Hello, and welcome to The Green Issue.
We are a newsletter that seeks to raise the understanding of the general public about the devastating impact our actions are having on the future of our planet. But, moreover, we wish to give people practical insights in to how to make positive changes in their own lives.
This week we will be looking at how to make our homes more environmentally friendly by making simple changes in our front gardens.
Also discussed will be the vast amount of energy wasted in our places of work, and the environmental benefits of using a dishwasher (yes, really)!
But first we will be looking at Labours plan to stop the production of incandescent light bulbs by 2012, and whether or not this will really have a major impact on global warming.
For more information about any products mentioned in the newsletter, please contact us at info@greenbynature.co.uk,
Kind Regards,
Susan BryantEditor
Ban the Bulb?
Lighting our homes is a major issue when it comes to the amount of energy we use. Whilst there are alternatives to traditional incandescent light bulbs people are often reluctant to use them and while they are still available many people will not take the step of changing to more energy efficient models.
It is for this reason that at the Labour Party conference, Hillary Benn announced that Labour will provide backing for a voluntary initiative, between manufacturers, retailers and energy suppliers, to phase out the production of high energy light bulbs by 2012.
The objective is that 150 Watt bulbs will be phased out by 2008, 100w bulbs by 2009 40w bulbs the year after that, and all high energy bulbs to be banned by the year 2011.
It is hoped that this will significantly reduce carbon emissions produced from our homes, but some argue that this step is no where near enough.
If our government can’t impose an all out ban, using legislation, on a high polluting product for which there is a suitable alternative, then how likely is it that they will be effective in imposing tighter restrictions on other high energy products, such as plasma televisions and 4x4’s? The risk of banning these products is far greater than that of imposing a voluntary phasing out of traditional light bulbs, so the government need to know we are behind them. It is up to us as the public to make our wishes known; we want such products to be off the market and suitable alternatives made available. It is not too late to make a difference.
Pave the Way to Greener Homes?
What is the first thing that people notice as they approach your house? Is it your front door, your double garage or perhaps your beautiful block paving? When thinking about people’s first impressions of our homes it is hard to believe that something as simple, practical and that adds individuality to our homes could be bad for the environment. Yet, replacing a front garden with a drive can have numerous negative environmental impacts.
The paving over of the greenery that was once abundant in our front gardens has two main environmental impacts: firstly, it damages numerous wildlife habitats and secondly it increases the risk of flooding in residential areas.
People pave over their front gardens for both aesthetic and functional reasons. With more and more families owning at least two cars the necessity for off street parking to be available with homes has increased significantly, especially in built-up residential areas. It is important that people are able to park their cars in front of their own home from both a convenience and security perspective. Therefore it seems the only way to decrease people’s desire to pave over their front lawns for this reason is to create a more stringent and regimented scheme for on-road parking; perhaps with the assignment of parking bays and tickets.
In the built-up residential areas where off-street parking is desired it can even add value to the home owners’ property. However, as plain tarmac drives are not aesthetically pleasing if they whole street follows suit and tarmacs over their front lawns this can actually reduce house values on the street due to the negative aesthetical impact of such frontage.
A block paving front garden is also chosen by many homeowners for its intrinsic minimal need for upkeep. This is driven by the lives of busy, working people and is a true sign of the hectic times we live in.
When examining the reasons why people choose to rid their front gardens of lawn and foliage it can appear to be a rather sensible move; extra space for the family cars and minimum upkeep. Excellent! However, one must consider the wider environmental impact of such actions.
When ridding a garden of lawn and replacing grass with impermeable surfacing you are not only restricting the wildlife that can inhabit your garden but you are also eliminating a vital means of natural drainage.
When decreasing the green space surrounding your home you are destroying a natural haven for birds and other animals that are vital to our eco-system. It is understandable that to many this seems like a small issue as surely there are many more green spaces than our gardens? Well, in London alone front gardens amounting to the size of twenty two Hyde Parks have already been paved over, significantly reducing environmental habitats. So, every one of our actions really does add to this enormous figure. I’m sure there would be uproar if the government suggested paving over Hyde Park, so we need to realise that each one of our gardens contributes to something much bigger.
Adding to the destruction of wildlife habitats there is also a major issue of drainage within our residential areas. By replacing a grass, which naturally allows water to drain through, with an impermeable material such as concrete or paving, this adds increased pressure to our already overloaded drainage system.
As the water cannot penetrate through such surfaces it runs in to the drains adding to the natural rainfall already occurring. This can have devastating consequences for homeowners by increasing the risk of flash flooding.
It is important, therefore, that environmentally sustainable alternatives are promoted and encouraged amongst householders. There is clearly a need for people to increase their parking capacity and it is necessary that people realise the environmental damage that some of the options that enable them to do this create.
So, what are the viable alternatives?
Gravel- Gravel is a permeable surface, allowing natural drainage to occur thus reducing the risk of flash flooding
Pavers with increased vertical drainage, allowing rain water to be channelled in to an underground chamber which fill quickly but drain slowly thus reducing run-off, although this is an expensive option costing up to £60 per square metre.
A product called ‘Netpave’ can also be used; this is a thin net placed over grass in order to prevent erosion from pedestrian or light vehicular traffic.
These alternatives allow natural drainage to occur through them thus relieving stress put on our drainage system through other methods of paving. However, as long as people continue to replace traditional front garden greenery with driveways there is little than can be done to combat the effect this has on wildlife habitats. The only way to address this issue is by people becoming aware of the impact replacing their front gardens is having on the wildlife around us. More needs to be done to raise awareness of this issue, and to encourage people to allow their front gardens to become natural havens for the wildlife of suburban Britain.
Saving Energy
It is not only within our own homes that most of us are guilty of wasting energy; our places of work also create another forum in which energy can be wasted. This is particularly the case where no one person takes responsibility for the energy used within the working environment, meaning that everyone sees it as somebody else’s job. In reality, however, we should all take responsibility for the energy used in our offices and begin to make a stand when energy is being blatantly wasted.
It is common practice for lights to be left on in the office over night and as most offices use high energy powered bulbs this can waste enough energy to heat water for a thousand cups of tea. This means that through just one night, by turning the office lights off, enough energy could be saved to heat water for the average Briton’s yearly tea consumption.
This is just one area within our workplaces where a vast amount of energy can be saved. All that is necessary to make this happen is for people to take responsibility for the energy lost in their places of work. Just because we are not paying the energy bill does not mean there won’t be a price to pay for the energy wasted in our working environments.
Chained to the Kitchen Sink?
In my own home I used to wash up three times a day, at least. This was not only time consuming but also meant that we used a great deal of electricity heating the water used to wash the dishes.
Then we moved house and there was space for a dishwasher. I was overjoyed! Then my conscience awoke and asked “Can I justify the vast amounts of energy used by yet another household appliance”?
So I began researching the energy used by both hand washing and using a dishwasher and I was very (pleasantly) surprised!
It became clear that dishwashers are sometimes more energy efficient than washing dishes by hand, due to the dishwasher using significantly less water than washing by hand. Now, this is only the case if you run the dishwasher on a low heat setting and only use it at its full capacity. It is also not necessary to rinse plates before placing them in the dishwasher; in fact this totally negates the water saving benefits of using a dishwasher.
Electrical appliances sold in the EU carry an ‘energy efficiency’ rating; this is a rating from A+ to G on how energy efficient a product is. When choosing a dishwasher it is imperative to choose one that carries an A grade rating (this means it takes less energy to heat the water it uses than other models).
To help your choice even further the Energy Saving Trust now labels the most energy efficient items in their category with an Energy Saving Recommended logo; if you choose a product carrying this you can be sure your appliance will use the least amount of energy possible. So, saving the planet doesn’t have to be a chore after all!
