with this one?
Apparently British Gas sending out 52 million energy saving light bulbs across the UK, will slash carbon emissions by nine million tonnes whereas the most optimistic estimate of a wind farm’s carbon saving is only 20,000 tonnes. Meaning we would need to build 450 wind farms to achieve the same carbon saving as changing our light bulbs! As well as these and other frightening statistics on the DART site there are also some shocking pictures of birds cleanly cut in half … again something I had never considered.
I admit it – I’m confused. Is wind energy really a bad thing? Should we be concentrating on wave generating power or will that electrify our fishes? I genuinely want to know. Any comments very welcome…
Tags: alternative energy, British Gas, carbon emissions, energy saving, light bulbs, Wind Turbines | Posted in Climate Change, Local Councils
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