Tips to reduce climate change

The BIGGEST change you can make is to leave you car at home for trips less than 2km. Apparently this is one-third of all the car trips we make!

This would save 1710kg (of Co2) or $1200 per year for the average NZ family.

Buy a more fuel-efficent car - see our article on Greener Motoring.
Just switching to a car that uses 6 litre of fuel per 100km rather than 8 litres would save the average family 640kg Co2 or $450.

Also, turn off your car when idling for more than 10 seconds (Zoe-B Weekly)

Other tips include:
- reduce your use of electric heaters (with electricity prices most of us are doing that anyway!)
- take shorter showers and use an aerated flow showerhead
- wash clothes in cold water
- replace your five most used light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones
- put insulating wrap around your hwc
- turn off appliances (esp your computer) when not in use
- check the energy efficient ratings on appliances when you buy them
- buy local!

see http://www.greens.org.nz/ if you would like a copy of their Pocket Guide.

An Inconvenient Truth

If you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth," which won an Academy Award earlier this year, you must!

Former Vice President Al Gore, is the newly named co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said Friday that global warming is the most dangerous challenge facing humanity. This film spells it out in black and white. (Enviro.org.au)

Initially, I held back from seeing the film because I thought I might get too depressed! But Al Gore tells it like it is without getting hysterical and you realise, we can all play our part in the way we live and purchasing decisions we make.

The film title is so apt, we live in a society of convenience - fast foods, convenience meals, microwaves, cellphones, disposable nappies etc etc.

Likewise, Natural Parenting is not always "convenient", you have to go to extra effort to source purchases, grow or buy organic food but it has its' rewards!

I also attended an address yesterday by (Jeanette Fitzsimons, Green Party) on climate change. What the "Inconvenient Truth" and this address made me realise is that the world just isn't going to be around for our precious next generation, unless we all take drastic action NOW.

The Green Party have published a pocket guide on ways you can make a personal contribution to reduce Co2 emissions (see my next blog).

Reducing carbon emissions in your kitchen

Reducing carbon emissions is a hot topic... I'd like to think we are all trying to do our "part" in reducing carbon emissions. But this can pose a real dilemma, what do you put first - your family's health or the global environment?

The Dom Post (28 July 2007) suggests we reduce our carbon imprint by using a microwave instead of a conventional oven to cook our food (reducing energy use by 70%). Most of us are aware of the dangers of microwave cooking. Sorry, you can't convince me to switch to microwave cooking.

Likewise, I confess, I choose buying organic over buying local (both would be nice but not always possible!).

what do you think???