Save Money & Save Carbon Emissions with 1010 UK
Reduce 10% of UK CO2 Emissions - Go Green, Cut Waste, Reduce Cost
Sep 1, 2009
Launched at the Tate Modern on the 1st September 2009, the idea behind the campaign is deceptively simple – it is to energise people and organisations to reduce the carbon emissions associated with their lifestyle by 10%, getting a jump-start on the process of reducing the carbon footprint of a developed economy.
The rationale is that the first 10% change can be made by some fairly modest changes in lifestyle, and indeed many of the proposed changes will not only save carbon emissions, they may also save money, and indeed in some ways actually improve lifestyle. This is about consuming smarter as well as consuming in a more low-carbon way.
For instance one of the ways is to reduce the number of flights taken by going for longer holidays. Anybody who has tackled one of the London airports in the frazzled holiday season can see how doing that once rather than several times over the summer break can reduce stress levels. Spending more of one's holiday allowance actually abroad rather than sweating out a couple of days in crowded airport departure lounges seems obvious good sense. Nevertheless, it is easy to lose touch with this simple truth since there is a whole industry promoting short city breaks.
10:10 Proposals For A Lower Carbon, Lower Cost Lifestyle in the UK
The campaign aims to inspire people in Britain to save carbon emissions and save money with some suggestions that include:
- Fly fewer times, but take longer holidays
- Heat more intelligently – turn off radiators in rooms that are little used and insulate lofts, walls and draught-proof gaps
- Reduce electricity consumption by turning appliances off, using low-energy light sources and keeping fridges and freezers defrosted and maintained
- Reduce car use, by lift-sharing for the daily commute and cycling for shorter local trips. The cost savings add up over the year too.
- Eat more locally produced food, less processed food and less meat.
- Go for quality – by buying stuff that is better made, by using second-hand goods and repairing things that have broken down. This is also a big money saver, it is good to avoid the buy cheap, buy twice trap.
- Throw less out – avoid over packaged goods and recycle more
- Waste less food – the average British household throws out £600 worth of food a year, so that is a big cost saving that will also reduce carbon emissions.
- Waste less water by going for showers rather than baths and running washing machines and dishwashers full rather than half loaded.
- Finally – feel happier in December 2010, by being fitter through cycling and having saved a lot of money over the year on fuel bills for heating and petrol costs by driving less.
10:10 offers a Realistic, Possible and Timely Target to Save 10% Carbon Emissions and Save Money
The beauty about the program is that in credit-crunched Britain a lot of what the campaign proposes makes very good financial sense and well as ecological sense. Cash-strapped families could do with the savings during straitened financial conditions, and living less wastefully is an excellent goal in its own right. If it succeeds, the campaign will show that ordinary people acting from both idealism and self-interest can make a tangible difference to the carbon emissions of a developed country – and save themselves a lot of money at the same time.
Readers may also be interested in How To Reduce Home Electricity Usage, How to Save Electricity Usage in the Kitchen and How To Drive 25% Further On Your Next Tank of Gas
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