Plane Emissions and Pollution

For the last two weeks I have been studying about plane pollution. There is in fact very little good material on this matter on the net. In the near future I will post more on the topic. According to my estimation this is THE hottest topic in terms of human activity contributing to global warming. In general of course, it may be that constructive research in alternatives way of energy is much more important than debating the problems, but among the problems themselves, plane pollution is probably the greatest and rising.

For now, here are two interesting links.

First there is BBC news (from Nov 2007) and BBC discussion (from 2000) on the topic, which is not very informative. The news just tells us about basic dilemmas EU is facing in this matter and the discussion shows what people's thoughts were on the issue 7 years back (it would be interesting to see same people's opinions today).

Very interesting and informative website is "Choose climate" Plane pollution web site.

The author is an environmental scientist, Dr Ben Matthews, who really is knowledgeable about plane pollution and has himself actually made a decision not to fly (he has traveled all around the world and continents in last years but has not been flying from 1993!). Check his website for the best info-resource on the matter on the net.

I intend to post more on the topic soon...

Christmas Decorating - a Comparative Remark

Brits decorate their houses much more modestly than Slovenians, or Austrians or Croatians for that matter. Not only the houses, also the city centers of some cities here are modestly but neatly decorated, not excessively like in my home country.

I must admit I like British custom better. Not only is it frequently done with more taste (after my taste at least) but it all consumes much less electricity of course. I wonder if British reluctance to decorate more is grounded on ecological thinking?

Carbon footprint online calculators

I have tried two of them, the EarthLab and the Google.co.uk one (Check out the direct link on their calculator in one of google's link windows on this blog under the title "Environment & CO2").

Both of them are of course simplified to the maximum. My results are very green indeed - they left me in disbelief (quite literally I am afraid). Google's one shows my footprint is 1,91 tons of CO2 per year, Earthlab tells me I emit 1,95 tons. My unscientific estimation is that one has to count on at least 0,5t + or - variation possibility if not more because the info you put in is so scarce and vague.

Yet, it is some estimation and an interesting online click-toy. In this way it serves as something of a reminder for many. They do not help me in this way though and even put me in danger to compare myself with "those other big CO2 sinners" out there whom you can find on the google.co.uk map. Anyway, I am quite aware that living on a student-budget and riding a bike around Cambridge these days makes me a low CO2 footprint "hero" if I want it or not! :)

(Did you know that Cambridge is the most "bicycling city" in the UK? More about that in one of the next posts)

Plane pollution survey comment

Interesting: In these two days the survey is on, out of 13 people who have responded not one has yet answered "yes". None of us has yet taken any action to use alternative ways of transport instead of flying and only two of us are considering this possibility.

This observation is not to condemn at all. I am pointing it out because it tells me something.

It tells me that this blog, "Eco-friendly way of life - The Ordinary Person's Guide to Eco-Friendly Living" makes sense. Many of us struggle how to incorporate our environmental ethical concerns with other interests, obligations and concerns we have in life.

The decision to cut down flying for environmentalist reasons really is one of the most hard ones because for some of us the cost is really high (because of the distances between places where we have social connections, jobs or studies). So further thinking, research and weighing the possibilities of action is in order. You will hear more on this sub-topic on this blog for sure.

AEROPLANE POLLUTION

This is a tough one. Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas. To cite Dr Keith Tovey who is the energy science director at the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project:

"If you fly to Sydney, Australia, a plane will emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per passenger, which is as much as an average household will emit all year."

Can you imagine?! Other comparison says that one flight to Florida from UK causes the same amount of CO2 as one average active car in UK in a whole year.

The challenge is a very serious one for most of us, for various reasons. With aviation business in the rise and more people flying than ever before - predominantly because of the low-fare airlines like Ryanair - interest in air travel is big and rising. Today's way of life for many people involves air travel across the continents and the globe. I am not talking about vacation alone, but also about business, family, educational and other reasons.

For example, I live and study in Cambrige UK, but my true home, my friends and parents and some important activities revolve around Maribor, Slovenia. I live between these two worlds and it is not only me that decides. I can not travel with my 1 year old from Slovenia to England with a train or bus at this stage, and of course becuase of low fares (which are indeed getting really low!) of the air tickects other ways of transport are considerably more expensive. Not to mention the time.

So the stakes are high in this matter, and not only for me and my familly. Friends of the Earth organisation is pushing a high tax on air travel. The passengers and the firms alike would have to pay much more. It is interesting to see what people think about this on "plane pollution on BBC talk". Also, in the States there are initiatives and petitions that seek curbs on plane emissions.

Please click your answer on the survey on the right side of this blog (if it is still on - it will be replaced on 1.1.2008 with another one). Till now no one of the ten people who answered the question has actually took action not to fly because of this considerations. Including me, that is.

Cars running on water + less gas!

Athough it sounds like a scam, it actually seems to be a reality. Did you know that you can use water, special technology + considerably less gas to drive more eco-friendly? And, very importantly: you save money.

Such ideas didn't sound convincing few years ago, and there are also several pretty far-fetched suggestions on the net too (Like driving your car on pure water only!). I have searched the web a bit (you can find many sites on the topic on google). The mechanism suggested on the site linked here is quite transparent and actually explained how it works. It is obvious many people are already using it in their cars and that the owner is a very successful seller of his car conversion.

Please, check out the link (Klick: Water and Gas technology in cars), and be sure to read it through and watch the videos. Then comment. If you are an expert in the field of car technology (I am not exactly an expert) you are especially welcome to share your thoughts on this one.

The Blackle

Did you know about the blackle? It is the google with black background. It is claimed that it's more environment-friendly because it uses less power (which is needed for white-light monitor background compared to black background). If millions of computer users would choose Blackle instead of Google, a major cutting down on emissions would occur.

At least, so the story goes. Yet, there is a dispute about how much blackle is actually saving compared to google. More evidence of blackle's supposed advantage are yet to be seen, some say. Check the above "dispute" blog link for some more info.

But of course, check it out first hand: BLACKLE!

Do you use Blackle? Share your thoughts on it.

Eco-friendly business thinking

Ecological awareness is increasingly present even in economical thinking of many leaders of companies. Although the label "green" or "eco-friendly" is of course used also just as a marketing strategy, the products that use alternative sources of energy, eco-friendly engines, or simply pollute much less or none at all, are increasingly being recognized as great business potential as well.

As more people are organizing their lives in more eco-friendly ways, more and more companies are exploring creative ideas how to be ecologically ahead of other competitive companies. That means that improving your lifestyle, using more and more eco-friendly ways of and products, actually creates more of such ideas and products on the markets, which is great for the planet.

Some creative, even daring ideas, in which you can be included by buying their eco-friendly products, if you want, can be found here and here. This blog is not simply an advertising blog, but I (and I hope others) will check different products and economical ideas that are around and discuss them here.

The basics

I am starting this blog with very simple things and more or less common knowledge about saving the planet. The topics and discussions will become more complex and in depth with time as I (and other people through comments and suggestions to me) will consider more "on the edge" issues and creative new ways how to contribute to saving the planet.

To begin with, let's just very quickly review the basic things you can do immediately to start saving the planet. These are repeatedly mentioned in several presentations, Al Gore's Inconvenient truth movie, and elsewhere. In fact, they seem to be repeated so often in the web that one can easily loose sight of their importance. These are, to repeat myself, the simple basics.


1.) Lower your house temperature if you can. By lowering it for 1 degree C you can decrease emissions of hundreds of Kg per year.

2.) Do not switch lights on without a good cause. Use saving light bulbs instead of ordinary ones. Hundreds of kilos of CO2 spared!


3.) Ironing, boilers etc. use much more power than light bulbs. You want to be really careful not to have these switched on unnecessarily! Hundreds or even thousands of kg CO2 emissions per year can be spared considering this.

4.) Make a habit to regularly sort the waste. Recycle everything you can. Especially the plastic and tins!

5.) When buying a fridge buy one with A+ sign. You will again save hundreds of Kg emissions per year.

6.) When buying a car, buy one with lower emission and fuel consumption. You will save much money and the planet. 15000 km you send up to 4 tons less CO2 into the air!

7.) Drive rather 90 km/hour than 120 km /hour. You lower emissions of CO2 by 20%!

8.) If it is possible, travel by bike, by foot, with public transport or drive together with friends if you have the same or similar destinations.

9.) Plant a tree or more of them. One tree "sucks" a ton of CO2 in its lifetime into itself.

10.) Spread a message to others in a friendly and attractive way.

These are not necessarily the most essential simple steps, but to me they seem to be quite a good set to focus on at first.

One "psychological advice" is here in order. Do not be too hard on yourself if you see you are not doing these things which you know are right to do diligently enough. Rather make it step by step, but make a sure progress in these habits. And discuss it with others.

INCREASE ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Global warming phenomenon has left increasing numbers of us worrying about the planet. Instead of just despairing you might be asking yourself, what can I do to save the planet, to conserve our fragile environment?

Many people are well on their way of changing their habbits to become more eco-frienldy. I am not an activist environmentalist or a professional whose job it is to study global warming or effects or causes thereof. It is not even my hobby or passion to be an "evironmentalist evangelist". Like a big majority, I have other occupation(s) and interest priorities, I consider myself to be an ordinary lay-person in that respect, hence the expression in the subtitle of this blog - "ORDINARY PERSON'S GUIDE" to the eco-friendly lifestyle.

There are many ways though how you and I can contribute to environment conservation. Become a part of the "saving armies" of the planet by considering messages, ideas, changes of lifestyle and habits described and linked on this blog. I have searched the web to find those really interesting and easy to use ideas how to save the planet. Check them out and get involved in your own way.

I assume You want to be ahead of time. Be a saver, not a destroyer!