It's Not Easy Being Green - self sufficiency in the 21st century.

doddsy

The green audit man is Donnachadh McCarthy, he has an interesting web site (hope this works!)


http://www.cix.co.uk/~dmccarthy/index.html#top

bluemoon_3

Austin_Allegro wrote:

My main concern with this programme is that it confuses the green (not to be confused with Green and its political overtones) lifestyle with some sort of idyllic country living out of a 1970s shampoo advert. The planet has 5 billion inhabitants and there aren't the resources for us all to have three acres, a waterwheel and a willow coppice for wood fuel!

I think the way forward is to show that minimal impact, green, frugal living is perfectly possible in a normal suburban house like most people live in, for example I would have been interested in seeing more of the Green Audit man's house, as they said he lived in the centre of London.

I watched about 3/4 of the programme last night before turning it off, and I found that I went through a range of emotions during and afterwards, much of it related to what Austin Allegro said in the post quoted above.

At first, absolute seething jealousy. I know from spending so much time on the OS board over the last year that the life this family is proposing to live would be the absolute dream for lots of the posters here, including me. Ask me what my ideal future would be and this programme summed it up - self-sufficient, organic growing, just enough space to feel private, sustainable, environmentally-friendly energy from solar panels . . .

And then, I suppose I felt quite sad that it's so unlikely I'll ever be able to live that way. OH is disabled, I'm his full-time carer, and while we may find ways to reduce or eliminate our dependence on benefits, it's unlikely we'll ever be in the situation to own our own home, let alone a home where any of those things are possible.

I have to admit this programme made me go to bed last night feeling pretty low. But, this morning, I'm actually glad I watched it. It gave me some perspective on reality. I'd always seen this ideal 'green' country life (as shown on the programme) as the epitome of downsizing and leaving a smaller footprint, but I realise now that my wires got crossed along the way. For most of us, that life simply isn't possible, and even if *I* somehow raised the immense capital needed to be able to acheive that life, the rest of the population would still be living in normal houses and relying on the normal infrastructures.

So, while the dream is nice, I don't think it represents a 'greener' way of living than I'm doing right now. The programme helped me let go of a lot of guilt - it made me realise that the lifestyle the programme showed isn't the only way forward - for the most part it's a myth because it can only ever work for a small percentage of the population.

So, today I'm happily coming to terms with a paradigm shift. Being green and downsizing isn't about one self-sufficient family doing everything perfectly (and spending a lot of capital to get started) - it's about making it possible for everyone in society to make greener choices.

No offence to the family on the programme - they seemed lovely and on many levels I admire what they are attempting to do. I guess I just don't see that life as the answer anymore.

MonkeyGirl

We watched this program and thought it was good and it will be interesting to see what he achieves and also what things may fail or not work as well etc. I agree with what MATH has said about the program. I look forward to watching it next week. Thanks also for the link for the green audit man.

MonkeyGirl

competitionscafe

doddsy wrote:

The green audit man is Donnachadh McCarthy, he has an interesting web site (hope this works!)
http://www.cix.co.uk/~dmccarthy/index.html#top

His book sounds quite interesting too:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904132391/

thriftlady_2

Can anyone tell me how to pronounce his first name?

Bluemoon I had similar feelings to you-you expressed them very well.Thank you for putting the whole thing in perspective for me :T

moggins

I have to admit that I spent moments shouting at the screen too, but it did have a remarkable effect on my family so I have immense praise for the programme just for that.

It got us all talking and even DH joined in when I took the mick out of DH's total inability to recycle anything at all. There has been a huge change in my family's attitudes. DH is even talking about ways of using waste water to flush the toilet! I am over the moon.

I live in the city and although it's not possible for us to go green all in one go because of the money factor we are working our way there and the improvements we have made since last year astound me.

Trow

nabowla wrote:

IMHO the green lifestyle programmes & books seem very removed from 'real' life.
I'd love to see someone trying to go green whilst living in a modern one bed flat in London. Where I live there's only room for one tiny bin in the kitchen: no room for separate glass/paper/plastic/composting bins. The underground carpark has no allocated spaces for bikes and local kids get in regularly so it's not safe to leave bikes down there anyway. Drying clothes on an airer rather than the tumble dryer takes days (literally). Organic veg deliveries are impossible as we're all out at work.

That depends on how you regard 'real' life - there are plenty of people living in rual areas - maybe you should have said they seem removed from 'city' life, instead of implying that anyone that doesn't live in the capital city is somehow 'unreal'. Having said that, it would make a great feature, how these things can be adapted for city life. The great thing about the programme is that it doesn't seem to be evangelical about green living - its about doing what you can.

I disagree aout drying clothes on an airer though - I live in a place that is colder than you, and we dry the vast majority of our clothes on an airer - it takes a day, not 'days'. There are certain issues that are similar though - we cannot get organic deliveries - because no-one delivers here. Bikes are pretty much a no go - because the distances needing travelled are greater and you can't take a family of fours shopping 18 miles on a bike! The programme is about doing the best you can - I still run a car and I don't recycle plastic because we don't have the facilities here for that - but I do buy local produce as much as possible, use ecological cleaning products and buy items like rice in bulk which reduces waste.

pollys

I loved the programme and have found the posts very good reading. I would love to do what !!!!!! and his family are doing, but I can't. So do the best that I can living where I do.

I make use of the recycling facilities, and am now looking at buying recycled products when needed (just bought my second set of grolsh glasses)

I shop locally for meat, fruit and veg, and this month I am trying to avoid the supermarket, to see if it can be done.

Walk or use public transport if possible.

The list goes on, if I use the car, have to go to a supermarket, I don't beat myself up about it, because I'm doing something which is much better than doing nothing.

lynzpower

Incidentally, I was swapping my electricity round the other week and ecotricity the only fully renewable electricity company was cheaper than Npower juice which I was using, and EDF london ( who to my mind are complete scum :mad: due to thier influence in the water *markets* in bolivia and elsewhere)

Tiny change, much greener and cheaper! Cant get better than that!)

I live in London as well in a flat ( albeit I have a garden) and try to be as green as possible. REcylce everything i can ( even reciepts & bus tickets!) have green power, and try not to buy anything thats been shipped from other side of the world ( mange tout from Guatemala?)
Some local authorties have a compost collection service on some estates ( tower hamlets def do) Using kitchen waste for parks etc ( saving money on our council tax no doubt) Im getting a green cone when I have the money, that takes ALL food waste and should mean I dont need to buy compost again!

Most local authorities cost up to 40% of our council tax on landfill costs, the more you recycle, chances are the less likely your council tax will go up

I make choices that means I dont buy anything with excess packaging ( precut pineapple in packs that cant be recycled for example) Dont get me started on the chemicals they spray food with in these packages!

Always refuse a carrier bag, usually carry round a couple with me just in case of bargains.

These things are ALL easy to do, and to my mind, no excuse for not doing them

tootles_2

We bought 4 large bags from Lakeland plastics and keep them in the car so we have them when we go shopping. I also carry a carrier bag in my pocket in case its needed when we go out. Any carriers we do get I use as waste bags for the dustbin, all veg waste goes into the compost bin, either at the house or on the allotment, we have a rainwater butt on the garage which we use to water the garden, we also have one on the shed at the allotment along with an old bath which is halfway down the plot, so we do not use the watertap. I would like to have collected the water from the house, but as its rented its not really an option and the water from the two houses drain into our drain at the front and into next doors at the back.

I do try and not buy heavily packaged foods, although at times it can be difficult. I use any plastic trays for raising seeds........there is so much mroe I am sure we could do..... but we do our best with limited resourses, if we were 20 years younger we would probably be going down the same road as !!!!!! and his family, although not in such a large house.