Post on 26-Dec-2015
transcript
REDUCING YOUR REDUCING YOUR ECOLOGICAL IMPACTECOLOGICAL IMPACT
Peter HarperPeter Harper
Centre for Alternative TechnologyCentre for Alternative Technology
THE BASIC ARGUMENT• We can recognise two basic strategies:
• “Technical” measures, usually instituted on a large scale
• “Cultural” measures, usually entailing changes of personal or organisational behaviour, aspirations and lifestyle
• But there are drawbacks on both sides, e.g.
• Technical solutions tend to suffer from ‘rebound’ effects
• Cultural solutions suffer from poor take-up
• R = S x T where R is the overall reduction of impact, S is the specific reduction and T is the level of take-up
• Is there an optimum mixed strategy?
The Broad and the Narrow Way
How can you sell rectitude and restraint in the modern world?
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Plausible trends for per capita carbon emissions
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Possible trends in UK GHG emissions
Figure 2. Carbon emissions per head attributable to various household processes. For the example households in the text the whole-household levels would be four times the per capita levels here. For context, the UK 2050 target is around 4t per head, the IPCC target 2t.
APPARENT ‘NON-NEGOTIABLES’ FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION
• Automatically warm house, around 20°C• Private family vehicle• Meat and dairy products at all meals• Annual holiday abroad (by air)• New consumer goods• Lots of washing, hygiene
THE SEMI-SECRET ‘NON-NEGOTIABLES’ OF THE GLOBAL MIDDLE CLASS?
• Generously-sized house, – with character – with garden – In a pleasant location – In a suitable neighbourhood
• Compliance with family obligations– Including visits to relatives– And advantageous choices for children
• Having children is OK, many as you like• Pets are OK too• Having a ‘good’ job irrespective of environmental
considerations• Work doesn’t count • The right to spend whatever income you have • Travelling
– to South America, or maybe far east….somewhere untrodden….
'The Ideal Home' according to students from Portsmouth University, 1995
Nice climate. Quiet. Nice scenery.Loads of space. Several acres. HorsesBig, detached, 5-6 bedrooms.2+ childrenCentral heating. Nice log fire. Double glazingWood-panelled kitchen. Aga. Fridge-freezer. Dishwasher. Dryer.Domestic staff.Indoor swimming pool. Games room.Garage. 2 cars, one a 4x4.
Regular holidays abroad, mostly tropics.
‘The Ideal Home’ according to a mixed group of adult Turks, Greeks, Arabs, Cypriots, 2001
in a village near a city, preferably on the seasecond home to an inner city 'pad'spaciousdetached, surrounded by plenty of landmore than one carmore than one bathroomswimming poolfridge/freezerwashing machineTV & videocomputerdishwasher extensive lawns
'The Ideal Home' according to students from St Petersburg, 2002
On the bank of a river by the sea, near a forestIn the country with a town nearby --- like Brighton5 bedroomsLiving room 25m2, round big low table, wool carpet, cushions, fireplaceKitchen big freezer, microwave, dishwasher etcMusic roomBathroom 5-10m2, shower, mixer taps, WC2 compost toilets Small library/study, computer etcGames room, pool, table tennis, casino, coffee machineVerandah/conservatoryGarden, golf course, sheep, fountain, flowers, pond, fish, swans, horsesBicycles, eco-friendly car1 long-distance plane-trip per year
'The Ideal Home' according to mature students of Green College, Korea, 2002
Rural, in mountains by lake, south facingNice views, balcony2 floors 100m2 plus basement6 rooms, underfloor heatingSolar panels + gas, oilLibrary, books, TV, computer, music systems, piano2 bathrooms, saunaKitchen/dining room, fridge-freezer, kimchi fridge, dishwasher etcGarden 160m2, dog, chickens, pond, flowers, food forestGarage, SUV, small family saloon2 long-distance plane trips per year300km by car once or twice a month
HOUSEHOLD A 2 ADULTS, 2 CHILDREN
6-bedroom 18th century home
£20,000 recently spent on improvements, damp-proofing, roof-lights, panelling etc
Double income
Large garden, lawn, conifers, herbaceous borders, patio
Gas central heating with thermostatic radiators
Service durables: automatic washing machine, fridge-freezer, vacuum cleaner, microwave, motor mower, shredder etc
Hobby durables: cameras, binoculars, telescope, bicycles, piano and other instruments,
Multimedia computer, internet, e-mail etc
HOUSEHOLD A 2 ADULTS, 2 CHILDREN(continued)
Scandinavian furniture, plenty of wood
Much food from mainstream supermarket, including frozen and pre-packaged
Advanced (and very expensive!) Swedish toilet suite
Very wide range of toys for children, books, CD-ROMs etc
Original paintings, sculptures, antiques
Common medicaments in use include painkillers, antibiotics, migraine pills
Leisure activities: opera, theatre, sailing, amateur dramatics, astronomy
HOUSEHOLD B (2 ADULTS, 2 CHILDREN)
Urban terrace, ‘eco-retrofit’ Roof and walls insulated Eco-friendly materials and finishes 95% of building waste recycled or re-used on site Mixture of small income sources, including LETS Garden used for vegetables and waste treatment Wood-burning stove Temperature kept below 16 degrees C; thermal underwear and heavy sweaters Low-energy lamps, no TV, video, dishwasher Much furniture & clothes 2nd hand; 'hand-me down' culture Low-flush 'urine-separating' WC in house, composting toilet in outhouse Rainwater collected for garden
HOUSEHOLD B (2 ADULTS, 2 CHILDREN)continued…
Vegetarian, largely organic/wholefood diet Shower instead of bath Low-flush 'urine-separating' WC in house, composting toilet in
outhouse Rainwater collected for garden Grey-water and urine collected for garden use High rates of composting and recycling No car, members of vehicle share scheme Most journeys by foot, bike, train or bus Family holidays camping, within 100 miles of home Leisure activities: folk music, circle dancing, roller blades, bird-
watching, rock climbingUse of complementary medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture,
chiropractic etc
WELL?
Which household is the greener, and how are we to measure the differences?
The two households compared
6-bedroom 18th century home Urban terrace, ‘eco-retrofit’
£20,000 recently spent on improvements Roof and walls insulated; eco-friendly materials and finishes; 95% of building waste recycled or re-used on site
Double income
Mixture of small income sources, including LETS
Large garden, lawn, conifers, herbaceous borders, patio
Garden used for vegetables and waste treatment, wildlife
Gas central heating with thermostatic radiators
Wood-burning stove Temperature kept below 16 degrees C; thermal underwear and heavy sweaters Low-energy lamps Shower instead of bath
Service durables: automatic washing machine, fridge-freezer, vacuum cleaner, microwave, motor mower, shredder etc
No TV, video, no dishwasher
…continuedHobby durables: cameras, binoculars, telescope, bicycles, piano and other instruments, Multimedia computer, internet, e-mail etc
Scandinavian furniture, plenty of wood
Much furniture & clothes 2nd hand; 'hand-me down' culture
Advanced (and very expensive!) Swedish toilet suite
Low-flush 'urine-separating' WC in house, composting toilet in outhouse
Rainwater collected for garden Grey-water and urine collected for garden use High rates of composting and recycling
No car, members of car pool scheme
Most journeys by foot, bike, train or bus
Family holidays camping, within 100 miles of home
Much food from mainstream supermarket, including frozen and prepackaged
Vegetarian, largely organic/wholefood diet
Very wide range of toys for children, books, CD ROMs etc
Leisure activities: folk music, circle dancing, roller blades, bird-watching, rock climbing
Original paintings, sculptures, antiques
Common medicaments in use include painkillers, antibiotics, migraine pills
Use of complementary medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic etc
COMMUNITY-LEVEL APPROACHES
PASSIVE SOLAR WITH EARTH SHELTERING
MUNKSØGAARD, Denmark 1995
Rural location
300 inhabitants
Co-housing model
Mostly new-build, around existing farmhouses
5 distinct clusters with different ownership and occupants
CHP/District Heating
TRANSPORT
Inter-modal guides, maps and timetables
New cycle routes
Car club• 20 households, 3 cars• Biodiesel initiative
MACHYNLLETH CAR CLUBA FEW STATISTICS
• 25 households share three cars, used when other modes are not suitable
• There are three sizes to choose from, giving much greater flexibility
• Driving costs 35p a mile, covering all expenses including fuel, administration, tax, insurance, repairs, and buying new vehicles
• Average mileage per head is about 1000 a year, costing £300. Average cost of running a UK car is £5000 a year
• The vehicles are run on 50% biodiesel from waste catering oils.
• Carbon emissions per head are less than 10% of UK average for car travel, and there are 17 cars less on the street
• If the cars were run on 100% rapeseed oil the land required would be 0.1ha per household
• There are lots of possible models, from really basic to advanced IT-based
COULD THIS HAPPEN?
BRO DDYFI COMMUNITY RENEWABLES LTD
• First installation 75kW via CAT• Second machine 500kW direct to grid• Expected output 1GWh per year
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Offset 1% income
Net emissions
Figure 3. Here the basic and ‘enhanced’ annual emissions from the two hypothetical households are shown, with the effect of offsets purchased with 1% of gross household income.
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THE END
OR IS IT?