There are many different ways to live a 'green and ethical' life. It's really up to the individual to decide what ethics they want to live by.
This page links you to some information that may be useful if you've decided (as I hope you have) to try and cut down on your impact a bit.
Flying Home For Easter?
Hands up which of us will admit jumping on what seems to be the cheapest and most convenient form of travel, without thinking about the impact? Well, it usually won't make too much of a difference....unless you're planning on flying home to somewhere else in the UK this easter? With the East Midlands airport on our doorstep and domestic flights getting cheaper and cheaper the temptation is easy to see.
But many people don't realise the huge environmental impacts of flying....and these are hugely concentrated in non-essential domestic flights. Check out these comments from ex-MP and chairman of the House of Commons Audit Committee....
Amid growing clamour over the emissions caused by politicians' long-haul holiday flights, Mr Yeo said radical action was needed closer to home first.
He said he now always travelled to Scotland by train "as a matter of conscience" and insisted there was "no reason at all why people should fly around the UK".
"Those flights should be knocked out," the former environment minister told GMTV in an interview to be broadcast by The Sunday Programme this weekend.
"What we should do is tax domestic flights so heavily and use the money to improve the railways so that in five years' time everyone is choosing to go by train within the UK.
"That would make a big step in right direction. The long-haul flights are harder to tackle, but the domestic flights we can be taking action on right now and we should be.
"I honestly do believe that within 10 years there should be virtually no domestic flights." He attacked the Government for being "pretty timid" over aviation taxation.
"There is an opportunity here to show that Britain is really serious about climate change, about carbon emissions, about reducing the amount of flying, and if we did that I think the world would sit up and pay attention and we'd be setting an example that other countries could follow.
So how about next time, think about hopping on a train? If you book in advance you can make huge savings, expecially if you invest in a yong persons railcard. They cost around £25 and will save you up to a third on almost all fares! Booking in advance with a railcard you can do Loughborough to London on as little as £7.25! And if thats stretching the budget, you can get a 'funfare' ticket with National Express coaches for as little as £2 to London. It isn't as fast as the train, but you'll get a comfortable seat and space for more baggage than you could easily carry on the trains! And other UK cities can be just as cheap to get to... its always worth checking the fares... you can save money, and the environment!
And if you're going further are afeild but still concerned about the environmental impact of taking flights, why not check out this wonderous gem of a website?
Seat61 is full of travel advice about how to get from just about anywhere...to just about anywhere...without having to fly! Its has a truly wonderfully expansive bank of information on trains, buses, ferries and more for just about every country you can think of!
Food For Thought...Ever Wondered About...Chinese Lanterns?
We all love the sights of chinese laterns floating off up into the atmosphere...but heres an interesting point - have you considered the ecological implications of lanterns? Loughborough University's sustainability team point out some interesting and important issues with chinese lanterns....
The University has a Biodiversity Action Plan and a great deal of wildlife on campus which we are under obligation to protect and enhance. At certain times of the year the local farmers are having problems which may be Uni connected.
Whilst everyone loves the sight of masses of Chinese lanterns up in the sky at the various Chinese festivals the lanterns come down to earth eventually and some of them in Burleigh Wood but mostly on farmland surrounding the Uni and as far away as Charley crossroads on the Forest. On pasture land it is not good but on cropped land it is a real problem for farmers, wildlife and livestock. The lanterns each have three or four circles of narrow metal wire, plus internal wire support, the outer material – paper or fabric – disintegrates into mush which may or may not degrade or be eaten by animals but the real danger is damage by the wire.
The worst danger is when farmers come to harvest the crops on arable land. Quite apart from possible damage to their machinery, the machinery will break the wire into fragments which are then included in the crop harvest.....and animals grazing or eating the foodstuff will take in the splinters of metal to their detriment. If the crop is destined for humans the metal bits have to be removed by sieving the whole crop...none of which is good.
Perhaps its time to get creative and look at ways in which we can make our own wire-less or bio-degradable lanterns? Food for thought!