Who is Responsible for Global Warming?

Most people have heard of global warming or the greenhouse effect.  However, the majority of people I have talked to about it don’t seem to know a lot about it or why it is occurring.  If this is the case slowing it’s effect seems like an almost impossible task.  In a clip I recently watched on YouTube, Global warming 101, it was stated “scientists believe that it is human activity driving the temperature up”.  For decades now scientists have studied global warming and have generally concluded that it is the greenhouse gases emitted by humans that are the cause.  As we continuously burn fossil fuels and destroy our forests we are constantly adding to the concentrations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, which then trap more and more heat. Although these gases have always been present it is only since the human race became industrialised and the concentrations of greenhouse gases rose above an acceptable level that the problems began.  If our generation stands any chance of curbing the effects of global warming it is necessary to somehow inform the public of the ramifications for our planet and future generations.  With the increasing temperature comes melting of the polar ice caps, rising sea levels, species extinction, flooding, and malnutrition, amongst numerous other negative effects for our planet and it’s inhabitants.  People need to realise that global warming is not a myth and that we are the culprits behind it.

Sarah Clavin

Why is the concept of sustainable living such a taboo

Sustainable living seems to be a phrase that when mentioned causes some people to become really defensive and start defending their lifestyle. Or it gets dismissed as something that is for other people, namely ‘Eco-freaks’, but not for them. Why is the concept of sustainable living such a taboo to some people? I have a friend who is genuinely of the opinion that we should not bother to care for our environment to pass it on to future generations in a viable condition because she won’t be around then. When I try to reason with her she just shuts down and won’t listen to any other argument on the topic. The way of life that she has is not in the minority; in fact these opinions are still very much in the majority especially among my generation. How can we explain to people of such a mind-set when they won’t even bother to listen to anything contrary to what they already believe? We’re not asking them to become vegetarian, never fly again or walk everywhere. They could just make small changes to their lifestyle that would make a big change to our planet. Changes that would in fact benefit them as well. Some of these could be using public transport instead of driving everywhere and in doing this saving money on petrol, or using energy efficient light bulbs again saving money. Even using a metal reusable water bottle instead of a plastic bottle helps save not only the environment but also the time and money of buying a new plastic bottle when the old one is worn out and minimises potential risk of contamination. In my opinion it is not asking too much to alter our lifestyles so that others, including future generations, are able to simply live.

Clare Singleton

Carbon Emissions and Food

The food that you eat and how it is produced is the single largest component in your dinner’s carbon footprint. Up to 30% of European GHG emissions come from the food and drink sector. Firstly I am looking into where I do my weekly shopping. I am writing a shopping list at the start of the week and deciding what I can buy locally, what fair trade items I will buy and what I can grow in my own allotment. All these alternative options will help lower my food miles and therefore GHG emissions.  Buying locally not only lowers emissions, it creates local employment and local economy. It is also important to buy fair trade products to help support the produce of farmers in third world countries. They supply us with out of season fruit, vegetables and flowers as well as coffee and tea. In order to lower my food footprint I also looked into food type, cooking, packaging, disposal and storage.

By eating less red meat and dairy products we can save up to 25%. By reducing red meat intake and replacing it with pork you can significantly reduce your GHG emissions. It is also healthier to reduce your intake of these foods. By planning out what you are going to eat, and either controlling how much you cook or keeping leftovers for the next day you can reduce the amount of waste. Put simply less waste means more food to go around and less demand means lower prices. Reducing the amount you buy, reducing meat and dairy and eating more seasonal foods and recycling waste packaging you will half you GHG emissions for food.

Katie Boyle

It's the small things that count the most!

Everyone knows that out planet is suffering, we hear and see it on a daily basis. Most people are very aware what actions are required to sustain our planet so that the next generation can reap its benefits. And they are more then happy to do their bit for the planets well being, whether it is recycling or cutting down on their CO₂ emissions. But are they actually doing enough?

I’ll be the first to admit that I don't do enough for our planet even though I lead my to believe I do sometimes! Like most people, I recycle and I wash my clothes at lower temperatures. However, if I leave the house, I more than likely would have left a light on somewhere, thus increasing my carbon footprint. On other occasions where I could easily walk, I tend to get a bus or a lift.

It’s these simple things that most people tend to ignore which is crucial to the planets sustainability. I’m not trying to accuse everyone of not pulling their weight; I just think that if we noticed these small things and tried to improve on them, the effect would be quite substantial towards a sustainable future.

So the next time you feel like going to the shop, put down the car keys and put on the jacket and walk down there! Your future generation will thank you for it yourself!!

(Also don't forget to turn the lights off before you leave!!)

Shane Mc Garry

Water Wasted Everywhere

                It’s scary to think of how some small and seemingly insignificant actions can have such a potentially huge impact on everything. Today I was finding out information on my personal water footprint and was shocked to find out my results. All the things that one would think would have the most significance; like showering, turning on the washing machine or dish washer, had a large impact alright but it fails to compare to the amount of water I waste through the food I eat. Only 10% (816Litres weekly) of my water footprint came from domestic use, e.g. washing up, showering, etc. Not what I was expecting at all. Amazingly the consumption of food accounted for 80% (6528Litres weekly).The large majority of that was through consuming meat. It is a mind boggling statistic, something that I can’t get my head around.

                It’s a weird feeling, the guilt you feel when you find out that something you thought was insignificant could actually have such a huge impact. The same happened when I carried out my own carbon footprint. You feel more aware of the issue, you feel you must react. I’ve set out a plan, as you may already know, about how I’m going to reduce my carbon footprint. In my next update I’ll show you my new plan to reduce my water footprint. I have loads of ideas. Although it doesn’t seem such an issue now, reducing my domestic water use is still my priority. The water wasted through domestic use can’t be ignored so I must start there.

                I would love to have some feedback on what you think I should do. And if anyone is feeling curious as to how much water they waste just use this website below: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=cal/WaterFootprintCalculator

Energy saving ideas for homes

In relation to the home, energy efficiency can be defined as: Using less energy to provide the same level of energy service by getting the most out of our fuels and renewable energy sources.

A lot of the new energy efficient technologies that have been developed and designed to be incorporated into homes at the beginning of the building process. But there are also many ways in which you can make an older home more energy efficient. If a home has single glazed windows they can be replaced with doubled glazed windows very easily, cavity walls can also be insulated or reinsulated very easily now with the invention of liquid foam insulation that can be pumped into the walls. Using energy efficient light bulbs has become very common and is also very effective. A vast amount of energy in older homes is lost through the attic ceiling either because it’s poorly insulated or because it has a poor air seal, these two things can be fixed very easily. Copper pipes were very popular in heating systems but they are very poor insulators and vast amounts of heat are lost though them. There are new pipes that have plastic on the inside and outside and a thin piece of metal running all the way through it and these pipes retain heat much better. It is now also very easy to install solar heating systems, older houses tend to have energy inefficient boilers because of their age, but these can be replaced along with the installation of a solar heating system. The installation of wood pellet burning stove is also a very possible idea. It is much easier to make a house more sustainable if you are building a new house but as we can see there are many things that can be done to make an existing home more sustainable by just making improvements to the existing systems.

Wesley Shaw

Sustainable Housing

One of the best ways to think about how to live sustainably is by looking at where you live. Whether you are buying a new home or upgrading your current one, making your house sustainable should always be in your mind.

Obviously people cannot just move house whenever they feel like it but there are ways to make an older house more sustainable as well as thinking ahead to what kind of house you will buy next. Living sustainably in a home usually focuses on insulating the home to make it easier (and cheaper!) to heat. There are many ways a house can be built sustainably but all have one goal and that is to have a small environmental impact.

Most sustainable homes are built from wood which is naturally insulating and also comes from well managed forests. The use of triple glazed windows always very little heat to escape once the house has been heated. Solar panels for heating water are an excellent addition to any home being built to be sustainable and these can also be used in homes which would like to become more sustainable. Many older homes are not very sustainable but this problem can be easily rectified. Homes can be insulated in a number of ways whether it be internal or external and the government even provides grants for some forms of insulation as well as for solar heating.

Although sustainable housing may seem like an expense it will save money on bills and require less fuel which could become very important if current consumption trends continue!

Eóin O’Brien