Reducing your carbon footprint should be about just that, reducing the amount of resources you use in the pursuit of your life.
I long considered tactics such as carbon offsetting and buying my electricity from a supplier that uses renewable sources, whilst piping it through the same old wires, to be cheating: you’re not really reducing anything.
A recent review of our Carbon Account, and the fact that 30% of our carbon emission is due to electricity, prompted me to re-examine my gut rejection.
In the end we all have to realise that zero environmental impact is a fantasy, nothing is without side-effects. Eventually we reach a point where we can’t reduce anymore, and I’m at that point with our electricity demand.
It occurred to me that just as carefully choosing the manner of carbon offsetting can still yield environmentally helpful results, the same is true for greening your electricity tariff.
Markets respond to the demands of users, and the higher the demand for renewables (wind, solar, hydro and biomass) based electricity, the more incentive generators have to invest in these technologies. Switching to a green tariff isn’t about making my emissions profile look better, it’s about using my influence on the energy market.
Being comfortable with the principle is one thing, but which of the many suppliers to choose? That’ll have to wait for next time…