A week later...
This time last week I was sitting in my tent, counting the hours until the end. Now I’m sitting in a nice warm office, thankful that I didn’t agree to be Low Carbon Man for the whole of Lent.
A week on, I feel able to get some perspective on the challenge. I’m glad I did it - hopefully the coverage resulted in more people doing the Carbon Fast, and I will personally take a lot away from it.
Eating local, organic food was a big highlight. The local farmer’s market was fantastic, and a lot cheaper than I thought. £2 for four tasty organic sausages. Not bad at all. I’ll definitely be doing more shopping at farmer’s markets in the future. I love the idea of getting to know the people who are growing the food that I’m eating.
Walking everywhere was also great. I really didn’t miss sitting in traffic jams. Sometimes I feel like I spend half my life travelling, so living outside the office certainly meant that I had more time. Some days I didn’t get up until 8.50.
Going forwards I feel far more conscious of the choices that I have. I’m going to try to avoid supermarket shopping too often. I can quite easily walk shorter journeys that I previously might have driven. I’m going to attempt some cross Europe train journeys later this year, to cut down on my flying. And I’m going to put more effort into lobbying the government, and particularly my own MP.
Thanks to all of you who kept track of my progress.
Low Carbon Valentine's
I'm so thankful for the sun. The sky is now completely grey, and the temperature has dropped a good ten degrees. If this was day one I'd be quite depressed. But with just a day to go, and an alfresco Valentine's evening ahead, my spirits are high.
'Do I have to?' was her response to my suggestion for this evening - in a car park, eating vegetables, by the light of a wind up lantern. Thankfully she agreed.
I caved in to a hot shower yesterday, my first of the week. I stood for a moment with the cold water running, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I have to admit, it was one of the nicest showers of my life. If nothing else this week will make me appreciate the simple pleasures of a hot shower, hot food and radiators. It has also given me a brief glimpse into what it must be like to live on the streets, where there isn't always the option to go into a warm building, or get a warm drink.
So tomorrow sees the end of my challenge. Once I'm done I'll no doubt have some grand reflections on what the time has taught me, but for now I'm just focusing on staying warm and trying not to look like a tramp.
The low carbon weekend
'Look! Look! There's a gypsy in the Tearfund car park!'
It would be fair to say that Low Carbon Man has confused some members of the local community, but all in all it has been a good weekend.
Highlights have been the Farmer's Market – some truly delicious food, for very reasonable prices (find your closest market on www.farmersmarkets.net), finally managing to get my solar panel to charge my mobile phone, listening to the football on my wind up radio and the lovely walks in the sunshine. The beautiful days have certainly made the sub zero nights easier to take. I have to give my Dad some credit too. He never takes public transport and he rarely cycles, yet he took the bus halfway across London and then cycled home the next morning, just to keep me company on Saturday night.
The hardest part is when the sun goes down, when my sleeping bag becomes the only place to be. I'm not sure I'd manage without my wind up lantern.
Anyway, it is time to go make myself a low carbon dinner. Don't forget to log on to www.tearfund.org to pick up energy saving tips from the Carbon Fast, and of course watch me on the web cam.
If you are interested, there have been a few media reports of my progress:
Because I know you are wondering: the computer used to post this blog and make the videos are powered by 100% renewable energy. Make the switch by visiting www.good-energy.co.uk
Thursday 7 Feb: The day before...
I am quite literally, a wind-up merchant. I’m sitting in my warm office surrounded by a plethora of wind-up devices including a torch, a radio and a lantern. Tomorrow marks beginning of a somewhat foolhardy challenge to live for a week as Low Carbon Man, which means waving goodbye to my bed and my car, and moving into a tent in the office car park.
I’ve done a few challenges like this before, last year spending a fortnight only eating food displaying the Fairtrade Mark, but this may well be the toughest yet. A week in a tent? I think I can manage that. In February? Just about. In the company of mangy foxes? I’m not so sure.
I’m aiming to reduce my carbon emissions by around 95%, to draw attention to the Carbon Fast, a 40-day challenge that highlights simple steps we can all take to reduce our impact on the climate. Even with such drastic cuts, my week’s emissions will still be more than the monthly average emissions in Malawi, a country that is feeling the devastating effects of climate change now.
So tomorrow it all begins. There will be blogs and videos on www.myspace.com/lowcarbonman as I get to know the foxes, cycle to farmer’s markets and try to convince my girlfriend that eating cabbage outside is a nice way to spend Valentine’s evening.