What Does Sustainability Mean to People?

So I write this blog about sustainability and suddenly a thought occurs, just what does sustainability mean to people? By people I mean every day people, I have studied a related degree for the past three years so maybe I have a different insight to sustainability than everyday people in very different professions.

There will be countless academic studies that have endless results concerning what sustainability means to people, but most of these will of course be read by academics also.  So to keep things 'down to earth' I will give my opinion on what I think sustainability means to people, from a view point of what people are exposed to.

The first thoughts about public exposure to sustainability surround taxation, if you drive a car that pollutes more you pay more. So maybe people think that sustainability means taxes? They could be right. A second thought would be local authority activities, perhaps you have to separate your waste into several bins, bags and boxes to satisfy your local authorities recycling scheme? In which case sustainability may represent a nuisance to you? Perhaps more common to the general public is climate change, but this is a boring phrase by now for many, it's surrounded by controversy (due to poor media coverage) and is in danger of becoming an old topic.

Image from: lexus.co.uk

I believe that for progress to be made sustainability needs a face lift. Perhaps this is the role of the private sector as this is where the money is, it's most probably happening already. Take car adverts, it is hard to find a car advert these days that doesn't mention pioneering fuel efficiency or intelligent driving systems. Or TV adverts that mention the 'eco' options of their current model, maybe even banking adverts that talk of 'tomorrow's world' or the adverts of energy companies that are always mentioning sustainability.

Image from: ecoyourlife.com

So maybe it is the case that sustainability is in front of the eyes of everyone, but doesn't mean all that much? I would say that it means more to businesses (with the rise of CSR and legal requirements) than it does to the general public as individuals. The thing is, if you really look for sustainability, it is everywhere. Whilst watching Chelsea v Newcastle on Sky Sports just a two days ago I noticed a Samsung advert flashing around the pitch side with references to a new 'ecobubble’ washing machine, then a car advert came on at half time for a new fuel efficient Lexus. Sustainability is everywhere, you just have to think about it.

In truth it is the individual's who embrace sustainability who will take the rewards, essentially by saving money. Buy a fuel efficient car now that has lower emissions and you will gain from lower taxes and lower fuel bills. Buy a new electronic device that has energy saving technologies and see your electricity bill drop. That is what sustainability will mean to most people. It is the role of governments to drive the private sector to be more sustainable and push sustainable products, and then the general public will be exposed to sustainability on a more regular basis...without even realising.

Saving money with sustainability – At work

Once a month I will offer a few tips on how I believe you can save money by being more sustainable in day to day tasks, first up is whilst at work.

Image from: decoratingdesigninterior.com

Work is where you earn your money and you most probably work hard for it, so saving some of it whilst working seems to make sense? Saving an extra bit of cash a month may mean an extra few pints in the pub, or possibly a new gadget for your home. Maybe it’s your partner’s birthday coming up, why not be sustainable and save extra cash to get him or her a better present (don’t tell them how easy it was to save the cash though, make them believe you worked really hard and put loads of thought into it!).

Below I will offer and explain my top 3 tips to save money whilst working, I can’t tell you how much you’ll save, so get a calculator ready!

Image from: intosport.com

1. Turn your commute into training – If you drive or use public transport to work have you ever thought about the distance you travel? If it is less than 10 mile (ideally around 5 mile) running to and/or from work is a great way to train and an even better way to keep fit. Say for example you just use public transport to get to work in a morning, take with you some running gear and rucksack and turn your commute home into a valuable run that costs you nothing at all. You get home ready to eat a great evening meal and feel much better and less stressed than you would if you had been sitting on a bus, train or car. You don’t have to run every night, but just one night a week could save you a little bit of cash!
2. Take a packed lunch and refillable bottle – There is probably a good reason that your Mum sent you to school with a packed lunch, it was cheaper than school dinners (unless you went to my school where the food was shocking!). Taking a packed lunch isn’t just cheaper, it is more sustainable. If you buy a sandwich every working day or visit the bakers for a pie or a pasty think of the packaging waste that you have created in a year! And why pay for a foods packaging when you could make it yourself? Take drinks on the other hand; if you buy a bottle of water or a cup of coffee most days then think of the waste associated with that, not to mention the cost. If you love coffee or tea then why not take a flask into work? Or simply just take a refillable bottle full of water? Even if you save a couple of pounds a day it will soon all add up, but be sure to make your food the night before, you’ll be too tired in the mornings!
3.  Car share – If you drive into work there is a good chance someone else drives a similar route, pays a similar amount on petrol and gets stuck in the same traffic jams listening to poor quality local radio for company. Why not ask around the work place to see if anyone drives a similar route? Car sharing not only helps the environment but saves you money and could help you meet a new friend. You could ask your  environmental manager to set up a car sharing network at your work place where employees could map their route to work. The following website is also a good place to look to find a car sharing journey http://www.nationalcarshare.co.uk/ .

Hopefully by trying out the simple tips above you could save a few ££’s and a few CO₂’s, there are many more things that can be done. Being more sustainable doesn't always have to be fully focused on the environment, your wallet can benefit from it too.

Books of interest - August

With a new life about to start in London very soon, I thought I would take the opportunity to mention a couple of books I'm reading/read. I will aim to do this once a month, so here goes!

So with an upcoming sustainability based Masters about to begin my reading list has been varied. First up on my reading list was a book all about economics, maybe most of the eurozone should read this too. This first book puts economics into a day to day perspective and is very interesting and entertaining.

The second book isn't directly related to my education but is very influential to myself personally, it really is a must read.

But for now onto economics...


The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford 

Harford in this book walks readers through economics in a way that is easy to understand and easy to witness on a daily basis. Whether you are buying a pack of salt and vinegar crisps, want a coffee in a train station or want to rent a flat, then this book will tell you why you pay what you do.

The Undercover Economist poses questions such as why do you pay more for a coffee in one area compared to another? By looking into the power of scarcity and demand Harford will make you think twice about your role as a consumer. To focus more on sustainability this book takes a look at congestion charging and the role pollution plays in our lives and the choices we make, as well as the taxes we pay to have the right to pollute, plus much more.

More detailed things could be said about this book, basically go out and buy it. But beware this book should come with a warning as you venture into the outside world and realise what's going on around you, you will be stopping yourself from telling people what a bad choice of coffee they are purchasing.

The Pursuit of Happyness - Chris Gardner 

Before I say anything the more picky readers will notice happiness is spelled incorrectly, now I can say you are wrong as it is spelled in this way on the book and subsequent film. For those of you who know that you have clearly read the book/seen the film, so you may as well make a cup of tea?

To put it very simply, this book is truly inspirational. If you ever feel down, unmotivated or just need a boost then read this book. It will make you laugh, make you cry, make you shocked and make you feel like anything is possible. The film doesn't do this book justice, the film is like a Coke Zero, a non alcoholic lager, it just isn't quite there. This book tells the story of Chris Gardner, his harsh early life to the birth of his son and his relationship break up. As a single parent he finds himself living on the streets of San Francisco having lost everything but his son and hope, it is both of these things that make him a success. He secures his dream job, moves off the streets and makes his first million and gets his dream ferrari.

I suggest watching the film, then reading the book. If you have a heart then this book will touch it and inspire you on to do better things. For me personally it has lifted me on many occasions and made me want to make something of my life, it is the kind of story that you should share with your family and your friends. Chris Gardner had his failings at times, but his hope, ambition and pursuit of happiness has made him a true genius.

More books to come in September...unless I forget in which case get ready for 4 in October.

London: A city of sustainability?

My previous post touched on the sustainable commitment of the London 2012 Olympics, this one looks at the credentials of London as a city. There are many things that I could look at in detail, but as with the theme I will keep things down to earth and offer my slightly out of the box suggestions. If my suggestions are ever implemented I shall offer my address to send the massive cheque to and I shall choose a great location to place my statue.

Image from: www.telegraph.co.uk

London already has many sustainability credentials, take the congestion charge zone that charges all but the vehicles with lowest emissions to enter central London. How about the extensive underground network that offers tubes every 2 minutes or so on most lines? London is also home to the 'Source London' electric car charging network boasting some 1,300 charging points to paying members by 2013 (https://www.sourcelondon.net/). Other initiatives include the 'Low Emissions Zone' and the utilisation of hybrid buses on the capital’s streets. There are also various bicycles that can be rented.  This all sounds very good, but now it's time to burst the bubble. London over the last few years has received a lot of bad press for failing to meet EU air quality targets. London's air quality is bad.

Image from: www.siemens.co.uk

So what can be done to bring improvements? Below are my recommendations, they may work, they may not. I believe they are fairly mainstream and offer options for everyone.

1.    Extended congestion charge zone - The current congestion charge zone could be extended. In my eyes this new outer zone would only be effective on routes going into London between 7am and 10am and out of London between 4pm and 6pm. Residents within the zone could be given free permits if their registered car has sufficiently low emissions. This new zone would still be free for low emission vehicles. Possibly a tiered pricing system could be put in place, people with the most damaging vehicles pay more.

2.    Public transport to work - Workers using public transport should get much lower prices when using public transport during working hours. This saving could be part funded by employers and by congestion charging gains, lower prices would appeal to more people. This scheme would work in the same way as a university bus pass does, but funded via different means.

3.    Better promotion - All low carbon schemes should be promoted by one well branded advertising campaign. This should feature TV, radio and the usual methods of advertising but also include effective advertising at public hotspots. All London airports should have advertising campaigns as you walk from arrival gates, train stations the same and also major underground stations.

4.    A Sustainable London app - An app could be easily created that brings together all the schemes on offer. Featuring a low carbon journey and cost planner that shows route comparisons around London. Maybe using GPS features to guide you to your nearest rent a bike or electric charging point. This app could contain cycle routes, walking sightseeing routes and more.

Image from: www.mirror.co.uk

It is hard to know where funding should come from for the above recommendations, extending the congestion charge will bring extra income but other sources would be needed. An app could be funded by advertising and even an advertising campaign could be launched alongside a private company.

Showcasing London as a sustainable city could attract more businesses, create more jobs and lead to a better quality of life for residents and visitors. 

Just a quick note about this blog: Well done if you’ve persevered long enough to read this. I initially mentioned monthly blogs, instead these blogs will be as frequent as I can think of things to write. Possibly a couple a week or more. 

London 2012: A sporting and sustainable success?

As the fantastic London 2012 Olympics begin to draw to a close and I begin to feel the start of withdrawal symptoms from seeing Team GB take endless gold medals, then it may be worth starting to assess just how sustainable the  'Sustainable Games' actually were.

As this is a 'down to earth' blog I won’t be going into massive detail, just simply looking at things in simple terms and from personal experiences. To start with personal experiences I will draw upon my attendance of Team GB's opening football match at Old Trafford in Manchester, I was selected at last minute to play for my country...no wait, that was a dream.

The first thing to notice was the information on the tickets themselves and the surrounding booklet. This guided spectators towards using public transport and towards recycling. On the surface there was optimism with several public transport options available including trams, trains and buses. Information for driving in to the venue was very scarce, which on the surface is again, positive.

Problems however were present. The event did not end until 10pm and with the last train home from central Manchester being at 10.50pm it was highly likely that the last train would be missed. 50 minutes seems like plenty of time to get across Manchester, but with 75,000 people leaving a stadium all at once and being forced to use public transport, it takes time and a lot of time feeling like a sardine, the tram being the tin. The look of desperation on fellow sardines faces as they fought their way to exit the tram at their stop was like a scene from an award winning war film.

Due to the concerns over missing the last train the best alternative was to drive into the city centre and take public transport from there, parking cost a massive £18! For this price you'd think your car would have armed guards but you'd be wrong, a CCTV camera would suffice. One major positive was that all public transport to the venue was free upon showing Olympic tickets, this was a great addition.

Inside the venue sustainability was also on the agenda with 3 different recycling bins at any point, these had no clear information and when in a crowd of people it was largely a case of guesswork. You may think the food would be better as Olympic organisers are fully in control of this (you cannot take your own food ), to put it simply the food was appalling.   On offer was a sausage roll with less meat than a vegetarian burger, a cheese and onion pie and Cadburys chocolate. All the food was delightfully wrapped in large amounts of plastic, clearly cardboard wasn't thought to exist, hardly sustainable. By the end of the first game the majority of the food had run out, largely solving the problem and people's misery!

Image from:  london-2012-olympics.net

From first-hand experience of an Olympic venue my school report would read 'Right ideas, poor execution. Lacked thought and common sense. B-'. Below are my top 3 improvements:

1.  Public transport common sense - if an event finishes at 10pm ensure that local and national train companies run extra services. If this was the case I would not have driven into an Olympic venue.
2. Sustainable food - at the very least the food should be packaged well, and making it taste nice would be an added improvement too. Food packaging with a lower waste footprint would be a massive bonus.
3.  Advertise sustainability - after a quick glance at the official London 2012 website it is very hard to see any mention of a sustainable Games. Sustainability should feature on every page with helpful advice and even a comments section for feedback or problems that have been spotted.

Obviously there are many other aspects of sustainability that have been implemented into the London 2012 Olympic Games that either I haven't had time to mention or experience of. From sustainable construction, use of green space, a lasting legacy, job creation and much more, there is a huge range. My comments probably seem negative, but at the very least the intention from organisers was right and positive.

Let’s hope for more Team GB medals in the final few days to wrap up an amazing couple of weeks of British sport. 

Congestion: Getting sustainability moving

Welcome to the first ever of my monthly blog entries, well done for finding it and please do share it (unless it's really rubbish, then hide it where it cannot be found). The inspiration from this first entry came whilst sitting at a standstill on the M1 motorway somewhere between London and The Midlands, at this moment in time I noticed the endless trail of brake lights and similarly bored and fed up people in cars. Whilst sitting in the traffic a Glasgow bound Virgin Trains service flew past the roadside at 125mph, followed just seconds later by the same London bound service, I couldn't help but feel that the passengers on board the train would see the traffic and laugh, maybe feel pity but probably feel lucky.

Image from: geograph.org.uk

Britain's major roads are overcrowded, annoying and polluted. Despite the problems they are still very convenient whether you be a daily commuter or a Sunday driver. For many the ease of jumping in the car still trumps jumping on a train, something clearly needs to change to make trains more attractive. But just why is the car more convenient? Maybe it's the perceived cost of trains, or the lack of train services, the lack of seats or the prior planning needed? The answers to this question can only be specified by an individual and will be different from person to person.

How about flipping the coin and mentioning some of the positives of travelling by train. On mainline routes operated by Virgin Trains both standard and first class offer comfortable travel. Why sit in a traffic jam when you can be drinking a coffee or a beer, eating and using on board wifi. Maybe the beer isn't attractive enough and your a workaholic rather than an alcoholic, why not take your laptop or tablet computer and do what you love, working outside of the office. Maybe you could just watch a film to pass the time? Then there is the travel time, my trip to London in the car took just over 3 hours yet by train it would take just 2 hours!

A major reason reason for not using the train for this journey is cost, Britain has the most expensive train journeys in Europe, and in the heights of recession, people cannot afford this. Even if you could afford it, from an economical point of view it is easier for a family to travel by car and have a longer, but much cheaper journey. So how can this be changed? The next paragraph will highlight my ideas, these ideas aren't the mainstream 'lower costs, add more carriages' argument, they are a little more outside the box.

Image from:  iphonedevelopergroup.blogspot.com

1. A trains loyalty scheme - although most companies offer season tickets and a simple rail card can save money on individual journeys, there is no incentive for 'regular but not everyday' train users. I believe a loyalty scheme could solve this, maybe get your 10th journey half price? Or after 5 journeys get a free upgrade to a first class seat?
2. Advertise - many people know that train services are overcrowded at peak times and seats are hard to find (I've been stood up for 1h 30 before), this puts people off. But that from an economic sense is a viscous circle. If less people use a train service there is no incentive to provide extra carriages. If more and more people bite the bullet and use the service then the long term result will be extra carriages as it will then make economic sense. Train companies should advertise this and make a pledge that if passenger numbers are up, then they will add extra carriages.
3. Carbon saving vouchers - using the train saves carbon emissions compared to using a car. This helps the environment and lowers pollution, therefore increasing the wellbeing of the general public. How hard would it be for a train service to to have a carbon savings scheme similar to air miles, the more points (or CO2) savings, then the greater the rewards. Maybe the rewards could be high street shopping vouchers or free future train tickets.

Moving people towards more sustainable journeys doesn't just mean trains. Obviously car sharing, buses, walking, running and cycling are all possibilities. Unfortunately however for longer journeys it is still car versus train, if congestion is to be eased and sustainability increased then train must win.  

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