Be Eco Friendly

What they don’t tell you: It’s true that animal products tend to have much higher carbon footprint than food produced from plants. Hence vegetarianism tends to be a good idea from an environmental point of view.

The devil is in the detail, however, because certain dairy products are more “carbon intensive” than some meats. In particular hard cheese, which takes a lot of milk to produce, can have a bigger footprint per kilo than chicken. So while cutting out meat – especially beef and lamb – definitely makes ecological sense, the benefit will be reduced if you make up the calories by consuming more dairy.

The most effective way to reduce the emissions of your diet is to go vegan – or as close as you can get.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

What they don’t tell you: If you definitely need a new car, it makes perfect sense to buy a small, super-efficient model with low CO2 emissions.

However, making a new car – including mining and processing the metals and manufacturing and assembling the components – takes a huge amount of energy. According to an expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute, the production of a typical modern car causes around 8 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to driving 23,000 miles.

Because of this, unless you currently drive a lot in a highly inefficient car, it will often be greener to stick to your existing vehicle than to sell it and buy a new one.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

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What they don’t tell you: It makes sense for individuals to use less electricity to help reduce the emissions of British power stations.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the total amount of CO2 that can be released by power plants and other industrial facilities across the EU between now and 2012 is fixed by the European Emissions Trading Scheme.

This means that if the UK power sector reduces its emissions, extra carbon permits get freed up for use elsewhere, such as German power stations or French cement plants. In other words, the same amount of CO2 will be released, just from different sources.

If you want to ensure that your electricity savings do make a real environmental difference, join Sandbag, a charity that will remove CO2 permits from the EU scheme to stop your good work being traded away on the carbon markets.

via Top 10 green living myths | Duncan Clark | Environment | guardian.co.uk.

Beijing announces it will cut rate of carbon output growth by 40 per cent

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing

China has galvanised the run-up to the climate change talks in Copenhagen by announcing an ambitious target to reduce its carbon footprint. It is the first time the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases has committed itself to a reduction, and comes one day after the US announced its own target.

Taken together, these signals of intent by the world’s two biggest producers give a powerful boost to the prospects for the talks. China said it will cut emissions of carbon relative to economic growth by 40 to 45 per cent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels.

Because its economy is still growing fast, this means that in absolute terms China’s emissions will continue to rise fast for at least a decade. But for the first time China has agreed to slow the pace of growth of emissions.

Read more via China sets ambitious target on emissions – Asia, World – The Independent.

The construction job on the UK’s first large-scale zero carbon housing development has started in Bristol.

Barratt Developments is carrying out the work, after gaining planning permission and completing the formal contractual commitments with South Gloucestershire Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Almost 200 new homes at the Hanham Hill site will be built as part of the construction job.

All the properties have been designed to produce the minimum amount of carbon emissions, while residents will also be encouraged to grow their own fruit and vegetables in specially-designed allotments.

Barratt Developments chief executive Mark Clare said that the construction job was a sign of the future for the housing industry.

“There is no doubt that there will need to be significant changes in the way that homes are constructed to meet higher environmental standards,” he stated.

Last week, the HCA revealed that it had helped fund the building of more than 53,000 new properties in the UK during its first year in operation.

Read more via Eco-friendly housing construction job underway in Bristol – The Career Engineer.

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By being slightly more conscientious drivers we can all make a huge difference. Follow these tips from www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk and you’ll soon help protect the planet and feel the immediate payback in your pocket.

• Keep a steady speed when driving; by reducing the use of your pedals you reduce the use of fuel.

• Anticipate conditions, and accelerate and decelerate efficiently. This is safer and uses less fuel. It is also proven that you won’t get to your destination faster by speeding. According to Earteasy.com the most fuel-efficient speed for your car is roughly 55 mph, or 90 km/h. Increasing your speed from 55 mph to 75 mph boosts your fuel consumption a stunning 20 percent!

• If you are in traffic or caught behind railway gates, then turn off your engine. Idling uses up a great deal of fuel especially when some train gates stay down for as long as ten minutes.

• Keep your tyres pumped up to the correct level. This will save you up to 4% fuel.

• Maintain your car and change the air filter as recommended by the manufacturers’ guidelines.

Read more tips via ALL ABOUT CARS: Drive slower, save the planet!.

Made in the USA

Surprisingly, a large portion of the eco-friendly promotional products I encounter in my business are made overseas, which, ironically, is less environmentally friendly. So buying local, or at least domestically, is one way to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Also, concerns over product safety from foreign products have led to a renewed interest in “made in the USA”

via What’s on the horizon for eco-friendly products?.