Carbon Trading For You And Me

What is Carbon Trading?

We all have a way of life, and while some of us can afford to put solar panels on our houses, there are still emissions produced from everything we do every day, from the production of the clothes you wear, to the furniture you sit on, and from the food you eat, to the services you consume. Besides, we don’t all want to drive a hybrid car and become vegetarians. 

Carbon trading, or carbon offsetting, is a way to balance or compensate for carbon emissions in one geographical place, with a reduction in emissions in another. Since it doesn’t matter where Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are emitted, as their effect on climate change is global, reducing emissions in Brazil or Italy is as effective as doing so locally. ‘Carbon emissions’ refers to carbon dioxide (CO²), and are a form of GHG, as is methane and nitrous oxide, but for most of us it is easier to think in terms of carbon emissions.

It’s completely voluntary, but in 2011 it will become compulsory for some industries. While we do need to reduce our personal carbon emissions and stop being wasteful, some emissions are currently unavoidable, so carbon offsetting is the way to compensate for those emissions we cannot stop. 

Little things, when done by millions of people, can make a big difference, and carbon offsetting reduces emissions with a minimum of effort and cost. Offsetting means paying someone else to reduce CO² in the atmosphere on your behalf. In that way we pay for the damage we are causing and the money stimulates the development of green technologies that we desperately. 

What is a Carbon Credit?

Carbon reduction projects throughout the world create a tradable ‘carbon credit’ for every tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO²-e) that is stopped from entering our atmosphere. When you buy a credit, it is then ‘retired’ so it can’t be sold again - the credit will be recorded against your name, meaning that you have stopped one tonne of CO²-e that otherwise would have entered the atmosphere.

There are many different kinds of carbon credits. Certified carbon credits are created by government approved abatement projects. These include projects such as harnessing landfill gas, reforestation and sequestration, and electricity consumption reduction.

Beware: because there are plenty of people claiming to produce carbon credits, but they are in fact not accredited, nor are they even measured properly. You might be paying someone for nothing.

And how much does it cost? Generally, a carbon credit is $20, though this will probably rise. The Government will be setting a cap on its carbon credits at $40. So, currently, if an average Australian household emitting 20 tonnes of CO² wants to go ‘carbon neutral’, it would cost $400 per annum. The equivalent would be to plant about 80 trees.

What is a Footprint?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that our activities have on the environment, and in particular, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day activities through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation, etc.

An alternative definition of the carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon dioxide attributable to the actions of an individual or an entity (which includes emissions through their own energy use, but also from unforeseen emissions as well) over a period of one year.

So the aim is to work out your footprint, reduce your footprint, and then offset the remaining emissions. It’s much cheaper than buying solar panels, which still won’t eliminate your emissions, though it helps.

What does Carbon Neutral mean?

Being ‘carbon neutral’ means that you have calculated your carbon footprint, and then eliminated the Greenhouse Gas you produce by purchasing carbon credits to offset your emissions.

But being ‘carbon neutral’ takes a little more responsibility than just offsetting. To become carbon neutral, especially for businesses, you need to reduce your carbon footprint first, and commit to continue reducing your emissions.

Beware of businesses claiming to be carbon neutral. Check their accreditation, where they get their carbon credits from, and whether they truly are ‘green’.

Homemade Cleaning Products

Once upon a time, not that very long ago, every householder was an amateur chemist, making his or her own cleansers, polishes, glues and other domestic items out of commonly available substances. Some concoctions were products of experimentation; more often they were recipes handed down in the family for generations.

   Making your own household recipes is an excellent way to save money and at the same time to learn traditional lore that was once common knowledge. Furthermore, when you prepare a cleansing liquid or a polish for yourself, you have the satisfaction and reassurance of knowing that your product contains only natural substances. Always stick to recommended amounts when preparing recipes and remember that no recipe or remedy should replace the advice and services of a doctor; and since an allergic reaction is always a possibility, be cautious when first using any recipe.

General Household Cleaning

Bicarbonate of soda, soap, washing soda, ammonia, vinegar and borax will clean just about anything in various concentrations and combinations. Try the following recipes for an all-purpose cleaner for baths, basins, bench-tops and other surfaces.

All-purpose liquid cleanser: Combine 2 litres of hot water, 2 tablespoons of cloudy ammonia, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and half cup of bicarbonate of soda. Shake until the bicarbonate of soda is dissolved, then store for future use.

All-purpose powder cleanser: Bicarbonate of soda used alone is a highly effective, non-scratching abrasive cleaner, as well as an essential ingredient in many other household formulas. Store it in a clearly labelled flour or icing sugar shaker, and apply to stubborn stains on baths, basins, sinks, bench-tops and other surfaces, just as you would a commercial powder cleaner.

Timber furniture cleaner: Combine equal parts of linseed oil, turpentine, vinegar (preferably brown) and methylated spirits. Use sparingly on a lint-free cloth. Add a few drops of lemon essence, eucalyptus oil or lavender oil for a pleasing fragrance.

All-purpose deodoriser and disinfectant: Add a few drops of tea-tree oil to the toilet, rubbish bin and other germ-prone containers after you have cleaned them.

Air fresheners and deodorisers: Place dried lavender, potpourri or other naturally fragrant materials in bowls throughout the house to act as a natural air freshener. After cleaning floors, add a pleasant fragrance by using scented oils, like lemon or lavender, eucalyptus or tea tree, in a final wipeover. Charcoal left to stand in an open bowl absorbs most household odours; it can also be wrapped in muslin and placed in the fridge or in the bathroom.

Carpet cleaner and deodoriser: Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over carpets and rugs an hour or so before vacuuming for a cleaning, deodorising action. For general stains removal and cleaning, use a mixture of 1 litre of warm water with quarter of a cup of cloudy ammonia. Apply this to the carpet on a clean, pale-coloured cloth that has been wrung out in the solution. Use a firm blotting motion rather than a scrubbing motion.

Mirror demister: Prevent bathroom mirrors from misting up on cold mornings by rubbing them over with a cloth moistened with glycerine, and then allowing the mirror to dry.

Special household cleaning

Apart from daily or weekly washing chores there are a number of other household cleaning jobs that have to be done periodically.

Oven cleaner 1: Combine 1 cup of household ammonia with 4 cups of water in a large, shallow baking dish. Place in the oven and heat on low for two hours allowing the steam and vapour from the ammonia to penetrate every corner of the oven. Leave overnight, then wipe oven vigorously with an abrasive cloth.

Over cleaner 2: If baked-on stains remain after the treatment above, mix two parts bicarbonate of soda, one part table salt, and enough fresh lemon juice to make a thick paste. Apply to problem areas, especially inside the over door and the glass viewing window. Allow to dry, then rub off the paste with a scouring cloth. Repeat if necessary.

Silver and brass cleaner: Rub the object to be cleaned with a lemon cut in half and dipped in cooking salt. Rinse with soapy water and buff to a high sheen. Silver responds well to liquids or substances containing aluminium - store washing water in an aluminium saucepan or boil up some aluminium foil in the water used for rinsing. Sprinkle silver items with talcum powder before putting them away to help prevent tarnishing.

Window and mirror cleaner: Apply methylated spirits to absorbent kitchen paper or newspaper and rub the paper vigorously across your windows. This is a most effective glass cleaner and the treatment also works well on chrome taps and other glossy or shiny fittings.

Wooden floor cleaner: Bring up the natural timber tones of wooden floors by straining the leaves from a large pot of tea and adding it to a bucket of warm water containing half a cup of cloudy ammonia, then mopping as usual.

Refrigerator cleaner: Dilute one part all-purpose liquid cleanser (above) with 3 parts water and wipe over the interior of the refrigerator. Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence to the rinse water for a pleasant smell. Use a saucer of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge for continuing deodorising action.

Essential knowledge: how to remove stains

Ballpoint ink and felt-tip pens: Sponge with methylated spirits, spray with hairspray or blot with nail polish remover.

Grass stains: Test fabric for colour-fastness first. Sponge with eucalyptus oil.

Lipstick and cosmetic stains: Soak the stain in glycerine for several hours, then wash as usual.

Oil and grease stains: Grease spots on clothing, carpets and soft furnishings can be removed by rubbing the affected area with talcum powder, placing absorbent kitchen paper under and over the stain, and then ironing. The paper will lift and absorb the stain. Renew the powder and paper as it becomes oily. If possible, wash or sponge the item in one tablespoon borax added to one cup water, once the major stain has been removed.

Making laundry detergents

   Before you switch from commercial detergents to home-made washing mixtures, it is important to rinse your machine and wash your clothes in washing soda. Otherwise, leftover traces of the commercial detergents may cause yellowing. Dissolve one cup of washing soda in 2 litres of water and put your machine through a clothes-free cycle using 2 cups of this mix. Thereafter, use 2 cups per load.

Basic laundry liquid: 2 litres of hot water, 1 bar of pure soap grated or 100 grams of pure soap flakes, and either a quarter cup of borax or quarter cup of washing soda. Dissolve the soap and the borax or the washing soda in the water and store in a bottle or jar. If using bar soap, place the water in an old saucepan, add the soap and heat over a low flame, stirring constantly until the soap is dissolved. Do not boil. Use approximately half a cup of laundry liquid for each load. For heavily soiled loads, add a teaspoon of ammonia to the wash. The ammonia also works as a fabric softener and conditioner. In hard-water areas, add an extra teaspoon of borax to the mixture.

To soften fabrics: Add a teaspoon of white vinegar or teaspoon of glycerine to the final rinse.

For woolens: Mix one cup of soap flakes to a quarter of a bar of grated soap with one cup of hot water. Add one desert-spoon each of eucalyptus oil and methylated spirits to this mixture. Use sparingly - about one tablespoon for a large jumper or several smaller items.

To brighten and remove stains: Soak clothing overnight in a bucket of water containing half a cup of cloudy ammonia. Always test for colour-fastness before soaking any clothing. If ammonia is too strong, soak clothing in a bucket of water with half a cup of white vinegar.

Our Government Has Failed Us

We all heard the announcement this week that Kevin Rudd will be putting off the national Emission Trading Scheme until 2011. The good news is that he is proposing to increase our commitment to reducing our emissions (if the world agrees ...) to a 25% reduction of our emission levels in the year 2000. But at the same time, he is also giving away more freebies to big industries, to shut them up.

When is Mr Rudd going to realise that you can’t keep everyone happy all the time? What happened to doing what is right by our country, and by the world?

Whilst emissions reduction continues to be used as a political tool, nothing is going to be achieved. 

So, Australians will have to stop seeing themselves as world leaders. We are the worst country in terms of emissions per capita in the world - yes, even worse than the fuel guzzling Americans. We are followers, not leaders. Our government literally cannot make a decision to save us, and none of us will doing anything if the government doesn’t.

The problem seems so big to the individual, that it’s easier to blame the government, and sit back and wait for someone else to take action.

When will we start taking responsibility for ourselves and quit waiting for the government to lead the way? If millions of us make small changes, and take small steps to reduce our personal emissions, we will achieve something - more in fact than the government has managed to achieve, ever.

Going Green: Frivolous or Essential?

In these tough economic times, is going green a luxury that should be avoided?

No. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Customers and other businesses are increasingly speaking in terms of sustainability from their suppliers and service providers. Being sustainable and ‘going green’ is an advantage in these times, when people are increasingly aware of climate change and the warnings of global warming. Green brands are rising, and benefiting from relations with other like minded businesses and loyal customers.

Sustainability can also lead to greater efficiency and lower costs, causing greater fiscal returns. Decreasing your carbon footprint does not have to cost money. In fact, any initial outlays will be quickly reimbursed through energy savings and lower running costs. If a business’s energy costs are $10,000 per year, and the same business could save 40% of that cost, they would then only be paying $6,000 per year. It only costs an average of $800 for a retail or office business to offset their emissions. A business can ‘go green’ AND SAVE!  

Be warned, though of businesses and products claiming to be ‘green’ or sustainable - check out their credibility.

Sustainability in economic difficulty

Climate change, carbon neutral and sustainability are all terms we hear a lot nowadays and the move to live and buy “green” has gained more awareness and interest from individuals and businesses over the last few years.

Most recently however the main topic on everyone’s mind seems to be the economy and an impending recession. This raises the question, “have these latest economic issues now caused climate change and sustainability to have a lower priority on our agenda?”

I really hope not, because by spending an initial investment on sustainability, operating costs will generally be less in the future.

Here are some tips on office sustainability:

- Dispense with disposable coffee cups. Over its life, a mug will be used about 3,000 times, resulting in 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pollution than using the equivalent number of cardboard cups.

- Cut down on paper use. The paperless office remains a futuristic fantasy, with about 10,000 sheets of A4 paper being used by every single Australian worker every year. Most of this paper comes from native eucalypt forests and is cholorine-bleached, a process that produces toxic dioxins. Minimise your paper wastage by setting your printer and photocopier to default to use both sides of the paper. Recycle your waste paper, and print only what’s necessary.

- Use recycled paper – a business is not truly recycling unless it buys recycled products. Recycled paper uses 90% less water and half the energy required to make new paper.

- Turn off lights; log off and shut down computers; and don’t leave chargers plugged in – they continue to draw energy even when the device isn’t plugged in.

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

We cannot wait for governments to act on climate change. It has to be individuals that change the course of the Earth’s future. Governments are under pressure from big businesses and industries that provide them with large amounts of tax dollars each year. By the time they act, it will be too late to reverse the damage. We will have to minimise any further damage.

The chief executive of the Australia Climate Institute, John Connor says “Australians still want [our country] to lead, not follow, on climate change – to act, not delay action on reducing emissions”. It is no longer enough that we recycle our household goods and compost our scraps. Our action must be much more decisive and immediate.

But not everyone wants to drive a hybrid car, install expensive solar panels, and turn off their lights at 9pm. So what is the answer?

Carbon trading is an option that we should consider closely. It is a solution NOW, and not an excuse to wait until technology improves. Carbon trading involves paying green companies to plant trees for you, or develop those vital technologies that will emerge in the future. Make sure each carbon credit is accredited under the Kyoto Protocol, and this will ensure that your money goes where it’s supposed to go.

An average Australia family would need to plant 80 trees to offset their yearly carbon emissions. Who has the time or space to do that?

Carbon trading is not expensive, either. You can offset your household and cars for about the same cost as your yearly house and contents insurance.

What are we waiting for?