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By Steve
Posted May 14, 2012

Bringing The Cuppa Paradox To Life

Bringing The Cuppa Paradox To Life

If you have been reading my blog for long enough, you might remember a post I did last year about how small savings in an individual’s carbon footprint can amount to huge amounts when considered collectively as a country. I based that post around the amount of tea and coffee we drink in the UK but felt it was maybe a little bit too much text to take in and understand. So, I have now put together a free infographic version of this information which I hope gives my statement about small changes even more impact. I’ve even added to…

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By Steve
Posted May 7, 2012

It’s Not Always Easy Being Green

asparagus bunch

So today I found myself hugely frustrated with my own actions and it drove home to me how little things can escape a person’s attention if they are not careful. It may not seem like a big deal to many people, but I was trying to follow the Meat Free Monday approach so popular with climate enthusiasts and championed by Paul McCartney, which can bring the carbon footprint of your meal down considerably, if only on one night of the week. I thought I’d make myself a nice vegetable risotto with mushrooms, pepper, spinach and fresh, seasonal British asparagus. The…

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By Steve
Posted May 5, 2012

Reasons Why You Should Become an Energy Engineer

Thermal Imaging

Today I’m opening GreenSteve up to my first guest blogger who is going to tell you more about certain environmental careers and the university work that goes with them. So please welcome Mathias Aarre Mæhlum… Hey guys! My name is Mathias. I’m just about to finish my 3rd year out of a 5-year master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering at NTNU in Norway. I discovered Steve’s blog a few weeks back when I was doing some research for an assignment. I liked his content; we got in touch and together figured an article about my studies would be valuable…

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By Steve
Posted April 26, 2012

7 Easy Ways To Curb Your Carbon Habit

carbon footprint

One of the more common reasons people give me for not reducing their carbon footprint is a lack of knowledge, especially in ways to cut down on their emissions with very little cost or effort. So I have complied a short list of things that most people can do that are more likely to save you money than cost you money. They shouldn’t prove too difficult to do either so for those of you who suffer from a lack of footprint shrinking appetite there are no excuses. We’ll start with one of the biggest scandals in the convenience food and…

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By Steve
Posted April 16, 2012

Recycled Market Brings Life To Old Junk

Cassette Lamp

I love it when people find interesting and innovative uses for old materials and there is an abundance of this on a new-ish international marketplace for recycled and upcycled items. Recycled Market allows sellers to promote their wares to buyers who are interested in purchasing recycled items and you’d be amazed at the range of things on sale. From things for the home made of recycled or reclaimed rubbish to eco bags made out of old fish feed sacks and crafted in Cambodia, you can find a plethora of things to buy and some of these items would make fantastic…

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By Steve
Posted April 10, 2012

Keeping Up With The Green Joneses

Keeping Up With The Green Joneses

I’ve just got a few thoughts to share with you today about whether the very visual impact of a neighbour doing some good for the environment is enough to encourage others to do the same. It is quite often the case that neighbours compete for the prestige of having the most beautiful garden or the most elaborate water features but just how does this translate into being the most green? I would, for instance, be interested to know the spread of solar panel installations across the country. Do they cluster around certain roads or certain areas where one household originally…

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By Steve
Posted April 3, 2012

The Worms Are Dead – Long Live The Worms

worms

If you’ve been following my journey for any length of time, you’ll know that back at the end of January I bought myself a wormery in which I have been putting much of my organic waste. It is with sadness that I must report the death of my worms, may they rest in peace. I will not be giving up on this though, after the Easter bank holiday weekend I’ll be buying some more worms and starting afresh because you know what they say, if at first you don’t succeed, try try try again. I am not even sure what…

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By Steve
Posted March 28, 2012

How Sustainable Is Livestock As A Food Source?

Livestock Industry

In the third post in my series on the environmental impacts of agriculture, I am looking into livestock and how the rearing of animals for food is putting pressure on many resources while contributing to our greenhouse gas emissions. Aside from the vegetarians in society, most of us (me included) probably enjoy eating some form of meat at least a couple of times a week but just what impact does this carnivorous side to human diets have on the environment and would we all be better off eating less meat? These are the questions I hope to answer and they…

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By Steve
Posted March 19, 2012

GreenSteve Goes Blue To Save Water In The Home

Save Water

I have to admit that I have water on the brain right now after receiving a rather extortionate bill through the post from Thames Water. I live alone but for reasons unbeknown to me, Thames Water want to charge me over £750 a year for water and wastewater. This got me thinking about my usage and I have asked my landlord if I might get a water meter installed so that I can monitor how much I use. Ideally this would save me a lot of money too. All this comes a week after seven water companies announced that they…

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By Steve
Posted March 15, 2012

Food Miles: Fun Facts Or Frivolous Falsities?

Food Miles

One of the things that I’m attempting to do as part of my support of Climate Week is to eat a diet that is low carbon and thus more sustainable in the long run. I have had to ask myself what makes up a low carbon meal and while things such as eating less red meat and dairy play a big role, the distance that my food has travelled and the modes of transport used also has some impact on the individual carbon footprints of foodstuffs. In this post I’m going to try and give a concise but balanced view…

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