Chief Broom
Veteran
As a gardener ive always liked and encouraged clients to plant trees. When i get a garden again i shall plant as many as i can. Even a small garden probably has room for an ornamental or espalier.
Aside from cycling helping your footprint.....
- Thread starter Gillstay
- Start date
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
That is a positive suggestion - bleed your rads annually, it's easy - learn how. Then, every 5 or 6 years get the corrosion inhibitor renewed, and you get exactly the same effect for much less outlay.
None of these gadgets, whether in the home, the car, whatever, are any kind of substitute for diligent maintenance.
Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not a positive suggestion.
ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kingston upon the River Hull
Care needs to be taken with the type and location of trees, as some can cause problems for other trees and the general eco-system, others can generate pollutants themselves, and others can increase the concentrations of pollutants from other sources.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Indeed, I think there's a tendency these days to lump all environmental concerns together under the climate change / carbon footprint umbrella which of course isn't the case.
Personally I don't think that any of us are really able to reduce our personal carbon footprint in a meaningful way. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and by doing what we can, we can hopefully create a market for proper environmental solutions that might actually have an impact. We're rightfully concerned about greenwashing and companies paying lip service to environmental issues but we live in a capitalist society and we need to create demand and desire for change. Companies paying lip service isn't enough but it's a step in the right direction and shows that they are at least aware of the issues.
I don't want to turn the thermostat down. I've been turning the thermostat down for forty years and it hasn't made a blind bit of difference. I want to live in a society where I can turn the thermostat up, so we need to create the demand for the technology that allows us to do that.
The best thing I think we can do, in our capitalist democracy? Use our purchasing power and use our vote.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Once it's been deducted from your wages I'm pretty sure the government then have it and no one else.
Indeedy! Mass planting in the wrong place, particularly the wrong latitude, can actually make matters worse by affecting atmospheric albedo and adding water vapour to the atmosphere. Very few things give us a free lunch.
Deffo worth it, but you can't seal your home with noeans of ventilation. That's why all badly designed new homes have trickle vents in the windows. Without them you would run a risk of CO2 poisoning, not to mention humidity problems.
If you seal all the drafts including trickle vents in the windows you must install MVHR.
Moodyman
Legendary Member
I'd be cautious trying to cover every hole/draught. Homes need to breathe to allow internal moisture to dry. If you make your home airtight, you will quickly get internal damp.
ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kingston upon the River Hull
And CO from open flued gas appliances.
Moodyman
Legendary Member
When putting central heating on, it's good practice to open all the windows an hour before to allow internal condensation to dry. It means you can put the heating on a lower temp and for a shorter period.
This is because much of the first half hour of heating goes on drying the house out.
This is because much of the first half hour of heating goes on drying the house out.
OP
OP
Gillstay
Über Member
Now you say it like that it is a positive solution, but you did not say that originally. I now like your positive suggestion.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
WHen I moved in about 7 years ago I replaced all the double glazing with better stuff - over a few years but it is all done now
I also swapped the boiler for something more efficient - as advised by the current government advise at the time
The roof space is so full of insulation that it is pretty much inaccessible so that's fine
basically most of the winter if we put teh heating on it is only on for 30 minutes ro so and it is up to temperature - helped by a posher and more efficient radiator in the lounge.
As we both like bedroom to be cool we hardly ever have any heating on upstairs at all - the one in the hall sends enough upstairs to everything
Only option I am looking at is solar panels - did try a few years ago but I had loads of trouble even getting people to quote - and the quotes I got were full of rubbish gadgets to make it look better than it was.
And the battery they were pushing was absolute rubbish!
WIll try again soon!
I also swapped the boiler for something more efficient - as advised by the current government advise at the time
The roof space is so full of insulation that it is pretty much inaccessible so that's fine
basically most of the winter if we put teh heating on it is only on for 30 minutes ro so and it is up to temperature - helped by a posher and more efficient radiator in the lounge.
As we both like bedroom to be cool we hardly ever have any heating on upstairs at all - the one in the hall sends enough upstairs to everything
Only option I am looking at is solar panels - did try a few years ago but I had loads of trouble even getting people to quote - and the quotes I got were full of rubbish gadgets to make it look better than it was.
And the battery they were pushing was absolute rubbish!
WIll try again soon!
OP
OP
Gillstay
Über Member
How big a garden are you thinking this chap has ?
ClichéGuevara
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kingston upon the River Hull
I probably have as much idea as you do, however my comment was more of a general observation. A well meaning local group damaged older trees with an inappropriate planting scheme, and others even on a much smaller scale have ended up damaging properties.
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
I started to put together an ECO FAQ for some of the groups I'm involved with - http://annedonnelly.co.uk/eco_faq.html
It's a work in progress & focussed on this area but there may be some useful stuff.
It's a work in progress & focussed on this area but there may be some useful stuff.
Oldhippy
Cynical idealist
That is fantastic! Can you please run the country starting next Monday? 😁
