The Greening of Gavin

Zero Footprint Week – Transport

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Transport: How we get from A to B. 

Before man invented the wheel, the only choices we had were shanks pony (our feet), and riding animals.  Both modes of transport were and still are, extremely low carbon.  Then we invented the wheel which for thousands of years were attached to various types of vehicles that were pulled/pushed by humans or animals allowing for greater loads to be carried.  Once again, very low carbon options.

Then the steam engine was invented in the early 1700’s and it took George Stephenson to put wheels on it in the form of the Rocket,  thus began the industrial revolution and the beginning of the human race’s addiction to burning fossil fuels. 

Then, with the discovery of oil and the refining process, and the subsequent invention of the internal combustion engine, it all quickly went to custard.  Cars were relatively rare early on, and it wasn’t until Henry Ford invented the production line method of manufacturing cars making them affordable to the masses, did the automobile have any real environmental impact.  From that day in 1908, carbon emissions have been increasing exponentially  ever since.

So now we know a little history behind transportation, what can we do to reduce our own personal carbon footprint in this area?  Well here are three tips that will help you achieve this goal.

Walk, Cycle or Use Public Transport
A trip to the shop or the beach can be much more enjoyable if you leave the car at home and walk or cycle.  Not only do you save money on petrol, but you can also save time spent waiting in traffic and looking for a car park.  Also remember that kids have legs, and as they begin to look for more responsibility, let them ride or walk to school instead of you being the local taxi service or if they are too little, then walk to school with them.  I used to have a neighbour who’s drove her kids to the same school as Ben, and when I left for school at the same time as her, I actually used to beat her to the classroom, and then win the race back home as well.  We are only talking 1km here people.  So many people forget to factor in the hassle of parking, that they get much  more stressed than I ever would walking, and all because of pure laziness.  You also would not believe how many people actually drop their kids off in their pyjamas that also live very close to the school.  Obviously, none are too worried about their carbon footprint and too eager to get straight back in to bed when they get home!  Which leads me to the next tip.

Drive Smart
Making sure your car is healthy and planning trips ahead of time for maximum efficiency can save on time, money and carbon.  Planning trips will save you a lot of money.  Why do two trips when one will suffice?  When I go out on errands for Kim, she writes me a list of things to do and get, and the places to visit.  I then map the best route out in my head so that I don’t have to backtrack and waste any fuel.  Also, don’t skip on the maintenance.  Make sure your tires are inflated as per the manufacturers recommendations.  Flat tyres increase rolling resistance, and you burn more fuel.  Regular services ensure that the engine is at peak performance and not struggling by moving thicker dirty oil around its block.  This also burns more fuel.  I also find that by accelerating gently from a standstill, I save a lot of fuel.  In my hybrid, it can make the difference of 2 litres per 100km if I have a lead foot for a few hours.  Just think what that is like in a normal car! 

Choosing your next car on the basis of fuel efficiency also helps. Visit www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au to find out more about choosing a more eco-friendly car.  I have notice of late that there are so many V6 and V8 cars for sale on the side of the road around our town.  Even now that fuel prices have gone down a bit from before the global recession started, people are still ditching these gas guzzlers in droves.  I know it is not because everyone in my town has suddenly become environmental superheroes, it is just that the price of fuel is cutting into the household budget more than it used to.  Even by buying a second hand 4 cylinder car, you will reap the environmental benefits and lower your carbon footprint.

Try Car Pooling
Sometimes you need to drive to work, but why not have some company while you do so?  Driving to work with your fellow employees saves money, fuel and stress on your car.  For more information visit http://www.travelsmart.gov.au/links/.  Hey, what a cool link.  Thanks Zero Footprint Week site!  I have asked so many people in my town who work in the same building as me if they want to car pool, and I always get some lame excuse.  I am quite happy to do all the driving, because I have to pay for the lease anyway and have to do a ludicrous amount of kilometres per year to get a tax benefit.  But, alas no one want to share my green trip in with me 🙁

I will definitely be checking out the travel smart site to see if there are any tips on getting fellow travellers in my area.  Share the love I say! 

Tomorrows post will be about Sustainable Gardening, and how you can reduce your carbon footprint in this area. 

Keep an eye on the official Zero Footprint Week web site for more tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint during the week.

See you all tomorrow for the last post on Zero Footprint Week!

Adam’s Day to Shine

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I am very proud of all my kids. Two are adults and the other two are still at school, and only one has a full time job and is independent. That is Adam, who I have described a few times as the muscles of the family. That is not to say that he is all brawn and no brains, far from it. He is a well rounded individual, with various interests that kind of mimic mine i.e. Sci-Fi, gardening, building stuff, trying to be energy efficient, beer etc.

Anyway, yesterday Adam was coming over to get a free lunch and help with some more construction of the chook house. Have a look at what he arrived on! A new bike.

He bought it yesterday morning from a local bike shop. He tells me that it is a Mongoose Hybrid and has road tyres and a mountain bike frame. Adams reason for buying it were;

  • To save on petrol for his car,
  • To use it to run errands to the shops,
  • To ride to his mates place when he has a few beers,
  • To be greener, and
  • Build up his strength for when we escort Phil on the first leg of his ride.
It cost him about $400, which I thought was excessive, but he likes it, and paid for it, so fair enough. If he cares for it, it should last him a very long time.

Son, some words of advice. Watch out for the other loonies on the road. Treat each parked car as a potential hazard and get that bike route map I talked about. There are some nice bike tracks around town that are a lot safer than the roads. And when you do have a few beers, you will find that you may have a bit of trouble riding it home. Balance is the first thing that goes after a few bevies. I know, I am talking from experience here!

Other than that, enjoy, and thanks for making your Dad a very proud man. You should start a blog. The title “The Greening of Adam” comes to mind!


New Local Friends

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Kim and I finally met up with Wombat064 who is a local guy who has been commenting and following my blog for a few months. Well, Wombat064 is actually nice bloke named Phil, who recently offered to help me out if things got really bad with my back.

Well, things didn’t get bad with my back, but Kim thought I needed a little social interaction so she encouraged me to give Phil a call. I left a message with partner Stacey for him to call me and he called back in about 30 minutes. We arranged a time at my place, as I am not very mobile, for a coffee and a tour of the one and only Melton West eco-house (as far as I know that is, happy to be corrected).

Upon arrival, we all popped inside as it was about 6 degrees at 1300, so we all warmed up with a cuppa. Stacey and Kim had met once before and hit it off like a house on fire. It was a bit difficult for Phil and I to talk over the ruckus, but we started talking about his planned solo trip around Australia by bike. He has ordered a reclining trike that can tow a trailer, and as the trailer is only 17kg so he shouldn’t have too many problems. He did mention that the bike had about 70 gears, but I can remember the details very well. He has an official charity and is going to raise money for Camp Quality. The money he collects in each state will got to the branch in that state, which is only fair.
If you want to learn more about this amazing bloke and his plans, or if you are even thinking about sponsorship, have a look at http://campqualitycountrymiletour.blogspot.com/ for more information about Phil and his sponsors so far. I think that he is very courageous, and to begin to live and breath a lifelong dream is a fantastic quality in a person. I don’t give out plugs to everyone I meet, just the deserved few!
We talked about some of the issues that he may run into, like the Nullabour Plain and the lack of water and some of the distances between stops. He will be carrying about 22 litres of water on him, and mostly dried goods like dehydrated fruit and vegetables that he will pick up along the way. He is hoping to get a cheap dehydrator so that Stacey can send him care packages along the way. Apparently you can send parcels to post offices and pick them up as you get to that town. Sound like they have the logistics all sorted out. Phil will be travelling clockwise around Australia, and he reckons that it will probably take him about 2 years. Oh, I forgot to mention, he will have a small CB radio so the truckies don’t blow him off the road or drive over him ;-). Pretty cool stuff and he has the route all planned out already. If I remember rightly he is hoping to head off in March 09, so I will be keeping an eye on his blog for his progress. That’s not to say that we won’t catch up between now and then, as I can’t wait to see his bike when it finally gets delivered.
After chatting for about an hour, I gave them both the grand tour of Castle Argyll, including the vege patches, vermiculture, composting, solar panels, nearly completed chook house and the food stockpile. Then it was back inside, and Stacey begun to tell us about a place up in country Victoria that she partly owns (I think) that is fully off the grid. It has its own solar power via a 32 volt system, own water supply and a big vege patch. Stacey and an Ex set is up about 10-15 years ago (I not too good with dates, sorry Stacey) and it is all still working fine. Her solar panels charge up a battery bank via a regulator and the residence draws off of this at night. From what I can remember there were not much in the way of electrical items as the fridge and stove both run off of LPG gas, but that is starting to get expensive these days as oil based products are on the rise. I think Kim mentioned to me that Stacey runs an business called the Mystical Wombat (correct me if I am wrong Phil, because I can’t find a web site or anything).
After about another hour and a half of chatting about this and that, another cuppa and some home made choc-chip biscuits, we all agreed to catch up again very soon as we all enjoyed each others company. Both Kim and I had a ball, and both agreed that it was a great afternoon.
Thanks Phil and Stacey for coming along and sharing our day! You made a sore man happy.