How to Go Carbon Neutral: A Practical Guide to Treading More Lightly upon the Earth
He has doggedly set about trying to do so from scratch, using his existing house. As a new father, he wants to do his bit to make sure that his son Charlie has a future on this planet. He has read lots of books, surfed lots of websites, asked lots of questions, and made lots of mistakes. He's tried everything from putting vegetable oil in his car to composting dog poo. This has left him with a broad knowledge of going carbon neutral, which he is passing on to you in this book.\ Going carbon...
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He has doggedly set about trying to do so from scratch, using his existing house. As a new father, he wants to do his bit to make sure that his son Charlie has a future on this planet. He has read lots of books, surfed lots of websites, asked lots of questions, and made lots of mistakes. He's tried everything from putting vegetable oil in his car to composting dog poo. This has left him with a broad knowledge of going carbon neutral, which he is passing on to you in this book.Going carbon neutral means not contributing any carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]) to the atmosphere thereby reducing the ongoing problem of global warming. It is about recognising the problem, adjusting your lifestyle and taking measures to gradually reduce your carbon footprint.An extra upside of leading a sustainable life is that you'll save money! If, for example, you have a sustainable heating system, you will never get a gas bill. That's an immediate and personal benefit - quite aside from saving the planet.
Introduction: Earth at Breaking Point viiPopulation overload viiGlobal warming viiThe end of the oil age viiiThe solution ixThis bandwagon's getting crowded ixPromises that can't be kept ixIf you want something done properly... xBreaking the addiction xMoving forwards xiGoing carbon neutral in the community xiYour action counts xiiChanging your life xiiiGetting Started 1What is carbon neutral? 1Why should I bother? 3Constraints to being carbon neutral 5Inputs and outputs 7Heating 9Inputs 9Electricity 9Passive solar energy 11Geothermal heat pump 11Solar hot water 13Wood 15Outputs 18Insulating your home 18Electricity 20Inputs 20The standalone system 20The grid-connected system 21Windturbine 23Solar electricity (Photovoltaic/PV) 24Hydro electricity 24Combined heat and power (CHP) 25Installing a system 26Buying green electricity 39Wind turbine community schemes 41Outputs 51Using efficient devices 52Using less energy 52Conclusion 54Grants available 54Water 56Introduction 56Inputs 57Water usage 57Types of system 59Outputs 62Disposing of sewage 62Saving water 64Conclusion 66Transport 68Inputs 69Biodiesel 69Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) 72Ethanol 75Electricity 77Hydrogen 80Outputs 81Car sharing 81Scaling down 82Self-powered - walking or cycling 82Conclusion 83Food 84Inputs 84Buying local 84Buying organic 85Cutting down on dairy and meat 85Becoming self-sufficient 86Hunting and foraging 93Preserving food 95Home brewing 96Outputs 98Composting 98Shopping 101Inputs 101Is carbon neutral shopping always ethical? 101Principles of carbon neutral shopping 102Getting the facts 103Outputs 106Avoiding waste 106Conclusion 108Useful Information 110Index 117
