Blog Action Day: The Environment and Me!

The other day, someone asked me if I would be taking part in Blog Action Day and writing about the single topic of the environment in order to raise awareness of the subjects' importance. Apparently the organisers don't have a specifc agenda, but they picked the environment "both for the clarity of its importance and the undeniable urgency that issues like global warming and pollution have." So I thought, for a bit of fun, I would write something about what I do daily for the environment.

1) I drive a 4x4 and I often just pop round the corner to the shop in it to save the strain on my legs. Personally I don't think there is anything more that one can do for the environment than drive a car that eats the most amount of fuel possible.

If, as the theory says, our reliance on fossil fuels like petrol is the cause of the problem then it seems clear that the best way to end that reliance is too use it all up as fast as possible. Only then will car manufacturers consider it economically viable for their business to heavily invest in alternative fuels.

People that drive small cars with 1 to 1.3 litre engines in them should, frankly, be ashamed of themselves as they are helping to prolong the oil supply and thus encoruaging the car giants to not develop anything else. As for cyclists, they are even worse because they're actively not using oil at all.

2) I have the air conditioning in my car switched on permanently, even in winter. This prolongs the life of the aircon unit and means that I do not have to have it replaced as soon as those that never use it. Aircon units have manufacturering processes that damage the environment. This is also a double-whammy as it burns even more fuel as I am driving thus bringing about the end of our reliance on fossil fuel sooner (see previous point). People who have aircon and don't use it are killing the planet.

3) I leave my laptop on permanently, and any other computers I have. Everytime you turn a machine on from cold the component parts expand with the rising temperature and then they contract when you switch it off. The more you do this the shorter the lifetime of the parts and the sooner you will have to replace them.

When you replace them lots of very nasty dangerous chemcicals end up in landfill which then filters down to the water table and eventually you will drink them. People that turn their machines off when they have finished using them are bring about the contamination of the water supply quicker than me, and ending our reliance on fossil fuel generated power slower than me.

4) I regularly fill the kettle right up even if I am having only one cup of tea. I also always boil the water again after making a cup of tea to ensure that it boils quicker the next time I want to make one. Not only does this save me essential seconds in my important life but because my energy is not supplied from renewables, it means that I am using fossil fuels faster and again bringing about the end of our reliance on them sooner.

5) Last and by no means least, I am immensely proud of the fact that I avoid energy saving light bulbs at all costs. Unlike all those that use them I am fully aware that they are not recyclable and contain levels of mercury which, when thrown in landfill, puts the environment in danger as well as increasing the risk of us all getting mercury posioning at some point. Instead I always use 100-watt bulbs for maximum visibility at night, and maximum energy consumption - which I pay for - again in order to end our reliance on fossil fuels sooner rather than later.