Following on from my previous post, I thought I’d address the issue of those people who live too far from their workplace to consider walking, running or riding to work.
In current times, where companies are ever more conscious of saving money, improving working conditions and having a green public image, there is a simple suggestion you could put to your boss that can contribute to all of the above.
Can you work from home?
It doesn’t have to be every day, but every day you’re not taking up space in the workplace, your cost to the company goes down, you do not need to travel (saving time and emissions), and what most people find is that they are more productive.
Clearly there are certain jobs where this just isn’t an option, such as a bus driver, teacher or chef, but there are plenty where this can be very effective, such as an accounts, sales or marketing.
So if you can, why not give it a try. The benefits can be great for you, your lifestyle, your employer, and of course the environment.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Burn Carb to reduce your footprint
The idea behind my blog was originally to highlight simple little things we can all do which on the face of it make only a small difference, but if we all do them the impact can be significant. Of course the real gain is in the educational benefits and heightened awareness.
You’ll see from my picture that I do like to run in my spare time. Not only do I get the physical benefits, but it’s a great way to clear your head, and a time when I think most clearly. Today whilst out at lunchtime I saw a slogan on another runner’s shirt which struck a chord with me. It also highlighted another way we can get closer to living green for free.
The slogan read “Burn fat not oil”. I wondered how many other people just read it and thought “that’s clever” or even didn’t give it any thought. I would hope that in the current environment where the issues of global warming are high on the political agendas of most of the world’s governments. I am not going into the rights and wrongs of fossil fuels right now, it’s a massive topic and not the focus of this blog.
What the slogan did do was identify another way we can reduce our carbon footprint. This time the benefits go beyond saving a bit of money and contributing to preserving the environment. By getting out and exercising you can fell better psychologically and lose weight (or maintain weight and eat more!).
Transport is responsible for about 25% of CO2 emissions, and is an area where we can all do a little to reduce our impact. Simply run (or ride) a bike to work, save your bus or train fare, leave the car at home, and save your lunch break for relaxing and recharging your batteries to be more effective for the rest of the day. Personally by running to work, in a month I save enough money in train fares to pay for a weekly shop for a family of four. If you normally use a car to travel to work this benefit could be even greater given the excessive petrol and parking costs.
In these tough economic times this is something we should all consider.
The argument I usually hear when I suggest this is based on the additional time taken, but for me (living about 7kms from my office) the door to door time is actually quicker on foot! This must be the same for many city dwellers where surface speeds during rush hours are a joke.
So just imagine the positive impact of 1 in 10 of all city workers leaving the car at home.
You’ll see from my picture that I do like to run in my spare time. Not only do I get the physical benefits, but it’s a great way to clear your head, and a time when I think most clearly. Today whilst out at lunchtime I saw a slogan on another runner’s shirt which struck a chord with me. It also highlighted another way we can get closer to living green for free.
The slogan read “Burn fat not oil”. I wondered how many other people just read it and thought “that’s clever” or even didn’t give it any thought. I would hope that in the current environment where the issues of global warming are high on the political agendas of most of the world’s governments. I am not going into the rights and wrongs of fossil fuels right now, it’s a massive topic and not the focus of this blog.
What the slogan did do was identify another way we can reduce our carbon footprint. This time the benefits go beyond saving a bit of money and contributing to preserving the environment. By getting out and exercising you can fell better psychologically and lose weight (or maintain weight and eat more!).
Transport is responsible for about 25% of CO2 emissions, and is an area where we can all do a little to reduce our impact. Simply run (or ride) a bike to work, save your bus or train fare, leave the car at home, and save your lunch break for relaxing and recharging your batteries to be more effective for the rest of the day. Personally by running to work, in a month I save enough money in train fares to pay for a weekly shop for a family of four. If you normally use a car to travel to work this benefit could be even greater given the excessive petrol and parking costs.
In these tough economic times this is something we should all consider.
The argument I usually hear when I suggest this is based on the additional time taken, but for me (living about 7kms from my office) the door to door time is actually quicker on foot! This must be the same for many city dwellers where surface speeds during rush hours are a joke.
So just imagine the positive impact of 1 in 10 of all city workers leaving the car at home.
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Diet to Reduce your Waste, and maybe your waist too!
I’m going to continue today in the small scale vein again. The reason for this is to build a foundation of small ideas, the cumulative effect and intention of which is the change the way we think and more importantly, how we act.
When I’m petitioning world leaders I’ll adopted a grander scale, more global approach, and substantiate it upon the evidence of large scale changes made from the cumulative small actions of everyday individuals like you and me.
I’m sure y now you’ve all been enjoying the benefits of decent coffee in your favourite mug, rather than one of those flimsy paper cups and unpleasant tasting plastic lids, so now we must move to food.
It is no surprise that western society has become a complete puppet of the marketers; having instilled a values system based upon convenience above all other things. Most advertising slogans work on selling you the benefit of their product (as you will learn in any sales manual) and in the majority of these they emphasise the added convenience their product can bring to your life. Yes this is a great sentiment, IF you were to use that time to develop a stronger family bond, interact with your neighbours, contribute to your local community, improve your personal qualities, enjoy the rich experiences life has to offer, the list goes on.
However, the reality is that we use that time to work late, sit in front of the television (watching more of the offending advertisements), play computer games, and go out to by more products that we don’t need, but are told by the manufacturers that we need.
This is a very round about way of describing the reason why the fast food industry exists – we’re lazy, and we believe we don’t have enough time to cook something decent. I challenge anyone to argue with me on this as we all have 24 hours in a day. Basically the choice comes down to how we prioritise our time.
Anyway back to the point (I’ll deal with the fast food industry in another posting, as it’s a simple misnomer and I could rant for days on that one!) every lunchtime I see thousands of people in food courts and sandwich bars, pie shops and cafes, because “they don’t have the time” or “they can’t be bothered” to make their own food. To change this mindset is not easy and not one I am addressing today.
The problem I want to highlight is the disposable attitude to the packaging, napkins, cutlery, and so on.
Many outlets will give each customer the food in a box, with a plastic knife, fork, spoon, maybe chopsticks too, not to mention a sizeable handful of paper tissues. These are then put in a plastic bag. Within the next 30 minutes the items are emptied from the bag, and the bag is thrown away after one insignificant and potentially needless use.
Next the plastic cutlery is removed from its plastic wrapper, and that is thrown away. The cutlery itself gets its five minutes of glory before being banished to the trash!
Finally the tissues, or maybe just one of the stack you have in the bag, is used (or perhaps not depending on how good your table manners are!). These are then tossed in the bin, to be followed finally by the box or bowl the food came in.
I’ll admit I have been guilty of this, and often feel that I have no other choice than to accept whatever the person serving the food offers me. I was struck by the tremendous volume of waste one day at work when the cleaners didn’t empty my bin, and I had two days of lunch time waste overflowing onto the carpet. After just two meals I had to balance the rubbish in the bin with the skill and concentration of a Jenga master!
The next day I resolved to put a change to this. I kept hold of the knife and fork I was given as well as the unused tissues. I asked the lady making my baked potato to leave them out and a bag would not be necessary. Yes I received a funny look the first could of times, but now they have been educated to just give me the bare minimum.
So not only have I reduced the waste my meal is producing, I’ve saved the vendor a few cents, and now I eat with real stainless steel cutlery on a real plate – and it tastes so much better.
Now I can only spread the word to so many people, but I think the way this message will have real impact is when the food sellers stop giving you all the sundry items automatically, the same way that many retail stores now ask if you want a plastic bag (or even better charge you for one). This will make people more conscious of what they need, and hence what they are more likely to use.
This is such a simple way to employ all stages of the “Reduce – Reuse – Recycle”. What it also brings to the fore is the fact that the majority of this unnecessary packaging ends up in landfill, and is not, or cannot be recycled. Not accepting the product in the first place is a small gesture that can have a massive environmental benefit if we all contribute.
More importantly employing this simple idea individuals will start to realise that it can be just as convenient to reduce your impact on the environment, whilst maintaining or even improving your quality of life.
Just to put the icing on the cake, this would reduce of the food packaging frequently seen littering our streets, which I’m sure you would agree is something we’d all want to see.
Let me know how you get on and what reactions you get when turning down the extra tissues and plastic bags.
When I’m petitioning world leaders I’ll adopted a grander scale, more global approach, and substantiate it upon the evidence of large scale changes made from the cumulative small actions of everyday individuals like you and me.
I’m sure y now you’ve all been enjoying the benefits of decent coffee in your favourite mug, rather than one of those flimsy paper cups and unpleasant tasting plastic lids, so now we must move to food.
It is no surprise that western society has become a complete puppet of the marketers; having instilled a values system based upon convenience above all other things. Most advertising slogans work on selling you the benefit of their product (as you will learn in any sales manual) and in the majority of these they emphasise the added convenience their product can bring to your life. Yes this is a great sentiment, IF you were to use that time to develop a stronger family bond, interact with your neighbours, contribute to your local community, improve your personal qualities, enjoy the rich experiences life has to offer, the list goes on.
However, the reality is that we use that time to work late, sit in front of the television (watching more of the offending advertisements), play computer games, and go out to by more products that we don’t need, but are told by the manufacturers that we need.
This is a very round about way of describing the reason why the fast food industry exists – we’re lazy, and we believe we don’t have enough time to cook something decent. I challenge anyone to argue with me on this as we all have 24 hours in a day. Basically the choice comes down to how we prioritise our time.
Anyway back to the point (I’ll deal with the fast food industry in another posting, as it’s a simple misnomer and I could rant for days on that one!) every lunchtime I see thousands of people in food courts and sandwich bars, pie shops and cafes, because “they don’t have the time” or “they can’t be bothered” to make their own food. To change this mindset is not easy and not one I am addressing today.
The problem I want to highlight is the disposable attitude to the packaging, napkins, cutlery, and so on.
Many outlets will give each customer the food in a box, with a plastic knife, fork, spoon, maybe chopsticks too, not to mention a sizeable handful of paper tissues. These are then put in a plastic bag. Within the next 30 minutes the items are emptied from the bag, and the bag is thrown away after one insignificant and potentially needless use.
Next the plastic cutlery is removed from its plastic wrapper, and that is thrown away. The cutlery itself gets its five minutes of glory before being banished to the trash!
Finally the tissues, or maybe just one of the stack you have in the bag, is used (or perhaps not depending on how good your table manners are!). These are then tossed in the bin, to be followed finally by the box or bowl the food came in.
I’ll admit I have been guilty of this, and often feel that I have no other choice than to accept whatever the person serving the food offers me. I was struck by the tremendous volume of waste one day at work when the cleaners didn’t empty my bin, and I had two days of lunch time waste overflowing onto the carpet. After just two meals I had to balance the rubbish in the bin with the skill and concentration of a Jenga master!
The next day I resolved to put a change to this. I kept hold of the knife and fork I was given as well as the unused tissues. I asked the lady making my baked potato to leave them out and a bag would not be necessary. Yes I received a funny look the first could of times, but now they have been educated to just give me the bare minimum.
So not only have I reduced the waste my meal is producing, I’ve saved the vendor a few cents, and now I eat with real stainless steel cutlery on a real plate – and it tastes so much better.
Now I can only spread the word to so many people, but I think the way this message will have real impact is when the food sellers stop giving you all the sundry items automatically, the same way that many retail stores now ask if you want a plastic bag (or even better charge you for one). This will make people more conscious of what they need, and hence what they are more likely to use.
This is such a simple way to employ all stages of the “Reduce – Reuse – Recycle”. What it also brings to the fore is the fact that the majority of this unnecessary packaging ends up in landfill, and is not, or cannot be recycled. Not accepting the product in the first place is a small gesture that can have a massive environmental benefit if we all contribute.
More importantly employing this simple idea individuals will start to realise that it can be just as convenient to reduce your impact on the environment, whilst maintaining or even improving your quality of life.
Just to put the icing on the cake, this would reduce of the food packaging frequently seen littering our streets, which I’m sure you would agree is something we’d all want to see.
Let me know how you get on and what reactions you get when turning down the extra tissues and plastic bags.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Let's Save the Planet - one cup at a time!
Everyday I think of small ideas that will make small improvements to the environment. My colleagues at work have finally accepted that they're not going to stop, and have come round to the fact that it's easier to turn the lights off when they leave the office and take their own mug to the coffee shop, than it is to argue with me about the rights and wrongs of doing so.
It got me thinking to the reasons why the world is heading for numerous dramas. It seems to me that modern society has become convenience driven in tandem with a view that the earth's resources are inexhaustible - Wrong! I'm told "Why bother it's only going to save one paper cup?", and my initial thought is that if everyone in Sydney who had a take away coffee used their own cup, that could save the one time use and disposal of maybe 1 million cups - a really significant amount. What everyone needs to realise it's not just the paper in the cup, its the energy and emissions from it's production and manufacture, the loss of a few trees which are sucking up carbon dioxide for us, not to mention the disposal and landfill costs.
Just think about that next time you order your coffee!
Now how about as an alternative you take a cup with you? It can be a fancy thermos, or just a simple mug from the kitchen, either way you are having a positive impact on the environment for no significant effort on your part. The best part is, if you ask the cafe nicely, they'll probably give you a discount for bringing your own cup. What better way to ease your stress of the Global Financial Crisis!
The next step is even easier, but this is the way you make a massive difference. Get a couple of friends to do the same. Make it a win-win for the cafe owner too by getting extra customers for him, on the provision that he gives a discount for people bringing their own mug. Never mind Swine Flu, spread the paper cup saving virus!
It got me thinking to the reasons why the world is heading for numerous dramas. It seems to me that modern society has become convenience driven in tandem with a view that the earth's resources are inexhaustible - Wrong! I'm told "Why bother it's only going to save one paper cup?", and my initial thought is that if everyone in Sydney who had a take away coffee used their own cup, that could save the one time use and disposal of maybe 1 million cups - a really significant amount. What everyone needs to realise it's not just the paper in the cup, its the energy and emissions from it's production and manufacture, the loss of a few trees which are sucking up carbon dioxide for us, not to mention the disposal and landfill costs.
Just think about that next time you order your coffee!
Now how about as an alternative you take a cup with you? It can be a fancy thermos, or just a simple mug from the kitchen, either way you are having a positive impact on the environment for no significant effort on your part. The best part is, if you ask the cafe nicely, they'll probably give you a discount for bringing your own cup. What better way to ease your stress of the Global Financial Crisis!
The next step is even easier, but this is the way you make a massive difference. Get a couple of friends to do the same. Make it a win-win for the cafe owner too by getting extra customers for him, on the provision that he gives a discount for people bringing their own mug. Never mind Swine Flu, spread the paper cup saving virus!
Small gestures like this every day, which cost nothing, not only give a direct benefit to the environment, it will also educate the masses that doing your bit is easy, and it can be easy on your pocket too.
I really look forward to your ideas and tips that help all of us lead an environmentally friendly life at no cost, or even better save you money.
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