OVERCOMING GREEN FATIGUE (1)

26-06-2008

In the first of a series of inspirational stories about West Midlands eco-pioneers, Barbara Panvel visits Hall Green in Birmingham.

Since returning from Australia nearly twenty years ago Bill Clarke has been leading an increasingly low carbon lifestyle in Hall Green. He is obviously thriving on his frugal lifestyle.

Long before most even thought of doing so, he was recycling most of the minimum amount of water he uses, reducing electricity consumed and recycling paper, glass, and aluminium. He remembers getting the first large low energy light bulb, then costing a punitive £14. Bill walks and cycles, using public transport for long journeys.

More recently he has begun to grow fruit and vegetables, using water collected in butts, compost from his bins and wormery and comfrey-based liquid manure.

Last year he tried to persuade members of the West Midlands New Economics Group to change to Ecotricity, the world's first renewable energy company & largest alternative electricity supplier in Europe.

Ecotricity takes the money their customers spend on electricity and invests it in clean forms of power like wind energy.

They are the only green electricity company actually building these new renewable energy sources and have 13 wind parks operating with 13 more at the planning stage.

The burning of fossil fuels to make electricity is the single greatest cause of climate change in our country today, and Bill points out that the biggest positive contribution you can make is also the easiest - simply change to this electricity supplier.

Not one WMNEG member did as he asked – though all seemed to agree it was the right thing to do.

However in a few months time at least one will do this and make other changes – and we’ll be hearing about her shortly.

Will her approach ‘work’ for others as well?

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR LIFESTYLE TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT? TELL US MORE ON THE STIRRER FORUM