We here at GreenMonk have written about AMEE several times in the past because we really support what they are doing (quick reminder – they enable any climate campaign to use a common standard for Carbon-Footprint Profiling and Measurement, for more, check out their FAQ).
Recently I’ve been delighted then to note that Repak have started to use AMEE’s services. Repak are an industry funded organisation based in Ireland. Repak was created to help grow packaging recycling in Ireland and to aid businesses comply with their legal obligations to fund the recovery and recycling of the packaging on the goods or services they supply, as set out in the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2007(pdf).
Repak have just launched an easy to use household Carbon Calculator using AMEE’s backend. Answer a few quick and easy questions and you are presented with a report outlining your current carbon footprint.
As well as estimating your carbon footprint, you also get a comprehensive series of recommendations on ways to reduce your CO2 emissions with handy information and tips such as:
- turn down your thermostat by just one degree – each degree drop can reduce your bill by 10%
- think about the temperature on your immersion heater – can you reduce this by a degree or two?
- as much as 15% energy (and CO2) savings can be achieved by turning down the brightness and contrast levels on your TV
- a laptop, on average, consumes around 30% of the power of a desktop, whilst in ‘on-mode’.
- a well-filled A-rated dishwasher load once a day will be more efficient than many kitchen sinks full of hot water, or a running tap, to wash many dishes
- digital radios consume up to 5 times the energy of a traditional analogue radio.
- travelling by rail will result in about a third of the CO2 emissions of the equivalent domestic or short-haul flight in Europe. A similar journey for two people in an average-sized car would result in under two thirds of the CO2 emissions compared with flying
This is a really cool resource to help people realise the impact their day-to-day activities are having on the environment. More importantly though the calculator goes the next logical step and gives practical advice on how to reduce those Kgs of CO2.
Thomas Bjelkeman says
If you travel by train in Norway or Sweden the CO2 emissions are virtually zero, as the power comes from hydropower or nuclear. Travelling with SJ in Sweden gives off 400 g for the trip between Stockholm and Gothenburg (456 km) for up to 300 passengers. About 1.5 g/passenger. http://snurl.com/240ic [www_sj_se]
In Sweden on many trains you also get Wifi onboard. http://snurl.com/240i6 [www_sj_se]
Travelling green can be pleasant!
Michael Read says
I have a wind up radio that is switchable between analogue and digital . I notice how much more effort is needed for recieving a digital signal and was wondering if this is true of all digital appliances. my concern is amplified by the digital switchover which now seems imminant in the uk for television. what if anything is possible to balance such a drain on the already strained grid system as we have now?