How to be carbon neutral

By Dr Bill Castleden

1. Reduce Household and Business Greenhouse Emissions

Contact Synergy on 13 13 53 or on www.synergyenergy.com.au and change your electricity and your business electricity accounts to 100% "Natural Power" (not "Earth Friendly"). DO THIS TOMORROW. When you have done this Synergy contract that your electricity consumption will come from renewable energy. Your household and business electricity consumption will be carbon emission-free. This is the single most important thing any of us can do at the moment. This will cost the average household $3.00 to $6.00 per week extra.

Save this extra expenditure, and further reduce your carbon emissions by doing the following (most simple first):

• Switch off all appliances on 'standby' at the power socket whenever possible and certainly every night before going to bed. (Saves the average household about $100 and 750kg of greenhouse gas emissions per year).
• Install long-life light bulbs as standard ones fail (Each fluorescent bulb saves $ 45 over its lifetime).
• Recycle everything you can. (Saves about 1000kg of emissions per year)
• Use less hot water; fit water-saving shower heads, use cold or warm water only for washing machines. Only boil full jugs when you really need to! (Likely to save about $100 per year and 750kg of emissions)
• Use air-conditioning and heating more sparingly and judiciously; alter thermostats. (Likely to save about $300 and 1500 kg of greenhouse gases in Perth).
• Plant deciduous trees on the West-facing aspect of the house and business. (Every tree will save about 1000kg of emissions over its life and provide shade in summer and light in winter)
• Always buy energy-efficient (and water-efficient) appliances, even if they cost slightly more at the time of purchase.
• Install a solar hot water system; there is a $500 rebate in WA and it will reduce water heating costs quite dramatically (approximately one fifth of the emissions of a standard electric storage water heater)
• Better-insulate your house and business.
• Retrofit your house and business premises to become passive-solar; include photovoltaic panels and grey-water systems.

2. Reduce Transport Emissions

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey calculates each household spends about $139.25 per week on transport. Transport is responsible for about 34% of every individual's greenhouse emissions. Every litre of fuel saved reduces vehicle running costs by about $1.00 and saves 2.8kg of greenhouse emissions.

• Walk or cycle.
• Where possible use public transport.
• Think about each trip in the car. Is it really necessary just now?
• Can I combine several things into one journey?
• Can I car-share for this trip or for any others I plan to make?
• Can I do away with a car? How many cars does this household/business really need? The RAC (WA) calculates that it costs an average of $5000 a year to run a car when all costs including finance and depreciation are taken into account). If a new car is a 'must', think of fuel economy and maybe a hybrid.

3. Think if it is possible to fly less frequently

4. Off-set the carbon emissions you cannot avoid

The choice of offset needs careful consideration. There are plenty of scams about where the promoter profits and very little carbon gets saved. If supporting a tree-planting scheme, the trees need to remain alive and growing for about 70 years. Carbon Neutral www.carbonneutral.com.au is worth looking at. Its offsets are tax deductible and it is well on the way to achieving Federal government accreditation. Tree-farming for woodchips risks returning carbon to the atmosphere rather quickly.

Many of the above are simple, common-sense actions, easily achieved if any of us want to carry them out.

The following require much more work. They are nonetheless important because individuals are only responsible for about one-third of society's carbon emissions. Government and business have to take responsibility for their emissions too. Only when we have taken the trouble to educate ourselves will we recognise our obligation to make business and Government know that we expect them to change.

5. Take time to educate yourself

• Sign on to www.planetark.org.au or another free daily environmental news service.
• Sign on to www.realclimate.org to learn about the complexities of climate science.
• Read "The Weather Makers" by Tim Flannery, Australian of the Year, and "Scorcher" by Clive Hamilton.
• "Heat" by George Monbiot available from www.amazon.com discusses how it would be possible for the UK to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 90% by 2030 without upsetting its economy. Most of his recommendations are appropriate for Australia too.

6. Broaden your social activities to include environmental care

Join and then support two or more environmental organizations like the Conservation Council of WA, Australian Conservation Council, The Wilderness Society, Greenpeace, etc. Donations are tax-deductible. Their publications are informative. The environment and health are linked inextricably.

7.  Become politically active

Contact and write to politicians from any party about your climate change concerns. Without serious government involvement, which includes legislative emissions reduction, a carbon tax, renewable energy targets and global participation, our individual efforts will be in vain. California is proving it can be done. To better understand global inequity, think about joining Amnesty International, Oxfam and/or other non-political organizations concerned about global fairness and justice. Look at www.getup.org.au. Think about ethical investments for yourself and your superannuation fund.

8. Can you as an individual, your business, your Council or your club either form or become part of a local Climate Action Group?

Many people want to know what they can do to combat climate change; they may not have had access to the information you have received. Know you can make a difference.

Dr Bill Castleden is Chair of "Doctors for the Environment, Australia" (DEA) and an Al Gore climate change presenter. DEA is a medical organization which seeks to educate the public and politicians about the health-damaging effects of global warming. It's Energy Policy and much more information about how to reduce our carbon footprint is available on the website www.dea.org.au. The material in this "Comment" is that of the author and not necessarily the views of DEA.

If you require any explanation of any of the above recommendations or wish to become more involved in the effort to take responsibility for your greenhouse gas emissions please contact Bill Castleden directly on 08 9757 6777 or via wmc@iinet.net.au