If I could start a movement

 In previous post I talked about writing about an idea, an idea to start a movement. I suggested a very simple aim: To leave the world in a better state than we found it. 

This is an environmental challenge but it is also a socio-economic one too. It's about a sustainable and equitable world. More and more wealth is being concentrated in a decreasing proportion of the population.  A little bit of research shows that in 2018 there were over 2,000 billionaires worldwide. That was an increase of 40% in a 5 year period. But that's not the only significant figure. The wealthy saw their wealth grow at a staggering rate. Elon Musk, for example, added over $120 billion to his fortune in 2021 alone.

Clearly our economic systems are skewed and it might be time we asked whether billionaires ought to exist at all in an equitable economic landscape. But money and wealth are not the only problem. The burden of government policy also has a role to play as do some parts of the media. Much of our (UK) recent government policies have disproportionally impacted the poorer parts of our communities. One simple example is that if you're not earning enough to pay income tax, then either raising the threshold for paying tax or lowering the rate of tax (particularly at the high end) doesn't benefit you at all. Whereas rating the levels of VAT or duty does. 

So something needs to change and we may need to be willing to pay more in order to make those changes. Of course some parts of the media will always present ideas that seek to bring about such change as a danger to the very fabric of our lifestyles. But the bottom line is that if we are going to make the sort of wholesale changes that are needed to avert the climate emergency and create a more sustainable and equitable future, it has to be properly funded and the rich are going to have to pay their share. 

Having said all of that, what might this movement look like? Here are some thoughts.

What is the core idea?

To harness and leverage the skills, knowledge and influence of the “retired” generation to campaign and work to leave the planet in a better place than when we inherited it. Working together we add our collective voice to those of the younger generation to encourage, and support their efforts to bring about a more sustainable and equitable world.

The How

In no apparent order, here are some ideas:

• Encourage personal change

We can’t change the world as individuals and yet we can’t wait for someone else to charge it for us. The change begins with us. If we make small, individual changes (fly less often, choose a hybrid or electric car, lower the thermostat etc) we can contribute to a collective movement for change.

• Be trendsetters and let others follow
• Challenge business and government to be bold
• Invest ethically and environmentally
• Learn to repair and recycle stuff (I saved us over £300 by repairing a Kenwood Chef mixer!)
• Develop a course if you have skills to pass on. 
• Become better informed about climate science, economics, alternative energy.
• Change one product you purchase regularly for a sustainable alternative.

Bigger ideas?

• Arrange web based seminars on topics like climate, finance etc. 
• Find resources to help inform/act/change
• Build community based action groups
• Engage with environmentally positive business/projects. Eg wind farms, solar farms.

Can this happen? It can if we make the effort. 

Bigger things to do

 Some things are simple, fairly inexpensive things we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint. Some things fall into a more expensive category. Here are some we've done.

1. Invest in a solar array. We had solar panels fitted in 2018 or 19 (I can't quite remember). We also had a battery storage system fitted (2.4Kw). Our array can generate up to 4Kw (the maximum you can have in the UK when it's connected to the grid system). The cost of the system fully installed was around £6000. We've saved around 33% on our grid electricity usage, dropping from 3500kwh to 2500kwh. At current rates, that's about £200 a year for us. We also export some power to the grid which I think gives us around £150 a year back. Over the expected lifetime of the system it's doubtful that it will pay for itself, but that's not why we did it.

2. Invest in a wind farm. Not as crazy as it might sound. In the UK there's an organisation called Ripple Energy. They allow you to buy shares in a cooperative that builds and runs wind farms. you get savings back through your supplier. Compared to solar panels it's cheaper and of course you can take it with you when you move unlike a solar array. There's a limit to how much you can invest, but because you can take it with you, it will pay for itself eventually. 

3. Go EV. We bought an EV recently. Again it was an environmental decision rather than a financial one. Although having said that the EV we chose (Vauxhall Mokka e) was a very similar price to our Toyota CHR hybrid. The running costs are much lower (no road fund licence at the moment, no petrol), On the road in the UK it was about £32000 new. Not a cheap option. We had a home charge-point fitted and generally the car gets charged once a week or maybe 10 days.  electricity prices as they are it costs around £10-11 to charge the car at home. That gives me around 160-180 miles. Compare that to my hybrid that would use about £50-60 of fuel and it's still good value.

4. Add cavity wall insulation. We've had a quote of £1400 to insulate our 3 bed-semi. 

5. Replace the double glazing. We have DG but we could replace it with something more efficient for around £6000.

So none of these things are cheap, and some maybe more cost-effective or have a better RTO (return on investment). You have to decide what is best for you and why you are doing some things. Is it environmental or is it about reducing your bills.