Friends of the Earth
We went to a meeting of Friends of the Earth last night. Some reasonable ideas were put forward - but none very 'out of the box'. Our local group has done some sterling work - stopped the council selling off land that was given to the town for its people in perpetuity, helped set up a citizens science group that monitors air quality 24/7, planted ( Read more... )
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There is too much emphasis on the individual doing what they can, but we won't get serious change until it's government policy. Large scale green electricity production helps everyone, as you say, solar panels on your roof only help that household. And what about people whose houses face the wrong way? Or don't get sun due to being shaded by tall buildings or being in a valley?
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I also wonder if Solar is yesterday's power too. You'd think that being an island we could harness wave power - or offshore wind farms which apparently protect fish and clean up the waters as the boats can't do their bottom dredging of fish near them. It's certainly windy enough here to make me think we should go for wind rather than solar.
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We have some massive offshore wind farms up here in North Wales. They have turned out to be surprisingly good for fish etc. We also have hydroelectric power stations and of course a couple of pumped storage stations where they use spare electricity at night to pump water up into a top reservoir and then release it either at peak times or when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining. Wales is currently producing more green energy than it uses and England takes the spare capacity, though I don't think they pay for it.
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Doing something about greywater is very important. I despair of finding a good solution in densely urbanized areas. Supposing I collected all my greywater - where on earth would I put it? (EDITED TO ADD: so, for urban areas, the solution may have to be at the municipal water treatment level.)
Solar panels may not be the answer for people of limited means, but to my way of thinking anything that is an overall reduction in fossil fuel consumption is a public good so I wouldn't discourage it. Other solutions may be required for people who can't afford the installation, or - if that is subsidized - the upkeep.
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Solar farms or wind farms rather than individuals carrying solar panels. Or even towns/cities putting solar panels on all their buildings - provided of course they were linked to the grid rather than just for single use.
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When it comes to grey water collection - the tank wouldn't need to be that big. It would, perhaps, go where water tanks are kept now - in the attic in the UK or basements in the US or underground in gardens. I picked it up from watching off grid homes in the US and then from having a septic tank rather than mains drainage when we were on the farm. Tanks would fit in gardens/yards - underground. They need a form of cleansing - sand is the most common one - but as the water would then be used for everything other than drinking it would be a pretty circular system. How many gallons do household water tanks hold - (genuine question as I don't know). In the UK at least most washing machines, dishwashers and showers now heat water as needed rather than stored in a hot water cylinder - but it could go to be heated in the tank if necessary. Just thoughts - hoping someone gets a viable idea from my meanderings.
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