Zero Emissions Life

Flying is the area that causes me the most dilemmas in trying to achieve zero emissions. I know that flying causes the most greenhouse gas emissions per km travelled . Flying also causes problems when the emissions are released in the higher altitudes.  One way to achieve zero emissions on long distance travel is to not fly at all. However, this is difficult in a country as big as Australia which has a poor rail network. I currently travel outside of Canberra for holidays, visiting family, walking trips and attending music festivals or events. My current goal is to limit the amount of flying I do and explore alternatives to flying. If both my partner and I are travelling together within Australia, we normally use the electric car. This has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, compared to using trains or flying. Greenhouse gas emissions will arise from using recharging stations that are powered by electricity generated from fossil fuels. Most recharging stations have a goal of being pow

After considering electric cars for several years, I decided to get serious about it in 2021. In 2021, my partner and I shared a car – a 10 year old Toyota Camry Hybrid. We considered two options for purchasing an electric car: Buying an electric car that would travel at least 400 kms between charges so that the new car could replace the Toyota Camry. The starting price for such an electric car was over $60,000. We looked closely at the Tesla model 3 and the Hyundai Kona. Buying an electric car for driving around Canberra and keeping the Toyota Camry primarily for long trips. The starting price for a new electric car was $46,000 (MG ZS EV) and there were some second hand options. We decided that option 1 was preferred as it meant we continued to just have the one car which we shared. I researched charging stations and decided it was feasible that an electric car which could travel at least 400 kms would meet our long distance travel needs. We then test drove the Tesla model 3 and Hyund

Transport is already the most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the ACT. It is also fast becoming the major contributor in the rest of Australia as the electricity sector is increasingly using renewable energy.  I have three major strategies for reducing my greenhouse gas emissions related to transport: Prioritise walking and riding a bike – to assist this, I purchased an electric bike Buying an electric car – this is shared with my partner Limiting flying for long distance travel I discuss the first in this blog post. I will discuss the second and third in my next two blog posts. In order to limit emissions from transport, I adopt the following strategy for moving around Canberra: Use online communication (e.g. Zoom) to avoid traveling at all. One of the lasting benefits of COVID is everyone’s willingness to embrace using online communication. Walk or ride an electric bike if the destination is within about 2 kms e.g. My local shops is about 1.5 kms away and I am

I am very happy that we installed solar panels so that the electricity we use in our house comes from renewable sources and we are not contributing any emissions. This is particularly important as electricity generation is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. We use the solar panel generated electricity to power as much as possible during the day including the heat pump, dishwasher and electric car. In addition, we export more electricity to the grid than we take from the grid.  First solar panels In 2012, we installed 1.7Kw of solar panels on our north facing wall. At that time solar panels were expensive but have since dropped dramatically in price and capacity. This installation helped us to reduce our electricity costs especially as we were on a preferential rate designed to encourage take-up of solar panels. This preferential rate expired in 2020. I learnt a lot about purchasing solar panels from this experience. I did not do enough research on this instal

I was extremely disappointed to learn that Redcycle have suspended collecting soft plastics from Coles and Woolworths. For those who may not know, Redcycle was a company that installed bins in large supermarkets into which you could place soft plastics (mostly packaging). Redcyle then arranged for collection and passed them to two companies to turn the soft plastics into recycled products like playground equipment. The first company had experienced a fire and meant they could no longer take the soft plastics. The second company had trouble selling the products they were making – there was no market for the recycled products. This is an example of how our recycling system is not working. I do everything possible to try and reduce the amount of soft plastics I generate, because every piece of soft plastic has required oil or gas to be burnt, generating emissions. I shop at a bulk food store for staples like flour, rice, dried fruits and nuts, where I use my own containers. I buy fruit a

Hello, and thanks for taking the trouble to come on over and read my blog. As this is my first post, allow me to introduce myself. I live in Canberra, Australia. I am “retired”, although I hate that term. I am kept busy by volunteering with a number of organisations.  I have a long term interest in the environment and sustainability. I am deeply concerned about the impact the increase in greenhouse gas emissions is having on our planet. I am particularly concerned for the world my children and grandchildren will grow up in. The recent bushfires and floods are an indicator of what the world will increasingly face if we don’t reduce emissions. My partner and I have implemented a number of changes designed to reduce emissions. Prior to the changes, we were like many households: burning gas for heating, hot water and cooking and burning oil in our car.  I have the advantage in that I live in Canberra where 100% of the electricity comes from renewable sources.   The changes that have made t