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A

Architecture

Energy loss from our homes causes significant carbon emissions. Older homes are often poorly insulated, and homeowners are paying the price. Improving the insulation of older houses is essential to meet our energy reduction targets. We can now build energy efficient houses and use recycled materials in the process.

 Aviation

Currently research is underway to design aircraft which use hydrogen or battery power to fly. According to Rolls Royce https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/accel.aspx practical electric planes are about to take off.

Hydrogen fuelled planes have already flown: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210401-the-worlds-first-commercial-hydrogen-plane Hydrogen produced from water using electricity from renewable sources is a zero carbon energy dense fuel. It will be decades before fossil fuelled flying could be replaced by zero carbon hydrogen. https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/stories/hydrogen-aviation-understanding-challenges-to-widespread-adoption.html

B

Bee friendly flowers

An invasive bee parasite is at large (Nosema bombi). It is killing our bumble bees which are key pollinators in early spring. Please plant flowers like Sainfoin in you flower bee friendly flower beds and flower strips. These flowers have nectar rich in caffeine which helps bees to fight off this nasty parasite.

Beetles

Beetles are essential in our gardens – they eat many garden pests and help to keep their numbers down.

Bokashi Composting

This is a great way to compost all of your food waste in an odourless manner: https://www.the-compost-gardener.com/bokashi-composting.html

Building materials

Traditional materials like brick, concrete and glass do little to keep our homes warm. There are many alternative products available, both natural and manufactured.

 C 

Cop26

This year the UK is due to host the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is to be held at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51372486 ; https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/cop26

Conservation  

Conservation is vital because we cannot solve climate change without conserving our peatlands and our forests. Furthermore, causing the extinction of animals and plant species upsets the balance of nature. For example, flowering plants are pollinated by insects. Without insects how can we have fruit and vegetables that depend on them? Conservation international: https://www.conservation.org/ emphasises the importance of nature to humanity.

D 

Domestic storage battery 

Wind and solar energy is intermittent and one way to get around this is to use a storage battery in the home. Ideally homes would have solar panels along with a storage battery. A smart app can be used to compare energy production and storage levels against consumption. In that way, high power items are used at a high charging phase or when the battery has a high level of charge.

E

Electric vehicles

Some electric vehicles like Tesla have the performance and range comparable to or exceeding the highest spec petrol cars in production. Increasingly hybrid car models have improved electric ranges along with a conventional petrol engine.

Extinction Rebellion

This is an international activist group that uses civil disobedience to pressure governments to take action on climate change and diversity loss https://extinctionrebellion.uk/

F

Food

Fruit and vegetables

You can support your growers, by using locally produced food when in season.

Fish

It is much better for our fishermen to eat sustainable home caught fish rather than imported tuna or farmed prawns.

G

Gardening

Peat based compost 

Peat is a popular choice for gardeners. We have to stop using it for two reasons:

1. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the forests in the world. (Florins Renne Wilson, University College, Dublin)
2. Peatlands are havens for pollinators.

Peat free alternatives are available.

Weed killer

You can buy organic weed killer like EcoSmart Organic Weed and Grass Killer or make your own weed killer (5 litres white vinegar, 1 tbl spoon washing up liquid, 1 cup of Epsom salt or use ordinary salt. Be sparing using ordinary salt – it can stop anything growing!

Insecticides: please see I

Slugs

Your best bet to control slugs and snails is to make your garden attractive to slug  predators.

Otherwise, see: https://www.planetnatural.com

H

Holidays in Canada

A wide variety of tastes call for different types of holiday

Leisurely Indoors:

Leisurely Outdoors:

Adrenaline fun: 

For holidays abroad see:  T