Will the last eco warrior please turn off the light
Are you a green warrior, dedicated to saving the planet?If so, I doff my hat to you; at least you believe in something. But will your efforts actually make a difference?
I have been pondering this ever since the overhead bulb in our sitting room blew and was replaced with one of those hopeless low-energy doofers which, since EU regulations came into force, are the only the only bulbs you can buy.
Experts claim these bulbs will reduce national carbon emissions by five million tons a year. Great. But they are dimmer than a guest on the Jeremy Kyle TV show.
Try reading the paper in a room illuminated (and I use the term advisedly) by one of these things and you'll develop a squint by the time you reach the letters page, necessitating the counter-productive act of turning on of more lights.
Okay, so we endure a bit of squinting to save the planet, but it doesn't stop there, does it?
Ever since we were compelled to separate our recycling and our refuse we have been stuck with a reduced (fortnightly) rubbish collection, with the joy of maggots in our summer bins.
The message that we should all leave our cars at home has never been clearer, but is it really practical?
Depending on the part of West Sussex you work in the public transport system is at best patchy, and at worst non-existent.
Where I live, finding a bus that runs after 7pm is like trying to find an MP without a dodgy expenses claim.
Recently a climate change expert suggested that a way to save the planet was for all of us to go vegetarian, as cows and pigs fart a lot, creating smelly and destructive clouds of methane.
This gas is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a global warming gas and therefore does more damage to the planet. Giving up steak and bacon butties is a sacrifice we should all make, apparently.
I float these ideas simply because I remain to be convinced that any of these measures make a real difference. For every so-called expert endorsing radical lifestyle changes to save our planet, there's another saying climate change is part of the Earth's natural cycle.
Damaging your eyesight, recycling down to the last yoghurt pot, going to work on roller skates and spending the rest of your life eating turnips may be a way of helping the environment, but since we still have eminent fellows pooh-poohing our eco efforts, it leaves me slightly baffled about the real benefits of green living.
I'm sure there are those who will be quick to call me an ill-informed chump and I welcome their views. Until then, anyone for a sausage roll?
Explosive fun
Talking of bangers, it's the 5th Chichester Scout Group and Kingsham School community fireworks event tonight at Kingsham playing fields.
Gates open at 6pm and entry is just 4 for adults and 3 for children.
Do go along and enjoy the explosive fun.
What do you think? Send a letter to news@chiobserver.co.uk or leave a comment below.
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Weather for Chichester
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: West
