Photo by Micheile Henderson Life was bad enough, even before the Government chose to put our economy into a tailspin. A cost of living crisis fuelled by war in Ukraine, inflation at its highest for 40 years, public debt at a level not seen since the Second World War, and warnings of recession. Their solution? … Continue reading Growth – salvation or curse?
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The story of our climate crisis
Marley's Ghost Appearing to Scrooge - excerpt from an Arthur Rackham Illustration to A Christmas Carol In 1843, Charles Dickens was planning to write a political pamphlet documenting the poverty of children as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. But knowing that a well-told tale would spread his message 'with twenty thousand times the force', … Continue reading The story of our climate crisis
It’s legal and it’s affordable – so why shouldn’t I?
Photo by Jon Tyson Morality is premised in part on an ability to recognise the impact of our actions. And where transgressors are more distanced from their victims - in large cities, for example, where anonymity is more likely - we have laws to reinforce the link between action and consequence and so steer us towards … Continue reading It’s legal and it’s affordable – so why shouldn’t I?
Home batteries – hope or hype?
If you’ve got PV panels, the case for home battery storage seems obvious: bottle up all that free power generated during the day when you can’t use it, so it’s still available for when the sun goes down and you need it most. Batteries are often marketed as the perfect complement to PV, so much … Continue reading Home batteries – hope or hype?
Banking on your values
Photo by Nick Pampoukidis If money makes the world go round, then it also dictates which way it turns. And banks, by choosing where to invest their money, actively influence that direction. It follows, then, that our choice of bank is a choice about the world we want to live in. 75% of us in … Continue reading Banking on your values
Soapbox or silent example?
Titanic's Lifeboat #6, as seen from rescue ship The Carpathia.For a superb song on the Titanic analogy by John Hartoch, have a listen here. When you believe passionately in the value of the message, it's difficult to know how evangelical to be. When our family's decision to stop flying has come up in conversation, I've … Continue reading Soapbox or silent example?
What can I do to have the greatest impact?
Photo by Markus Spiske Let's not pretend we can save the planet by rejecting plastic straws or switching our detergent, or even off-setting a 'business as usual' approach. The truth is we've left it too late for any response but the most urgent and far-reaching, involving each and every one of us. 'We are now … Continue reading What can I do to have the greatest impact?
Toothpaste tablets – putting my money where my mouth is
Designed by dentists, unnoticed by my wife They say that after just six click-throughs, Facebook knows you better than you know yourself. I wasn’t so sure when it started showing me adverts for toothpaste tablets. But then I made the mistake of reading up a bit. The problems with standard toothpaste The issue, it seems, … Continue reading Toothpaste tablets – putting my money where my mouth is
How to dispose of CDs, DVDs and cassettes
£8.99 to recycle everything here About a year ago, my wife went digital. Any prerecorded DVDs or CDs were sent to charity, but that still left all her cassettes and several dozen homemade mixes on CD that were simply bundled up and - because our local council wouldn't take them for recycling - chucked in … Continue reading How to dispose of CDs, DVDs and cassettes
Solar panels – are they worth it?
Our 5.4kW array soaking up the sunshine I'm frequently asked whether I'd recommend PV panels, especially since the incentive of the Feed in Tariff (FiT) was lost in spring 2019. So after about sixteen months of living with ours, this seems a good time to offer a summary. I'll start by saying that, while I'm … Continue reading Solar panels – are they worth it?
Positively Green 