The guide showed us how a family of four would have lived in a space that was half the size of our bathroom (and ours is a tiny bathroom). The children were amazed and so were we.

On the way back I was thinking: what a shame.

We finally live in a generation which is wealthy enough to live in large spaces, survive bugs, weather, avoid famine and rapes. However, we still manage to live in a world where horrendous conditions, rapes and famine still occur and kill.

On the top of that, we are also endlessly pursuing a route of environmental collisions against natural limits which we don’t want to acknowledge.

The boat was beautifully painted outside and inside, and so was the teapot, which was highly decorated and apparently a common sign of beauty amongst the boat holders.

If only our species could preserve its beauty but let go its dirt.

If so, then wait! Instead of buying, this time, you could try renting, maybe from somebody that needs a little bit of cash, more than a big company, or you could try swapping for free.

Here is a list of websites I have fished out the net, with ideas to share stuff, services, etc. to improve our micro economy, saving money and do something for the environment. Check my page, London oriented, on collaborative consumption.

Here are our bills:

April 2011: £184
March 2012: £95

July 2011: £219
June 2012: £114

October 2011: £131
October 2012: £82

It looks impressive doesn’t it?
But I would feel better if I had a clue of what’s going on.

These are the changes occurred in the last 2 years in our household:

1) Turned off desktop computer which used to be in standby all the time.
2) Changed the nanny who was living with us. I have the feeling the previous one was using lots of hair stylish appliances, but I can’t say
3) Chucked our electric kettle. This way, we have had quite fewer tea cups at home because the whistling kettle takes much longer time to boil the water.
4) Changed kitchen bulbs (the ones in the ceiling and fitted under the kitchen units) with LED ones, chosen carefully by Dave
5) However, my son is now scared of the darkness, so we now leave a LED light on all night (this was not happening before)
6) Also we have recently installed an external garden light that turns on automatically at any wind blow…
7) Finally we also run even more washing machines, with my son having taken the new habit of changing his tops twice a day…
8) Maybe we also cut down our consumption of telly…

I have stopped using our energy meter at the moment, because I was busy with something else.
However, I begin to think that it would be nice to have some form of tracking to know what’s going on in our house. Appliance per appliance. But automatically without me making too much effort…

Knowing more would be encouraging I suppose, and also, I would know where is that I need to stick with new good habits and what is that I can let go…

This article is a report of the findings of an academic study* I just completed, seeking to find out whether smart mobile devices (SMDs) – such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, capable of performing several functionalities – have replaced a number of pre- existing dedicated digital devices, like cameras, GPS devices and gaming consoles.

The reason for this study lies in the fact that a contraction in the number of devices purchased and used could contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions generated during the production and usage phases of electronic gadgets.

The study was based on face-to-face interviews with twenty IT professionals working in London and explored their consumption habits since 2006 in relation to digital devices. An additional questionnaire was used to establish whether the total number of devices owned and used by the participants had effectively gone down over the five-year window.

The conclusions were that 35% of pre-existing dedicated devices having been replaced by smart mobile devices. This would suggest their great potential to reduce the total number of devices in people’s hands.

Palms, landline handsets, MP3 players, desktop computers and compact cameras were the devices most commonly replaced, for reasons of convenience, portability and ease of use, while gaming consoles, GPS dedicated devices and big cameras were in some cases still preferred because of their superior functionality.

However, despite the SMDs’ capability to replace a number of devices, only 25% of the participants were using in 2012 fewer devices compared to 2006, and, on average, the respondents had bought 14 new devices over the 5-year period of study.

To understand better the reasons behind such a proliferation in devices, the research focused in particular on the participants’ practices of consumption: SMDs have now become a daily habit, as has the use of Internet services (like blogs for social networking or photographs, music and media streaming, Google calendar and Google maps, etc.).

Devices paired with services have now created a new but very strong set of digital habits.

As a consequence, SMDs have become increasingly a personal object, no more shared with other householders. If before a participant could share his laptop with his partner, now he is increasingly feeling the need of buying a second computer for himself, together maybe with a tablet to share with his children and an e-Reader for commuting time.

Even the group of participants who bought or used more devices were attracted by the idea of less devices, but they often ended with a proliferation of devices or accessories: for instance a speaker in each room of the house, or a computer per each purpose (one as a media center, one as a repository, one as main computer, one as a server, and so on). Instead of an improvement in terms of carbon emissions, such a trend could lead to a process of re-materialization (i.e. the act of using more materials/resources to satisfy the same needs).

Also, old gadgets had been often given to friends and family members therefore extending their product life; however this process could increase the number of people becoming used to an high number of personal devices and related accessories, offsetting dematerialization even further (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Process of re-materialization

Conclusions

If the larger population follows the practices of this small group of early adopters, the risk is that multi-function devices might not lead to the expected material savings and related carbon emission reductions. This is because the purchase of digital gadgets can create new habits and new needs that, in turn, can generate further consumption.

When asked about carbon emissions related to devices, the participants showed in most of the cases a lack of awareness of the impact of digital consumption on the environment. Information alone is unlikely to change habits; nevertheless, more work seems still needed in this direction.

Some environmental groups have been working with devices’ manufacturers, to extend the producers’ responsibility beyond the factory gates (Extended Producer Responsibility, EPR). This strategy would encourage product-design changes and recycling initiatives that would increase the re- usability of digital components and the opportunity for material savings. If adopted, EPR would remove some of the infrastructural barriers, enabling consumers to replace components of a product rather than the whole device.

However, more could be done to bring the issue of unsustainable consumption to the attention of the public. In particular, policy makers should take the lead and approach unlimited consumption as an ethical issue, openly questioning how many items a family can use and quickly discard, in a similar way to that in which a child’s recommended maximum intake of junk food or TV is debated.

One way to approach the problem could be acting at the point of consumption. The enforcement of a label/icon applied to every electronic device (see Figure 2), illustrating the link between its manufacturing and carbon emissions, is one possibility.

Figure 2: Example of CO2 label to inform consumers on CO2 emissions related to consumption

This would be similar to what already occurs in the tobacco industry and in the chemical sector, where the need for labelling those elements that have “properties which are hazardous to human health and/or the environment” has already been accepted (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Example of icons already used in the chemical sector.

*Author: Nicoletta Landi. Contact: nicolettalandi@fastmail.fm

Supervised by: Chris Preist, University of Bristol, UK.

Sept, 2012.

Fishes I will look for at the farmer’s market today:

Red gurnard, Pollack, Red mullet.

Black bream I saw is not in season now.

(If you are confused, more links in my Links Section – it is not easy to understand what fish to buy).

I am sure I still have lots to learn on the topic, which is my favourite one.

7.30pm at at St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Road, Ealing W5 5RH.

There will  be also the chance to talk to Edible Ealing, the local group of volunteers running a scheme to provide organic food, sourced possibly in the UK, at times even coming from West London producers.

I am a big supporter of the idea that we need to borrow and lend each other more, to reduce the amount of stuff we buy. If you still wonder why we need to reduce shopping, have a look at this entertaining clip: The Story of Stuff.

Welcome to Ecomodo.

The problem with insulation is that your house can become damp.

I study in a tiny room which works also as a laundry room. In winter time, being a room facing north, it is freezing cold. We used to have one of those bricks with holes to let ventilation go because otherwise it would have become dump. As a result, I needed to turn on the heating at max if I wanted to stay alive

Finally last week we got and installed this thingy. The idea is that the air will pass through, but the heat will be recovered, with no need to pump up the heating. The room stays fresh but warm. This is the theory at least, we will see if it works.

I never understand whether our efforts are making any difference, but yesterday while I was filing the bills, I noticed how our energy bills have gone down. I am not sure whether this is a seasonal change, but it was good to see.

http://www.southeastwater.co.uk/pls/apex/f?p=101:toptips:0

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/basics/how-to-water-your-plants/361.html

I should be able to water with the washing up from Ecover without any special filters.

But I would love to build a diverter for the bath water of the children to go to a water butt. If you have done it already, can you please contact me?

I had this idea when I came across the project called London Leaders. If you have a project to make London more sustainable you can apply. Below is my idea, can you read it and tell me what you think?

I have been studying quite a lot recently about the degree of public disengagement in the UK on climate change. Although many believe climate change is happening, many don’t believe they can help about it.

So what could change this perception?

Lots of studies have been done about what works best, but these are the ones I like best.

1- On average, we are all interested to know how our peers behave on a specific matter. Social norms, peer pressure are quite important, much more than our knowledge of the facts.

2- Scaring people or making them feeling guilty is not a good way to go at things. I am learning this at my own expenses. Instead, knowing that what you are doing in some respects is environmentally friendly might change the image you have of yourself. It is called positive cueing.

3- At the same time, it is also true that ‘every little helps’ does not apply to building a sustainable world. “If everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little.“

Said that, I feel it is important to have a snapshot of what’s happening in Ealing today.

What is the average behaviour in respect to environmental friendly measures? What kind of initiatives? What are people doing?

Would you like to know how many people have a smart meter? Work in an allotment? Plant at least one vegetable in their back garden? Are vegetarian? Use public transports? Use the farmers market?

I would like to collect some numbers and then think about them. See if there is a trend, a green line to work with. I would like to begin from what we are already doing. And then see what is realistic to achieve next (phase 2).

I still don’t know exactly how phase 2 is going to work. Once I know where the ‘green seed’ today is, how would I make it feeling special so that it can grow and become a sprout?

I don’t even know if I can find the funds for Phase 1. But I like the idea to apply some ideas I read in theory here, at home.

Has anybody a comment to improve this idea?