Correspondence from a friend

Dear Bill

Thanks for putting so much effort into giving me feedback
I will edit my responses to you into what you have written below
Would you be OK about me posting your email and my replies to my blog?
B: Yes
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B: Interesting though I'm not 100% sure of what you're trying to do; I think you are trying to create a global discussion about environmental matters that effect the size of the carbon footprint left by each one of us, and generally raising awareness

J: I am not 100% sure either. I began it quite impulsively and I don't know how it will turn out.
Your description, however, is quite accurate.

I recently got two letters published in the local paper, after saying to friends for years that that would be a good thing to do. I have also written two books without publishing them, and have written a private journal for about 24 years.

So I have decided that various forms of writing may be my way of 'making a difference'.

B: Speaking for this household in the High Peaks of Derbyshire England we do our bit, though could possibly do more. For example we have a black wheelie-bin for normal general household waste - into this go things that might stink if left like bone carcasses or old meat not fit to eat ot food past its sell-by date; we also have a green wheelie-bin into which goes cardboard, all garden waste like weeds & tree-prunings and anything bio-degradable; we also have plastic boxes:- for glass jars & bottles & tins; for paper; and we leave these to be emptied before the green bins are emptied, by a different refuse truck. Other things like plastic milk bootles we re-cycle in a separate plastic box and take to a special container located at our local supermarket.

J: We have a slightly different system where I live. We get two wheelie-bins, one for the same things as your black bin. Then we have a yellow-top wheelie bin for recyclables. These are defined as paper products, glass and plastic products, and tin cans. These go to a centre where they are separated into different recycling streams.

The difference is that we have nowhere to put garden waste, so a lot of it goes into the 'black' style bins. The government wants people to compost this waste. We had a campaign of "Zero waste by 2010". But it went pretty quiet when they discovered how hard that is to achieve.

B: We do other things too, like making sure that all lights & appliances are switched off, and not on Stand-by, which uses as much energy as when on - whenever we leave the house or go to bed.

J: I have a radio which loses the station presets if I turn it off, which is annoying and really bad design. Completely unnecessary, I would have thought.

I am not doing as well as you on Stand-by switch-offs. I am not convinced that it uses as much power in that mode as when it is in use. Maybe you can persuade me?

B: Both Sue & myself being over retirement age gives us free bus passes for use if appropriate, though for my work, and hers we still find our small 1400cc cars indispensible, so we're far from perfect.

J: I have a similar sized car but I use it very little. I don't have the figures at hand but I have been tracking my mileage for several years on a fortnightly basis. In one fortnight it was zero, but at present I might be averaging 60 km per 14 days (4.29km per day, or 2.68 miles). I use my bike nearly every day for almost everything. I am trying to get used to using buses.

B: This past winter has been one of the worst in living memory with temperatures down to minus 25degC in some parts of the UK, though not much more than minus 12degC here. We have, and need central heating which we have tried to be careful with the time switch as it heats the radiators and the hot water. However, spring is here at last with some nice sunny days along with some heavy rain, and we can now be more frugal with the time-switch adjustments.

J: Heating is interesting. Here the temperatures in winter rarely go below minus 6degC. I moved into a flat not long ago from a house where I had a gas heater and very poor insulation. The flat has north facing windows - the equivalent to south facing windows in the Northern Hemisphere.

Consequently, I have not heated the flat for three winters and am going soon into the fourth. At first I heated it before and during visits from friends. Now they accept that I don't do that.

It gets pretty chilly but I wrap up in many layers of clothes. I have a thermometer on the wall that records the minimum and maximum temperatures reached inside. They currently stand at 8degC in winter and 31degC in summer, approximately 48degF and 93degF respectively.
(I don't have air-conditioning either)

We get sunshine most of the time, so it is not too unbearable. I rarely spend an entire day at home.

B: Our Government, along with European initiatives are encouraging local communities through their local councils to make these initiatives as with refuse collection for example.

J: Likewise, our local government is actively trying to address environmental concerns.

B: Already there is speculation that next year the Liverpool Halewood car manufacturing plant that used to produce GM Vauxhall Astras, may be saved by being selected to assemble the Nissan all-electric car which is supposed to be able to do almost 100mph, but only has a range of 100 miles on a full charge of electricity.

J: That is fabulous news. In Australia there are at least two hybrid cars being manufactured, but they are only just coming onto the market. Of course, the Toyota Prius is being imported.

There is no problem with speed or acceleration with electric cars, and never has been.
Range is the big issue and awaits further technical improvements, primarily in batteries.

There is a company called 'Better Place' which has built recharging stations in Israel and Denmark. Canberra, Australia is going to be their next location. I think they may include battery-swapping robots.

100 miles is fine for commuting. Because of the distances, hybrids are going to be big in Australia.

B: Looking further ahead perhaps car designers in California will make more progress with the hydrogen car, regarded as the ultimate in clean motoring.

J: Yes. Hydrogen is a whole new ball game. I have not got very far in understanding it.

B: I guess that's all for now. If I'm not hitting the right wave-length don't be afraid to say so, or if I've got the wrong idea about what you're doing.

J: You are absolutely on my wavelength.