www.everythingsgonegreen.co.uk

It’s that time of year again folks, it’s Buy Nothing Day.

Unless of course you’re in North America where it was Buy Nothing Day yesterday, to coincide with Black Friday, that day of retail mayhem where shoppers become so rabid with the hunger for cheap deals that this year a man was trampled to death by the consuming hordes!

The whole idea behind Buy Nothing Day is to just take time out from consuming. Whilst the UK economy is in fairly poor shape after the credit crunch and the country may well already be in recession, the Government is doing all manner of things to encourage people to spend money; tax & NI rebates from the botched abolition of the 10px tax band, a cut in VAT to 15% (albeit temporary) and the slashing of interest rates last month buy a surprisingly hefty 1.5%

Buy Nothing Day is the opposite of the crusade to increase consumer spending. Buy Nothing Day is trying to encourage us to actually spend less. Sure this may go against the grain of what is “best for the economy” but if we spend less, keep our credit cards tucked away and try and reduce the huge consumer debt level that this country has built up, then that may actually be more beneficial for the UK in the long run.

Personally? I have enough food and I don’t need any trivial consumer goods. Today I will need to put petrol in the car and I will spend money seeing a band tonight and buy a beer. As for the rest of the week? Well, I’ll probably have six Buy Nothing Days over the next seven days, so I think that’s cool. And the extra money that I save on my mortgage repayments? They’ll be ploughed into paying off my credit card. The VAT cut? It will probably save me a few pennies here & there on Christmas presents but not food (there’s no VAT on food, remember?)

But the spirit of the day is to get people to think about what they spend their cash on. Of course there will be negative connotations if people stop or slow down on their spending; selling less goods will result in staff layoffs and even shops closing. Whilst bigger retailers might be able to soak up some of the slack it’s the small independent retailers that I fear for.

So I’d urge wisdom to prevail in the concept of buying less; buy local wherever possible, support independent retailers, spend only what you have and don’t resort to credit. Think about what you buy and where you buy it from. Rather than simply tearing down our debt-ridden consumerist society I think it should be re-eductaed, re-shaped and re-built. The economic downturn, whilst painful, is a good time to take stock of how people buy and sell and we could well end up with a more sustainable model than the one we’ve been so used to of late.

I’ll admit it – I’m a petrol head. That may sound like utter hypocrisy for a man who runs a green website, but it’s the way I was brought up.

Like all boys I’ve always loved cars and when I had the opportunities to buy fast cars I did so. I still have them. One hasn’t done a single mile in 6 years and the other does over 30 miles to the gallon. I also do below average mileage, the cars are old but well-maintained and so I probably contribute far less CO2 into the environment than your average motorist, maybe half. That’s still a good score.

So when I see websites like PetrolPrices.com I sympathise to a certain extent with the motorists who are getting “caned” by increasing fuel costs and increasing government duty. In particular I feel sorry for those people who have to drive for a living. Haulage companies must have a terrible time with fuel costs going up year-on-year.

The other day they posted an item about the government being very stealthy over the tax on fuel. Whilst promising to freeze an increase in fuel duty for now the Government still intend for fuel duty to increase once the current economic situation is over. PetrolPrices.com have cottoned on to this and want motorists to fight against the future price increases.

Of course the reaction of most motorists is “naturally” one of disgust – the vast majority of petrol heads want cheaper petrol. But one brave soul went against the grain and said the following:

It’s time to end our addiction to oil and here’s how we can do it:

A Twelve-Step Plan to End Oil Addiction (courtesy of The Oil Drum)

1. Stop deluding ourselves. The era of cheap, readily-available oil has ended. Prices may fluctuate, but the underlying trend is up, up, up. We have to get used to using less.

2. Demand that politicians take the issue seriously. Make it an election issue. Don’t take ‘we’ve got everything under control’ as an answer.

3. Stop building new roads. They’re a monumental waste of money, time and effort. They encourage, rather than ease congestion and besides, the growth in car travel that’s used to justify them isn’t going to happen anyway.

4. Divert that money and effort into measures that address the challenges of oil depletion and climate change.

5. Make a major investment in public transport. It needs to be better, faster, more comfortable, more regular and more predictable. It needs to cater for everyone, not just peak-hour commuters though they need a better service as well.

6. Make a major investment in broadband internet to allow more people to work from home and change tax and business practices that discourage working from home. The more car trips we can avoid, the better.

7. Electrify transport where possible. We should be electrifying commuter rail where it is not already electric and using light rail (trams) in the cities. On the other end of the scale, electric bikes and scooters can make a big difference in our cities. And electric cars show promise, though there’s a lot of questions to be answered yet.

8. Don’t use cars unless there’s no alternative. Take the bus. Take the train. Switch to a scooter. Walk or cycle – both your wallet and your doctor will thank you.

9. Deal with other aspects of our oil dependence. Agriculture, for example, is highly dependent on oil. We’re going to need to change the way we grow and distribute food. Let’s get to work on that now, not wait until supermarket shelves start to empty.

10. Stockpile or manufacture vital products currently imported from overseas. When oil runs short, will that still be possible? Let’s take stock now and work out what we may need to start stockpiling or making (again) in the UK.

11. Think local. Ending our oil addiction isn’t just up to central government, though it can play its part. Communities can work together to make themselves more resilient. Join or start a Transition Towns group in your local area.

12. Accept reality. The age of cheap oil is over. It’s not coming back. As individuals and as a nation, we have to adapt.

He’s already been branded a fanatic by some people, but there are some good points there and the most important is that the age of cheap oil is over – get used to it and prepare yourselves for the new age. We’re going to have to be green whether we like it or not and some difficult decisions have to be made. At least if we can all change our attitudes and perceptions then the transition from oil-based economy to post-oil won’t be quite so painful. Infact some of us will be welcoming it.

Let’s just hope our politicians get their act together in order to make the transition more comfortable; it’s not going to be an easy task but dithering and burying their heads in the sand, is not an answer. Likewise talking about being green without the actions to back it up is also pretty poor. The British Government should take a MUCH bolder lead in their talk of being pioneers and innovators in new, clean and renewable energy and carbon-reduction. Let’s stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

Oh dear. It looks like George W Bush wants to rush through environmentally damaging changes to the Endangered Species Act. Clearly the man has no shame, no brain and absolutely no concern for the natural world in any shape or form.

This looks like it could be his last parting shot, a f**k you, if you will, to the people that have watched his tenure with continued astonishment.

If you’re in the oil, mining or logging industries, it looks like your old buddy Dubbya has handed you the keys to the wilderness on a silver platter.

This excerpt from the BBC News;

US environmentalists have accused President George W Bush of trying to rush through changes to the Endangered Species Act in his last days in office.

They say the changes could take away protection for animals and plants facing possible extinction.

The Bush administration wants to make it easier for drilling, mining and major construction projects to go ahead without a full scientific assessment.
Under current rules, the impact of such projects must be assessed by experts.

The changes proposed by the Bush administration would let federal agencies make the decisions without a full scientific assessment as to the likely impact on the environment.

Mr Bush has already been criticised by environmentalists for adding fewer than 10 species of plant and animals a year to the endangered list.
That contrasts with former President Bill Clinton, who added an average of 65 species a year.

Mr Bush has until Friday to publish the new rules, if they are to take effect before he leaves office.

If he presses ahead, environmental groups and some states are almost certain to challenge the decision in the courts.

President-elect Barack Obama will take office on 20 January, 2009.