Reducing C02

This section is being updated.

In the meantime, you might find these publications and links useful:

Shades of Green - Some little and not so little decisions you can make today to help stop climate change

This booklet was written and produced by TCNC and provides ready information about how you can save from 1kg to 100 tonnes of CO2 from waste, energy, travel, etc.

The Green To Do List (Ricoh 2007)
Ricoh The Resourceful Guide v1

These booklets were researched and written by TCNC with Ricoh for their staff and customers.  Both provide some ideas for reducing CO2 footprints in the office, and some case studies for inspiration.

SKY Carbon Calculator

TCNC worked on a ground-breaking calculator with Sky, providing ideas and the background calculations.  It’s designed for a consumer audience, to help carbon footprint homes and see where CO2 reductions can be made.  (you’ll find a short and long version of the calculator)

1 First step is to see how much CO2 you produce (your ‘carbon footprint’) – so then you can understand what to do about it. www.carbonneutral.com has calculators to help you

2 Switch off.  You waste electricity and therefore money and CO2 by leaving things on standby. A PC monitor on standby uses 51kWh per year of electricity – equivalent to 500 boiling kettles

3 Green electricity.  Most electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels (e.g. coal) which, in turn, produces CO2.  You can buy electricity from a renewable energy like wind, solar, hydro-power and biomass which create little or no CO2 emissions. Most electricity providers offer their own ‘green’ tariff (give them a call) and there are specialists including www.good-energy.co.ukand www.ecotricity.co.uk

4 Solar accessories.  There are lots on the market and they’re useful.  You’d save 1 kg of CO2 in 12 weeks, if you used a solar charger for your mobile phone

5 Recycle.  There is less energy used in recycling than in originating new goods.  For example two glass bottles saves enough energy to boil water for 5 cups of tea

6 Lights.  Energy saving light bulbs use less energy (saving you about £10 per year) and produce 0.8 tonnes of CO2 less than incandescent bulbs.  You can buy them online at www.carbonneutral.com

7 Maintenance.  Some simple jobs in the home can reduce energy use.  For example, replacing a warn washer on a dripping tap will save could 1kg of CO2 in a year and 90 litres of water in a week

8 Ratings.  Many products are now part of the European Union Energy label scheme which rates on a scale of A (most efficient in energy use) to G (the least efficient in energy).  The more efficient a product is, the less energy uses, so it saves money and CO2

9 Time for tea.  If everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of 'filling' the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity to run practically all the street lighting in the U.K

10. Cool down.  Turning your thermostat down by just 2C you’ll cut as much as 10% off your heating bill – if you and your friends’ households all did this you could save 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per year

11.Better driving.  Not only could you choose a more fuel efficient car, but there are some simple basic improvements you can make - you can save 1kg of CO2, for example, in just 65 miles of driving if you keep the correct tyre pressure

These tips are collated from publicly available information on including from The CarbonNeutral Company, Waste Watch, and Energy Saving Trust, Sky (www.jointhebiggerpicture.com)