Hey, it has been a long day...
Working from Home May Produce More CO2 than Going to Office
pfft. I like that.
These days there are too many studies that seem intended to achieve little more than stirring the pot and getting the issuer some PR. Job done, I'd say.
It's all been pretty much said already, but as I'm in my home office in the UK let's offer 2 cents. Yes, in winter the heating is still on during the day, but there are these odd little fellas over here we call radiator thermostats, that allow you to tune the room. And, frankly, with a wife and two kids the rooms being heated the rest of the time don't go too low either as they would howl spousal/parental abuse if they are not erring on the toasty on arrival. And there is the notion (upon which I stand ready to be educated), that it may be better to maintain a well-insulated trickle constant rather than allowing to cool and boost heat up too often.
As to a/c... not yet! With global warming... give it a few years. All I know is when I lived in Singapore, with a daily 32 degrees C and 98% humidity, I did just fine with a fan to keep the air moving.
And for the kettle, well, we have a nifty number here called the ecokettle. Does one cup on demand in 30 environmentally-friendly seconds. And I don't have to make one for a bunch of folk that no one quite knows what they produce or even do anyways. Wit titles like 'Director of...' well, you can think of one.
Plus I get to walk with my kids to and from school and work whilst watching the swans on the River Wye.
It's all a tad moot, as I ain't about to budge, and I doubt many others are either.
Interesting headline though. Bet it did wonders for the ratings, despite that 'may' get out clause. Movin' on...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
In the no... idea
Miliband a bit green
As it is just up the road I guess I should have gone, but thank you for this review as substitute. Sadly it merely confirms everything I am coming to believe about this government's commitment to things environmental, and its competence in doing anything fair, practical and effective addressing them even if it had any notion beyond meeting targets and making various peripheral, questionably useful folk very rich
After all that has been shared, THIS is the best that they could come up with?
ps: Nice one, Mr. Hood; Nice one.
Guardian - Is political leadership renewable? - How does one get to write these efforts?
I'm a bit more concerned with whether it has the brains, remnants of public-service commitment and honesty to assess the local, national and global enviROI (return on investment that goes beyond the financial and addresses tangible environmental gains and not just target-meeting for bonus-burghers and short-term political points-scoring) of such initiatives and, assuming these to be real and worthwhile, have the ability and small vestiges of trust that are left necessary to explain it to the population in terms they can understand, appreciate and respond to positively.
What are the odds? The last few eco-outings (road pricing, chip 'n bin, etc) have not gone too well, really. Unsurprising, as most seem to have been based on trying to impose on the public penalties to compensate for a decade of listening and fudging, when a bit of early-adoption hearing and acting might have spared a few behinds from the exposure they are trying to shunt over to a less than willing electorate.
It's a pity, because so much of these efforts are needed and do make sense in an ever-more crowed world, but knee-jerks to meet targets, and issuing bonuses to departments and quangos who exceed them with more hype than substance is not the best way, IMHO, to get the public to buy into anything.
As it is just up the road I guess I should have gone, but thank you for this review as substitute. Sadly it merely confirms everything I am coming to believe about this government's commitment to things environmental, and its competence in doing anything fair, practical and effective addressing them even if it had any notion beyond meeting targets and making various peripheral, questionably useful folk very rich
After all that has been shared, THIS is the best that they could come up with?
ps: Nice one, Mr. Hood; Nice one.
Guardian - Is political leadership renewable? - How does one get to write these efforts?
I'm a bit more concerned with whether it has the brains, remnants of public-service commitment and honesty to assess the local, national and global enviROI (return on investment that goes beyond the financial and addresses tangible environmental gains and not just target-meeting for bonus-burghers and short-term political points-scoring) of such initiatives and, assuming these to be real and worthwhile, have the ability and small vestiges of trust that are left necessary to explain it to the population in terms they can understand, appreciate and respond to positively.
What are the odds? The last few eco-outings (road pricing, chip 'n bin, etc) have not gone too well, really. Unsurprising, as most seem to have been based on trying to impose on the public penalties to compensate for a decade of listening and fudging, when a bit of early-adoption hearing and acting might have spared a few behinds from the exposure they are trying to shunt over to a less than willing electorate.
It's a pity, because so much of these efforts are needed and do make sense in an ever-more crowed world, but knee-jerks to meet targets, and issuing bonuses to departments and quangos who exceed them with more hype than substance is not the best way, IMHO, to get the public to buy into anything.
More from the Brown mouth.
I just got an invite to another talkfest, again in London. This time from COMPASS, the of the democratic left. I won't be going. Not for any political reasons, but I did a cost/benefit analysis and, even at a reasonable £22, it's too far for what's on offer.
But I did reply to the invite, from the Chair:
Thank you for the invitation; I am afraid I will not be able to attend.
I wish you luck with many of your stated aims.
'in less than a month Gordon Brown will be Prime Minister. Gordon has said he’ll listen and he needs to. '
If this is the best Mr. Brown can manage you are going to need it. I have lost count of the number of occasions where I have heard in person or seen reported that he, or a member of this government 'will listen'. This has fast become code for 'delay as long as possible until it goes away, doesn't matter any more or happens on someone else's watch, preferably after my fellow ministers and I have long gone following a long and comfortable gold-plate funded retirement.' Good for them; not so hot for the rest of us, the country... or planet.
Me, I'd like to see a little more 'doing' all round, and soon. And not the meeting targets kind, the actually doing something good kind.
Maybe you guys can prod them in that novel direction of what public service is supposed to be about again.
But I did reply to the invite, from the Chair:
Thank you for the invitation; I am afraid I will not be able to attend.
I wish you luck with many of your stated aims.
'in less than a month Gordon Brown will be Prime Minister. Gordon has said he’ll listen and he needs to. '
If this is the best Mr. Brown can manage you are going to need it. I have lost count of the number of occasions where I have heard in person or seen reported that he, or a member of this government 'will listen'. This has fast become code for 'delay as long as possible until it goes away, doesn't matter any more or happens on someone else's watch, preferably after my fellow ministers and I have long gone following a long and comfortable gold-plate funded retirement.' Good for them; not so hot for the rest of us, the country... or planet.
Me, I'd like to see a little more 'doing' all round, and soon. And not the meeting targets kind, the actually doing something good kind.
Maybe you guys can prod them in that novel direction of what public service is supposed to be about again.
Being a Goddess is not easy
I just have to share this from the person the Indy has hired, one presumes at great expense, to discover, share and inspire with us all the travails of going green:
The Green Goddess
Who cannot but empathise with the dilemma being faced, with a free week looming, such that one could not face using it to fly somewhere.
But at least we can all fall back on a Health Spa in deepest Surrey, where the sun shines all week and there is a great new outdoor pool. I'm sure it's not heated, so imagine the further pain being suffered.
I, for one, cannot wait to learn what else she has to share.
The Green Goddess
Who cannot but empathise with the dilemma being faced, with a free week looming, such that one could not face using it to fly somewhere.
But at least we can all fall back on a Health Spa in deepest Surrey, where the sun shines all week and there is a great new outdoor pool. I'm sure it's not heated, so imagine the further pain being suffered.
I, for one, cannot wait to learn what else she has to share.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)