It’s getting to that time of year again, yes it may be the middle of October but we find the subject of Christmas all around us. We walk into shops and are met with sparkly lights, decorations and adverts telling us to order in time for Christmas or book our Christmas meal. Have you ever thought about the impact of Christmas on the environment?

Christmas is a joyous time of year for most, turkey dinner, a nice pile of presents and travel to see family. Each families Christmas is unique to them but the concept of gifts and food are constant. It is estimated that a family may spend up to £700 at Christmas but this has a large variance on travel[1].

Christmas has been built up to be the largest consumer event of the year it all adds up with the average UK Christmas having a footprint of 280kg[2] per person, that is equal to;

• 100 loads of washing washed at 40 degrees and tumble dried
•  A single  plane journey from London to Glasgow
• 200 bottles of wine

Though this impact is dependent on a range of factors including travel and overall money spent.

So what can you do to reduce your Christmas footprint:

- Consider alternative modes of transport to get to family gatherings, if you are spending a few days with relatives consider taking the train or coach for part of the journey, not traveling by car will also encourage you to take less, this is more applicable for traveling long journeys around the UK.

- Try to do all your shopping in one trip to minimise your transport footprint, or if ordering online make use of their gift wrap service and get parcels sent direct to the recipient, as delivery companies are greening up their act to reduce emissions, especially if you order through amazon as they use courier DPD[3] who ensure deliveries are carbon neutral and also send you hour delivery slots to ensure you are at home.

- Each year we each on average receive 2 gifts that we don’t want equating to £2.1 Billion worth of gifts[4]. Create a Christmas gift list for the family to detract from receiving unwanted gifts which will also cut out the journey to take an item back to the shops.

- The tree: real or fake[5], studies have shown that the type of lights used on the tree have a bigger impact than whether the tree is real or fake, ensure you buy low energy LED lights, and if you are buying a fake tree be sure to check where the tree has been made and try to avoid ones made in China. Ensure you properly recycle your Christmas tree, as it can be reduced down into chippings or burned saving up to 80% of the emissions that would be released it was sent to landfill, contact your local authority to find out options available in your area[6].

- Plan food portions, helping you to save money and save resources. Any food leftovers you may have make into pies or stews for the Boxing Day meal. Some great Christmas leftover recipes can be found at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/christmas-leftovers

- Re-use or recycle Christmas paper and packaging, be sure to check what items can be put in your household recycling bin and for any larger items ensure you dispose of them correctly. http://www.recyclenow.com/ is a great website to look up where items can be recycled and there are some great reuse tips at http://www.rethinkwasteni.org/at-home/reuse/reuse-at-christmas

So this year make your Christmas a happy one for both you and the planet.

Over the last 20 years there has been an increase in the number of gardens that is being paved over to create driveways, to house our larger and increasing number of cars. A report published last year by the RAC Foundation[1] highlighted this increase estimating that roughly 30% of front gardens have been converted to hard standing driveways, with the biggest loss in London, which sees a loss of  of 3,000 ha of greenery each year, that’s the size of 2 and a half Hyde parks!! Your driveway or garden may not seem like a big plot of land, but it all adds up.

You may ask what is wrong with paving over your front garden;

1. Increased Flood Risk:

You’re are dramatically increasing the flood risk in your area if you pave your driveway, as water can’t permeate through the ground, so instead runs off reaching the main drainage system faster along with every other homes run off, the likelihood of flooding in your area.

2. Loss of Habitat

By removing greenery, you remove habitat and food sources for insects, birds and other wildlife. This over time reduces the diversity and habitat in the area leading to a loss of species.

3.  Visual Pollution

By removing  the greenery around the front of your home, you are adding to creating the concrete jungle feeling, as well as adding to increased urban temperatures in the summer as the black tarmac absorbs more heat than the pre-existing green shrubs.

So if you are thinking of replacing your driveway this summer bear in mind the following:

Planning Restrictions.

There are strict planning restrictions that must be adhered to by many local councils, planning must be sought if you are laying over 5m² of impermeable driveway[2], though not when replacing your drive with a permeable surface for example gravel.

Drainage channels and soak ways are also encouraged, to slow down the run off times of the water, reducing flood risk.

All planning guidance can be found at

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/pavingfrontgarden/

A Call for a Polluter Pays Tax

There have been discussions on charging households with hard standings to pay a tax. This ‘polluter pays’ tax could be imposed to help reduce the burden on society caused by the paving of a private driveway. The tax would internalise the extra costs of responding and dealing with increased flooding or flood risk, set at different levels for the country, the tax would discourage hard paving and encourage the use of more sustainable types of gravel or permeable surface.[3][4]

So overall the best option, if you are converting your front garden or relaying your drive this summer is to pick a permeable and sustainable material, to improve both the visual look of your front garden and to improve your homes environmental footprint. Energy Saving Warehouse offers a number of other ways to reduce your overall impact on the environment.

If the above isn’t feasible, invest in some potted plants which can attract bees and local wildlife, as well as improving the look of your front driveway.

If you are interested other simple ways to reduce your environmental impact why not take a look at Energy Saving Warehouse’s range of products to help you along your way?

For further reading see:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/18/front-gardens-paved-parking-spaces

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/2011/06/17/new-report-reveals-scale-london%E2%80%99s-garden-loss

Consumers are ever increasing looking at companies environmental and social credentials when deciding which company to use. Whether it is the sustainable credentials of the products, the operations of the company or just wanting to offset any carbon emissions caused by the product or service as a result of a purchase[1]. Buying responsibly and sustainably in the first instance can help reduce the need for carbon offsetting, through purchasing energy efficient products, such as recycled paper. If you are looking at ways to offset any carbon emissions created by your comany, have a look at Energy Saving Warehouse’s tools and services.

The introduction of the Scope 3 Corporate Value chain reporting and with an increasing concern towards the life cycle impacts of products, businesses need to ensure they provide transparency to clients concerning their operations and environmental impact.

Improving your environmental impact as a business doesn’t have to be trivial, just promoting your credentials or actions on-line on your website will be enough to show your commitment to reducing your businesses impact on the planet. If you are more committed and want to show you are at a baseline standard there are numerous ISO standards which can be implemented at cost to your business.

Below are a few easy tips to increasing your businesses environmental transparency:

- Showing Off: Using your website to portray any positive actions or mitigation measures is an cost effective and easy promotional tool, by creating a section on your website which discusses your ‘environmental responsibilities’, listing any internal office measures e.g. recycling, energy efficiency schemes, staff transport schemes. If you do it ‘flaunt’ it, customers aren’t going to always go looking for the information so ensure your headings are located where they will attract attention[2].

- Environmental Policy: If your company doesn’t already have an environmental policy, I advise you write one. An environmental policy is a one paged document which outlines your commitments to reducing your environmental impact. There are numerous ways of laying this document out, with advice provided in the below links.

http://www.british-assessment.co.uk/articles/writing-an-environmental-policy

http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/planning_and_the_environment/the_environment/the_environment/greener_business/green_business_redbridge/write_an_environmental_policy.aspx

http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/green-business/writing-your-first-environmental-policy.html

http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/environment/enviromanagement/greening/DevPolicy.pdf

Use the policy to influence business decisions and set targets for improvement. Promotion of your policy allows for the promotion of your commitment to the future. Promote any environmental management standards or awards you may have, promoting your future commitment to reducing the businesses impact.  Conduct research into your sectors policy examples to ensure you are including all possible reductions.

- ISO 14000 Standards: In implementing set standards, whether it is ISO14001: Environmental Management[3], ISO140400[4] or The GHG Protocol[5] you can ensure your business is operating to a set standard, advertising quality and future proof operations. Implementing standards may be costly but they offer future assurance and protection from shocks which could be costly. Promoting preventative actions rather than dealing with issues once they have occurred reducing your vulnerability and ensures a sustained future for your business.

-Social Responsibility: Community engagement is a great way to keep your staff motivated and your business in touch with local communities. By setting up local voluntary or donation schemes at work, you can ensure your business gives back to the community.

- Running bake sales for charities

- Donating goods to charities

- Allowing staff days off to help community causes

- Sponsoring local causes or clubs

- Engagement schemes

These are just a few of the schemes which could be run to ensure you help the community in which you are based. Improving your corporate social responsibility

Extended Reading

http://www.unilever.co.uk/sustainable-living/ceo-review/embeddingsustainability/index.aspx

However we are sending and receiving more emails daily than we would have done letters. This overall is reducing our demand for paper and mail transport, so over time, we are creating resource use, though the technology needed for us to send emails, in itself requires large and complex resource usage, counteracting the benefits of emails. How about investing in an energy saving gadget to reduce the energy use of your computer when idle? The fact that sending an email is free also means we receive more of them than we ideally want, being bombarded daily by 100’s of junk newsletters and spam sent from marketing companies, all of which we send straight to our spam or deleted folder.

I calculated a week ago that across my 2 email accounts I receive 250 emails a day, 90% of these being junk, including travel newsletters, discount emails and newsletters which I signed up for and no longer read.

Totalling on average:

So by unsubscribing to multiple mailing lists and sorting out my spam box (though ensure you only open emails from trusted sources, as not to download any viruses onto your PC), I was able to reduce my daily email total to 75, with roughly 50 of those being newsletters that I read periodically but are of use to me.

Overall saving 50g CO² a day equating to a saving of 18kg CO² per year which would be the equivalent leaving a Tv on for 4 ½ days straight.

If everyone cleared out their inbox of unwanted junk newsletters, which over a week when pressing un-subscribe rather than delete, takes around 20 seconds extra per email, no more than 10 minutes overall, the whole UK population when calculated with my daily emails could save 316 Ton CO², which equals the running emissions of an average house for 24 years, or a 10 hour 747 plane journey.  (Though this figure is a highly rough estimate as not all the UK population have email accounts or they may receive many more emails per day)

Every Little Helps, so get un-subscribing from unread newsletters today.

Read more on the footprint of spam emails at:

http://www.twosides.info:8080/content/rsPDF_130.pdf

Sources:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_292378.pdf

http://www.geekosystem.com/email-carbon-footprint/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/oct/21/carbon-footprint-email

There are 245,000 miles of road in the UK[1], currently serving one purpose, to get us from A to B. What if we could change roads to give us the transport routes and electricity? This idea is being tested in America by Julia and Scott Bradshaw, with help from a $750,000 grant from the USA Federal Highway Commission.  The panels, which are still in prototype stage, could in the long term generate renewable energy, for powering surrounding areas, as well providing smart road lighting, which warns you of danger and lights the road ahead.

The panels could be installed as pavements or roadways, are designed with heating elements built in, which would provide an effecting snow clearing and de-icing mechanism during the winter, this would be a great advantage for remote location.

The roads would use LEDs to act as road markings and dynamic signs, with the other layers of road acting as solar cells and conductors. Though the panels are still being tested, they could provide an ideal alternative to tarmac roads in the future, giving rural homes and business an off the grid power source.

There are many environmental benefits to this idea, including increased road safety, the use of landfill material to support the foundations of the road and the renewable energy which the panels would create, to ensure we reduce our reliance on oil and gas.

The trials will need to look into the different benefits and costs of the idea, with the issue that the road can’t be angled directly at the sunlight, like ordinary solar panels as well as looking at the installation costs and payback times, to look at whether the panels are feasible.

Videos of the solar road concept can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nvWTaqUvsfA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yi14nhBACEk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ep4L18zOEYI

There are opinions, and I agree that the practicality of the panels would be difficult as roads aren’t flat and they would get dirty, so become less efficient. More research is needed into the durability and life cycle of the panels. The money could be invested into schemes to put solar panels on every roof instead, creating the same effect as the road by generating solar energy, a technology which is already mainstream and advanced.

However, I do feel that this is a concept worth looking out for in the future, as it has a huge potential not just to generate electricity but to increase road safety and further green logistics growth.

Sources

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8929/road-lengths-2010.pdf

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681413/a-road-built-out-of-solar-panels-to-charge-our-cars-and-everything-else

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681562/solar-roads-charging-roads-and-the-future-of-transportation

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/solar-roadways-energy-generating-roads-made-out-of-glass-and-solar-cells.html

The UK population consumes over 3.1 planets worth of resources each year[1]. This overconsumption creates an uncertainty for future resource usage, as well as affecting the rate and impact of climate change. Everyone consumes differently, choosing to spend our money on material goods or holidays, but there is one part of consumption we all share, the eating of food.

Enough food is produced each year to feed Ten Billion people. Recent reports published by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering in Jan 2013[2], suggest that 30- 50% of this food is wasted due to poor infrastructure and food education.

Food Waste Facts and Figures

Last year UK households threw away 7.2 million tonnes of food, 60% of this food which could have been eaten.[3] The majority of this waste (34%[4]) comes from households, with main reasons for wastage including:

• Cooking too much
• Last minute change of evening plans
• Forgetting what food is available at home
• Wasting good food once it is past its best before date, though most food is still edible for a good few days after this date.

This waste averages out at around £120 per person per year of food waste, or just under £500 for a family of 4.

Global Impacts of food waste

Our food wastage is having an impact on our planet. Agriculture is responsible for a fifth of all global emissions, as well as 70% of yearly global fresh water usage. By wasting food, we are using valuable resources which could have been used elsewhere.

 There is an ethical standpoint surrounding the wastage of food, one that may have been drilled into you as a child,  “That food could have fed the needy in Africa”. This statement is true, by reducing our demand for food, making more available on the global market, prices will fall making food cheaper in developing countries, aiding in reducing food wastage and intensive resource use.

 Overall minimising your food waste is more important than disposing of your waste correctly.

“The environmental impact of throwing away an apple is 6 times greater than the packet it comes in”[5] (Love Food Hate Waste 2013).

If you don’t eat all the apples in a pack, buy them individually and eat them all, they may be a little more expensive, but you are reducing your foodprint [6]and showing the supermarkets that you want control over your portion sizes.

What can you do?

By changing your lifestyle slightly, you can easily reduce your food waste, saving you money as well as reducing your individual carbon footprint.

1.       Shopping Lists

 By making a simple list of the items you need for your cupboards and fridge, or to full weekly meal planning, creating a shopping list, ensures you buy the products you need and not be distracted by offers, or those sweet treats. Further minimising your foodprint[7]

 A new app for smartphones has been released from Love Food Hate Waste, which incorporates a shopping list feature, allowing the creation of lists from recipies or manually on the go. Download it from: http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/download-new-love-food-hate-waste-free-app

2.       Freeze Food

 Freezing food allows you to extend foods freshness; you can freeze food up to its use by date. Freezing things in portions allow for quick meals after a busy day at work, allowing yesterdays large curry to be saved and eaten at the end of next week, when the budget is pushed or when you want a night off from cooking.

 Freezing items like bread in portions, allows for a quick breakfast, as the bread can come straight out the freezer and into the toaster. Below is a link listing all the food items you can freeze.

 http://frostbitefood.blogspot.co.uk/p/can-i-freeze-it-to-z-guide.html

3.       Leftovers

 Love your leftovers, meat from a roast can be made into 100s of different dishes. Supermarkets have recipe cards and tips on what to do with your leftover food, and there are many articles online, with inspiration on what to do with your leftovers. Ideally you should aim to get your portion sizes correct to ensure there are no unintentional leftovers, which will not get eaten.

 The above mentioned ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ app, incorporates a handy potion size calculator for all main types of food, from pasta, meat and veg, ensuring you cook the right recommended portion size.

 4.       Read and Spread the message

Understanding where food comes from and where it goes, is a great way of increasing your environmental awareness. Broadening your knowledge by reading the above and pass the message on to family and friends, in time our efforts all add up. There are several nationwide campaigns available giving the facts on food waste and reducing your wastage.

Love  Food Hate Waste – http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Think Eat Save – http://www.thinkeatsave.org/

So next time you do your food shop, think about what is in your trolley and where it has come from. Think about the people who have grown the food, don’t bring shame on their efforts or burn the money in your pocket by purchasing it and not eating it. Reducing waste can be simple with a little forward planning and dedication, it will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

Resource efficiency will save you money and make your business more competitive, particularly with growing supply chain pressure to demonstrate reduced environmental impact.

Benefits of resource efficiency

1. Saves money – typically 1% of turnover (the true cost of waste is typically 4% of turnover)
2. Bottom line benefits – it’s easier to increase profitability by reducing costs than by increasing turnover
3. Short payback periods – many measures will deliver a benefit in a month or less, and continue to keep delivering month on month.
4. Typical savings are £1000/employee
5. Low cost/no cost measures yield big results
6. Business survival – the need to base your business on long-term sustainability

Energy Saving Warehouse can help you become more Resource Efficient and help you demonstrate to your customers and supply chain how you have done so. An easy way to do this is to purchase resource and energy efficient products from our store.

Please see our LeSTO™ Tool for