Climate catastrophe

cuddlymarm

Well according to the scientists and clever people we really need to start looking after our planet sooner rather than later. We need changes to stop the world heating up and causing water levels to rise.
So what do you guys think we need to do to ?

cuddlymarm

I plan to start small.

Eating less meat and buying locally if possible to cut food miles
Walking more
Hopefully by the time we need another car the price of electric cars will have lowered a bit
Cutting power usage ( rack drying clothes instead of the tumble drier)
Make do and mending as much as possible

This is a start anyway
Cuddles

pile-o-stone

Our family is vegan, so we have already hugely reduced our carbon footprint in comparison with omni households.

https://www.bustle.com/articles/149271-the-single-biggest-thing-you-can-do-for-the-environment

Merlin139

I have done all I intend to do.

Started recycling rubbish nearly 30 years ago while we lived in Germany and continued when we returned to this country.

Cut down on energy usage, installed solar panels, purchased 2 hybrid cars for wife and I to use, and only taken 1 holiday abroad for the last 4 years.

Will only use the car if the journey is more than 4 miles round trip.

Other than that cannot see any point in changing anything else as it would make no difference.

zeupater

cuddlymarm wrote: »

I plan to start small.

Eating less meat and buying locally if possible to cut food miles
Walking more
Hopefully by the time we need another car the price of electric cars will have lowered a bit
Cutting power usage ( rack drying clothes instead of the tumble drier)
Make do and mending as much as possible

This is a start anyway
Cuddles

Hi

Although you're looking to 'start small', now is probably the best time of year to have a think about draught-proofing & insulation ... depending on the current level of insulation, your heating requirements & what offers are available at the DIY sheds, you could be able to recoup the initial cost of loft insulation or door seals before the end of this winter ...

Don't forget the really easy addition to your list either .. if you've not done it yet, turning the thermostat down by just 1C from what you normally find comfortable may not even be noticeable ...

Just some thoughts, but ones which could have a bigger impact on both your pocket & the environment than reducing food miles or walking when journeys are short ...

HTH
Z

PasturesNew

I'm not going to do anything ....

It appears from answers above that I'm already doing my bit as most of those things that others are doing have never been part of my lifestyle...

I'm doing my bit already by doing nothing, going nowhere, buying nothing ...

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
Our flat is quite eco. It is a tiny one bedroom flat, the double glazing is good and it is naturally warm. We haven’t needed any heat yet this year and as I speak the window is open. All it needs to heat it is one oil filled radiator which we can move as needed. So costs very little to heat.
I have made a rule that the tumble drier is only for emergencies. I only do 40 degree washes only and I rack dry clothes ( we have no outside space)
We are eating less meat these days because of price and health anyway but am aiming for as little as possible.
OH is retired and I work part time so we don’t use the car much anyway.

If you guys don’t mind I’ll pop back regularly with my changes ( and what I already do)
Any thoughts you guys have will be great
Cuddles

Apodemus

pile-o-stone wrote: »

Our family is vegan, so we have already hugely reduced our carbon footprint in comparison with omni households.

https://www.bustle.com/articles/149271-the-single-biggest-thing-you-can-do-for-the-environment

Bear in mind that the headlines are global and the linked website appears to be American. Unless you are buying beef from Brazil, your meat eating has no effect on the rainforest. If your not buying American beef, it is unlikely to have been raised in a feed-lot on shipped-in grain. Eating grass-fed beef and lamb in UK has a much much smaller impact on the environment. And don’t get me started on replacing it with broccoli flown in from Africa!

cuddlymarm

I think the general point is that we all need to start being more thoughtful with our planet. Eventually the oil, coal and gas is going to run out so we need to start dealing with that problem now. Also food, eating more veg based meals is good for you and the environment so should be encouraged.
As with food shipped miles, if we eat locally and seasonally it cuts down on the effects of the transport, keeps farmers here in work, and quite frankly fruit and salad flown thousands of miles doesn’t taste as good as that grown at the correct time of year (here) and exotic fruits used to be a treat but now are expected. We have become silly and spoilt expecting what we fancy to be on the supermarket shelves. Then throwing loads of it away when we don’t eat it in time.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg
Plastic waste, poor public transport, throw away fashion. I could go on but I won’t for now.
Cuddles

NigeWick

pile-o-stone wrote: »

Our family is vegan, so we have already hugely reduced our carbon footprint in comparison with omni households.

I disagree. Being vegan is not what we're adapted for. Humans are omnivores and find it easier to get proper nutrition from a varied diet that includes meat. Meat is easier for us to digest than plants and is more nutrient dense. Further, chemical based monocrop farming destroys biodiversity and thereby the environment.

As to saving the planet, we need to use permaculture techniques if we want a regenerative food system. Animals are part of that if they are naturally fed, rather than factory farmed as most are now. Looking after feed animals properly will actually help reduce carbon levels, and, be so expensive as to bring down its consumption. In a few years, personal transport will be by autonomous battery electric vehicles which will reduce pollution. Hopefully, HMGov and others will get a grip and invest in renewables + storage. With well built buildings, heat pumps etc, we can do away with burning fossil or nuclear fuels entirely.

Personally, I have solar panels on the roof, a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery and BEV. I have an allotment and grow my own vegetables and soft fruit. I can't claim it's organic because others nearby use chemicals and my plot no doubt gets some drift. We buy meat from a butcher whose offerings are locally sourced and fed naturally, like grass fed beef.

NigeWick

cuddlymarm wrote: »

if we eat locally and seasonally it cuts down on the effects of the transport,

I think we need to get back into preserving our seasonal food. My wife pickles the beetroot and green tomatoes I grow. My onions, potatoes and squash keep through the winter too. I still have to master keeping carrots but I'm getting there.