Will you take the pledge?

Josieann have you told him he's a lifestyle choice and to stop wrecking your lifestyle?

He's not just company, he's not just an excuse for you to get out and exercise in the fresh air, he's not just someone to talk to who listens when no-one else will, he's a luxury item!

I've been thinking about an alternative set of pledges which might make a big difference without making life harder or less joyful for the majority of ordinary people.

1. Stop providing all the fruit in hotel rooms. I wonder how much of it is eaten and how much is wasted.

2. Stop making 'fast fashion' and stop the seasonal fashion/colour changes. Make good quality basics that will last and last. They might be a bit more expensive, but it will work out cheaper as things will last.

3. Electrical industry get together to make a pact to reduce in built obsolescence. In the 1930s America a cartel of electric light bulb manufacturers agreed to reduce the life span of all lightbulbs by 50% to increase sales. That pact is still in place!

4. Reduce travel for business meetings. Provide financial incentives for meetings to be held by Zoom etc.

5. Stop or reduce sport which depends on use of oil e.g. Formula One. Why should elderly ladies have to carry shopping 4 miles whilst Lewis Hamilton is haring around Monaco for no good reason?

6. Vote for parties who have environmental concerns at the heart of their manifesto.

I can do most of these things but:
Husband will never convert to eating only plant based foods. I eat much less meat than he does.
I hope the three items of clothing doesn’t include replacing socks and underwear, otherwise no problem.
No public transport at all here so car is essential.

I agree with MissA.
I`m fed up with being told what to or what not to do.

5. Stop or reduce sport which depends on use of oil e.g. Formula One. Why should elderly ladies have to carry shopping 4 miles whilst Lewis Hamilton is haring around Monaco for no good reason?

Oh wouldn't that be wonderful!
And stop them throwing perfectly good champagne all over each other.
Someone grew the grapes, picked them, made the champagne, distributed it then they throw it all over each other for someone else to clean up. ??
(Sorry, it's a minor concern, but it's pet niggle)

I agree Callistemon21. I think we should start a two woman campaign to 'look after' that champagne. It's be safe with us.

Cheers! Hic!!

I always want to go and catch it!
Such a waste. I can't watch them but I hate noisy motor sports anyway.

On the subject of keeping cars until they really are defunct - shouldn't we be replacing our old cars with electric ones?

Mine is 8 years old, barely done 21,000 miles and apparently efficient but I did wonder if electric is the way to go.

It would be no good relying on public transport here.

Yes Calistemon, why isn’t that champagne given to the poor -me?
As for large luxury dogs, I have a huge young labrador, show not working breed. I went show believing (the myth) that they’re less intelligent and active than the working breed. He eats copious amounts of food, takes up a lot of room in the house/car/world and his running costs are high. I suspect this puts me on some folks naughty step. I have another smaller dog ?

Is that 'dog offsetting' Iam64?

Your ideas are good, Coastpath but they aren't the sort of things that we, as individuals, can do, which was the point of the study.

We can pressure governments (or hotels etc) to do things, but for many, if not most, of us that won't happen. It's easy to say 'they should' do this or that, but the study was looking at what we could all do if we wanted to.

The car quandary:

Sadly, there’s no simple answer as comparisons between electric vehicles and conventional vehicles are complex. Their environmental impact will depend on many factors, including the size of the vehicles, the accuracy of the fuel-economy estimates used, how electricity emissions are calculated, what driving patterns are assumed, the source of the power used in the production of EVs and for charging them, and even the weather in regions where the vehicles are used.

www.boundless.co.uk/be-inspired/driving/is-keeping-my-old-car-greener-than-buying-a-new-ev

I'm totally behind the steps in the original post Doodledog and try to lead as environmentally friendly a life as I can. I already live some of the pledges. What we can do as individuals is immense and good on the university and you for putting this out there.

I feel strongly about the contribution of business though as I spend a lot of time actively trying to encourage supermarkets, McDonalds, Coca Cola etc to care more about the environment and it is an uphill battle. I'm often met with brute faced resistance.

We can make all the individual changes we like, but it has to be done in tandem with big business. I and perhaps others find it hard that we have to consider giving up our car for essential trips whilst big business churns out new models of phone/shoe/make up each year and all wrapped in millions of tons of plastic.

I guess the pledge about reducing flights depends on age or previous experiences. For people who have already enjoyed many holidays abroad, hopping over to Europe for beach holidays, city breaks, sightseeing etc then it might not be too difficult to cut back. Or maybe older people who have had time to explore further afield since retiring might also consider holidaying nearer home.

However, there are plenty of people like me who could not afford foreign holidays when they were younger and had children and now want to enjoy the next few years travelling. Like me, they might be in their sixties but still waiting for their pensions and some free time! It’s a bit annoying to suggest that just because someone else has enjoyed travelling, the rest of us can also cut back!

I am fully aware of the environmental issues of flying but for me that pledge would be hard to carry out. I wonder how flying 200 plus people to Greece compared to numerous cars driving long distances in the UK if all those people had staycations?

Coastpath ??

But, No. And of course the 'Pledges' are patronising and preachy. The very word shrieks it.

The responses show an urgent need for the govt to tackle the dearth of public transport. Major subsidies are needed to keep fares reasonable and support regular and reliable bus services. It can't all be left to cash-strapped local councils.
I hope the Leeds organisers take that message on board.

I bought a new car last summer and seriously considered an electric one but as I still drive fairly long journeys to visit my family, I was not convinced about the accessibility of charging points during the journey. However, my new Ford Puma does have eco boost and is supposed to use 20% less fuel. I’ve never bothered to work it out but this weekend I decided to take notice of the display showing how many miles to next petrol refill during a 40 mile round trip.

When I set off, it was 351 miles to next fill up, on getting to my destination, it had gone up to 382 miles and by the time I got home, it was 372 miles. I noticed that the gauge went up most when I was driving around 50 mph without braking or reducing speed so on a long journey on motorways or fast roads the eco boost must be very efficient. Driving short local journeys are not as impressive but it was satisfying to realise that my car was charging sufficiently to offset the petrol usage and to watch the interval to the next refill increasing while I drove along!

We can make all the individual changes we like, but it has to be done in tandem with big business. I and perhaps others find it hard that we have to consider giving up our car for essential trips whilst big business churns out new models of phone/shoe/make up each year and all wrapped in millions of tons of plastic.

I absolutely agree, and (I assume) this was the point of the study. A lot of people think that their own efforts pale into insignificance next to those of big business (and in many ways they are right), but the study is pointing out that there is still a role for the individual to make a difference, if everyone pulls together and makes the changes they suggest.

Coastpath, you’re so right to draw attention to the millions of tons of plastic. Everything I buy from ordinary shops is over packaged. It’s hard to get into the item because you need to cut through thick plastic packaging. Supermarkets are the worst of course, even four apples covered in the stuff

I suspect I’m a dogaholic . Currently only two but in the past I’ve had three. I plan to remain downsized in future, for my own sake, but yes to save the planet

I'm doing well with some of the six "pledges" but the travel one could be difficult. (Our only child and family are 5000 miles away. I have mobility issues so a car is really, really helpful for me.)
Since Covid began, I've cut down on clothing; I realised that didn't have that much, to start with!

I certainly wouldn’t give up owning a dog to save the planet. That’s my red line.

Yes I’ve signed up. It will keep me on track with the good habits I’ve already started.

hell no! "Taking the pledge" reeks of goody goodyism to me.

I haven't been on a plane since the 1990's, my car is 10 years old and my house has been double glazed and insulated since we have owned it (30 plus years) I don't change electrical goods until they break or no longer work but what am I supposed to do if it breaks before 7 years....also no allowance made here for energy and resource savings made by changing stuff, both my new washing machine and dishwasher use much less water and power than the old ones did (and yes the old ones broke before I replaced).
How am I supposed to make my knickers and socks last longer?
Personally such patronising pronouncements make me really want to go out and WASTE for the fun of it....I won't of course but I want to! Oh and PS I am buying expensive out of season veg for my tortoises because they can't go outside and forage for themselves as its too cold....oh and I heat their room too and I don't care who knows it.

OP, this page might help with moving to a green energy supplier.
www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/green-energy/

I do 4 of them. I should buy fewer clothes, but only 3 items a year is a tough call.

That said, I don’t do fast fashion. I buy ethically made garments (organic cotton, non-toxic dies, less water used etc) and sell on, or recycle, if I realise I’ll no longer wear something.

One I won’t do is avoid flying. There are places I want to visit and revisit with my husband before we pop our clogs. It actually p**ses me off that so much emphasis is put on damage caused by flying when it’s actually a tiny fraction of the environmental damage caused by farming animals. The later is never mentioned by the powers that be. The methane from cattle is the worst offender in climate change. We don’t eat meat and try to keep our dairy consumption low.

Thanks, Skye17. I'll have a look

I’m still think about a new kitchen, Callistemon - ours is well over 30 years old!

There is hardly ever any food waste in this house, and we eat a lot less meat than we used to. I don’t buy a lot of clothes but they’re usually good quality and I’ll wear them for years.

I dare say we’ll still be taking the odd flight - have recently been invited to a friend’s place in Majorca for April or May, and we’re already booked for Boston in September, to visit a sister in Cape Cod who I haven’t seen for over 2 years now.
So epic fail there.

OTOH we are not much into gadgets, and don’t buy anything electrical unless the old one breaks. I have virtually no electrical kitchen gadgets except my Kenwood Chef, which was a wedding present in 1974!