Thursday, 7 October 2010
Something for the weekend...
Nope, I'm not becoming a Hindu. Nor am I taking this vow for ethical reasons. In fact, I think it's perfectly fine to kill an animal, so long as it's not tortured (think Chinese finger traps, hot pokers and toe clamps) and none of it goes to waste. I'm doing this because I want to see if I can. I'm ruling out beef completely, because I believe that the beef industry is completely unsustainable. I'm reducing my consumption of the rest because I believe that pork, lamb, chicken, fish and every other delicious animal need to be viewed as luxuries rather than staples.
This all links in with sustainability. Our capacity to endure. Some of the biggest issues we face on our planet are: land use efficiency, availability of water, energy availability, and waste management. Each of these four problems are greatly worsened by our desire for meat. A 2006 report by the Livestock, Environment And Development Initiative stated that the livestock industry is one of the top contributors to worldwide environmental degradation.
Large areas of land are required not only for grazing and winter shelters for the animals, but it is also used to grow their feed. The FAO have reported that livestock production is, "one of the main drivers of the destruction of tropical rain forests in Latin America."
In terms of water use, it takes approximately 17,000 cubic metres of water to produce a ton of beef, but only 1,500 cubic metres to produce a ton of wheat. In comparison, pork takes about 5,500 cubic metres and poultry is less again at approximately 4,000 cubic metres. This is the main reason I have completely excluded beef from my diet. It's production is simply not sustainable.
But it doesn't stop there. Amazingly, approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture (only about 15% comes from transport) and a larger proportion of these emissions are in the form of methane (23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide) and nitrous oxides (310 times more potent.) This doesn't exactly help the problem of global warming.
So, by saying no to even just beef once or twice a week, we can help reduce deforestation in Latin America, save water and lend a hand to the global warming issue. It may not save the world, but it certainly wont do any harm...
Monday, 21 June 2010
Hero Spotlight: H.F-W.
H.F-W. shows us exactly how it is done and even better, how to cook amazing meals from your own produce. Some of the classics include rabbit haggis, veal stew and hemp dukka. I don't know exactly what that last one is, but it sounds... eh... delicious?
For me, one of the most interesting things to come out of it was how he acquired the land in the first place. Apparently, an old law states that if a group of people get together and ask their local council for a patch of land to grow crops and/or raise animals then the council are obliged to meet their needs. I haven't found anything on the web to back this up, so I would be interested to find out more about it.
If anyone is thinking about starting this kind of project, either on their own property or as part of an allotment scheme, then you should definitely check out the River Cottage website for useful tips and other information. Help make your future a little more certain.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Leave Only Footprints?
This is one of the main reasons we need to be aware of our footprint and how to reduce it; everything we do adds to it. Many governments around the world are already taxing carbon in one way or the other and this is only set to increase both in scope and scale. This means that companies with large carbon footprints will need to increase the cost of their products and services in order to cover the cost of these taxes. If you have already taken steps to reduce your personal carbon footprint, you will be less reliable on these products and services, thereby saving you money in the long-term. This in turn will contribute to your sustainability. This is why we should care.
- Check out fuel efficiency ratings before buying a new car. The UK Vehicle Certification Agency has a comprehensive listing of new and used cars made after March 2001. Not only will this reduce your footprint, but also save you a stack of cash when fuel prices increase.
- Walk, cycle, car-share or use public transport to get to one of your regular destinations at least once a week.
- Make your home more energy-efficient. This can be as simple as checking for drafts and insulating all the empty gaps or you can go a small step further by replacing all your standard light-bulbs with LEDs and replacing your old home appliances with newer, more energy-efficient versions (when the old ones stop working that is...)
- Try buying your food from local, organic sources. This is often difficult and almost always more expensive, but some big supermarkets are making the effort to stock this kind of produce without a massive mark-up. You can also try and find a farmer's market in your area, or if your feeling adventurous, why not have a go at growing your own veggies in the back garden?
Monday, 14 June 2010
How the UK Can Kick It's Habit
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Leading From the Front?
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As you would imagine, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs program contains a lot of pledges concerning key issues that have faced the British public in the past, namely Foot and Mouth Disease, the fox-hunting debate, badger culling, flood defences, and the Dangerous Dog Act.
One point that particularly interested me was the promise to, "work towards a ‘zero waste’ economy, encourage councils to pay people to recycle, and work to reduce littering."
As one commentator points out below the publication,
"Recycling is a total waste of money. It costs councils more to send 3 seperate vans/trucks around once a week than to send one a week. Where [does our waste] go? We collect our plastics to be recycled and they’re sold to China who burn them in their power stations, polluting the atmosphere, damaging the ozone layer and causing climate change."
This seems like a ridiculous allegation, but The Independent newspaper did indeed write a story a few years ago that more or less backs it up. (link)
I don't agree that recycling is a waste of money, but I do agree that it's pointless to spend extra money on separating our waste if it all ends up in the same pile anyway. While some of the waste shipped to China remains separated, a lot of it is just burnt in huge incinerators run by private enterprises and illegal waste-smuggling is becoming a huge problem. Whether processed within the law or outside it, our exported waste is wreaking havoc on the local environment of many Chinese waterways, and this passing-the-buck system of waste disposal is absolutely despicable.
I think the government would be better in focusing their efforts towards the cause of the problem and not the solution. Supermarkets need to re-evaluate their packaging policies and the government needs to penalise them heavily if they don't. We've already seen the plastic bag take a huge popularity dip. It's about time that individually plastic wrapped fruit and vegetables and other over packaged products went the same way.
Energy and Climate Change
On the energy front, the new government has indeed promised some progressive implementations. Not enough specific targets for usage of renewable energies for my liking, but they're talking my kind of talk.
In my opinion, one of the more important promises is the, "reform [of] energy markets to deliver security of supply and investment in low carbon energy, and ensure fair competition..." In normal language? Basically, they hope to encourage investment in energy systems that don't rely on oil, coal, or natural gas. However, this will only happen on the scale that we need it to when investors and innovators can be guaranteed that renewable energies are a safe bet for the future. This can only happen if the government imposes a floor price on fossil fuels that will ensure that the price of, say a barrel of oil, will never be less than $100. This will drive the market to produce more efficient renewable energy systems, knowing that eventually they will become cheaper than the 'dirty fuel' systems and everyone can save some money.
I'm also excited about the 'Green Deal' mentioned in the publication, but so far my search for more details on this has proved fruitless. More to come later...
Sunday, 6 June 2010
But What Are They Doing?
- approximately 80% of McDonald's packaging is made from renewable resources (natural materials that are managed and replenished in a sustainable way.) About 30% of this material is recycled fibre, although in certain countries this not allowed due to food packaging laws.
- for almost 20 years, the big M has been working with Conservation International on various projects, in order to educate their youngest customers about the environment and support conservation work around the world, including a sustainable fisheries program. (link)
- a few 'green' McDonald's restaurants have opened in countries around Europe and the Americas. Some modifications to their buildings include vegetated roof-tops, porous car-parks, hybrid parking stations, LED lighting, rain-water harvesting and ride-to-work incentives for staff members. (link)
- by 2015, Starbucks aims to have recycling policies in all of the stores where they control waste management and serve 25% of their drinks in reusable cups (brought by customers.) They offer a 10 cent discount if you don't take a plastic cup.
- by the end of 2010, they plan to reduce their energy consumption by 25% and to obtain 50% of their energy from renewable sources in all of their company-owned stores.
- by 2012 they want to reduce the amount of water they use in company-owned stores by 15%.
- by 2015, Starbucks aims to have 100% of its coffee beans certified or verified by an independent third party (CAFE, Fairtrade etc.)
- they too have a partnership with Conservation International to improve conservation and sustainability in the countries where their produce is grown. (link)
Microsoft
Bill Gates himself has always been a supporter of sustainability and he recently donated $300,000 for research into unique solutions to the climate change problem. Not much of a dent in the purse for a man whose net worth is $53 billion, but at least he's doing something. What is his company doing?
- Microsoft plans to reduce it's 2007 carbon footprint 30% by 2012.
- they also want to have completely phased out the use of phthalate plasticizers and brominated flame retardants (very toxic chemicals) from all of their hardware products by the end of 2010.
Apple
Is Microsoft's largest competitor doing much better than their rivals? I'll let you decide...
- Apple does offer a recycling scheme for it's products. You can send them your old Apple computers, laptops and iPods. They will recycle these for free. If they still have monetary value, you get a discount on your next Apple product. In 2008, the company recycled 41.9% of their products that had been purchased 7 years earlier (the company assumes a 7-year lifespan of their products. Funny, because my iPod died after 2 years...)
- Apple also lead the way in reducing the use of toxic materials in their products. They claim that, "not only is every Mac, iPod, and iPhone free of PVC2 and BFRs, we are also qualifying thousands of components to be free of elemental bromine and chlorine, putting us years ahead of anyone in the industry. In addition, all MacBook Pro models feature displays with mercury-free backlighting." Good work Steve.
- the company also offers its employees alternatives to driving their cars to work. For example, their biodiesel commuter coaches offer up to 600 workers a free ride to work every day.
Stand-by for reviews on other big companies...
Thursday, 3 June 2010
The Man's Guide to Sustainability
Sustainability is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues facing humanity's future. Long seen as a concern only for hippies and the bourgeois nouveau riche middle-class, it has clearly become something that we all need to think about if we are to ensure the survivability of planet earth. Here's how to approach it in a manly way...
The classic t-shirt slogan says it best: “Save water, drink beer.” Why not? Beer is delicious and manly. Also, try not having a shower every day. Your girlfriend may not appreciate it, but Mother Nature will.
Turn off all the lights in the house and do things by candle light. Fire is probably the most manly thing in the world. Just make sure the candles don't smell of flowers.
Say no to plastic bags in shops. Carrying all the groceries in your arms not only makes you look manly, but it also suggests to others that you may not have paid for them. You'll swagger out of the shop like you haven't.
Grow your own vegetables in the garden. Planting flowers might be for women, but growing food is definitely for men.
Embrace renewable energy by installing a windmill and/or solar panels onto your home. You're harnessing nature AND using power tools. Uber-manly.
Only eat meat that's been killed by your own hand. Earn extra manly points if it's a wild animal. Lose a point if it's a family pet. That's just not cool.
Save on fuel by riding a motorbike instead of driving a truck. They're both manly, but the scars you'll collect after a few spills on the bike give it the upper hand. Joining a gang is optional.
Save paper by not writing anything. If it's important, you'll remember it.
If you get cold in winter, don't turn up the heating. Grow a beard. When it gets long enough you can wrap it around you like a big scarf.
Put a brick in your cistern. Better still, just poo outside in a hole in the garden. If your neighbours complain, just ask them what they're doing for the planet.