Category: energy

Are You Ready For Hot Weather?

This week they have announced that mid-July is likely to see several days of hot weather with temperatures over 40 degrees C in the UK. This is a startling piece of news which illustrates the massive impact that global warming is having on our climate. It is time for us to get ourselves ready for hot weather by planning to take reasonable precautions.

While it may be nice weather for BBQs, even they produce pollution.

In June, which has been a record breaking month, daily temperatures were about five degrees higher than previous years. Various weather experts have commented on a distinct raise in average June temperatures. ITV Weather reminded us that average June temperatures in 1940 were 14.9 degrees C. Quite a big change over the last 80 years is clearly linked to rising levels of pollution.

Be Prepared

We all have to think about ways to prepare for any forthcoming heatwave. Relatives may struggle, especially the elderly. Animals may also find it tricky to handle such extremely high temperatures. There are many things we can do to get ready for the 40 degree days though.

– We can avoid long journeys, working from home if possible.

– Ensure we have plenty of chilled drinks ready so that we can avoid dehydration,

– Wear sunscreen and cover our heads with hats or ensure we have sunshades.

– Stay out of the sun and only go out before midday and after 3pm if possible. Any time spent in direct sunlight should be kept to less than twenty minutes at a time.

Moving On…

The real headache is planning for the future. We know that temperatures will continue to increase and this curve will only be broken if we take dramatic action to reduce pollution.

Surely, with so many negative things happening, governments have received a wake up call. Huge wildfires in Canada and Australia, melting ice at the Poles, crop shortages and flooding in central Europe and Pakistan… The list goes on and on.

Final Thoughts

I really hope that we can start to take helpful steps in reducing global emissions and undoing the damage that we have done. Hopefully you are ready for hot weather. But is the world ready for a blisteringly hot future?

Have a look at my Hot Weather Poem for more on this matter. Please consider following my blog for similar future posts.

Ecofriendly Messages From The Past

This is my link post to our April Climate Change Collective article which was expertly written by Smelly Socks and Garden Peas. Reflecting on the past and the way that our grandparents used to live really made me think about how sustainable some of their methods were.

Check out the April Climate Change Collective post here:

Returning to Past Habits (Climate Change Collective Post 9)

My Family

I am from the same region as @AndSmelly and love the ways of life that she describes. My nan always talks about keeping chickens and growing her own food and to some extent she still does. She used to grow potatoes, strawberries, onions, carrots, runner beans and until recently had asparagus growing in her garden.

Although now she has a neighbour helping her with the bit that is left, she has always loved cultivating fresh produce from that beautiful Fenland soil. Me too. Even chips taste better when they are home grown.

Repurposing

My grandad always said, “Clear your plate and be grateful for it.” In his household they were always struggling to feed the family and so he got used to making sure any morsel was munched. He had a lifestyle that involved shopping around, going to car boot sales and finding things to make into other things, including furniture.

My mum has now taken on this mantle and finds ways to use old materials to make new things. I need to do more of this and already repair old clothes and recycle any materials I can BUT I need to do more.

My school friend moved to Scotland and is now setting up a sustainable home farm. She was recently on a TV show because of her brilliant ideas. Here is one of her articles about repurposing and reusing:

Reuse & Repurpose

My Thoughts

I actually learned a lot from this week’s article from @AndSmelly and hope that you will check it out. As a result of this I am going to investigate how to reuse cooking water on the garden and using one of my raised beds to grow some vegetables.

Thank you for checking out this post and looking at what the Climate Change Collective have been up to. We enjoy discussing practical ways to aid the reversal of global warming. If any fellow bloggers want to join our group please tweet us or drop a message below.

Residential Solar Panels – My Thoughts

The Climate Change Collective – Latest Post – Installing and Running Residential Solar Panels

Free WordPress image

It is time to celebrate the latest post from ‘The Climate Change Collective’ of bloggers. This month it was Krista’s turn to produce the lead article and she has really inspired me. Talking about her own experience of adding solar panels, she highlights the impact.

Krista has found a big reduction in her power bills. Her post also clearly demonstrates how much this affects the environment. For instance, her solar panels have reduced 12.99 tonnes of CO2 emissions and potentially saved a number of trees. Any excess power generated contributes to the National Grid.

The latest environmental article:

Residential Solar Panels 2022 – Year in Review

Read more about how Krista found the fitting and inclusion of solar panels at home. She added more panels two years after the initial instillation when she realised the potential.

My Thoughts

This is the dream for me to have solar panels and I am setting money aside for this. They are extremely expensive in the UK but hopefully will become more accessible soon.

There are many flat fields of solar panels in my county. However, one large solar panel site was blocked recently. Apparently politicians considered it an eye-sore. I am sorry but looks don’t matter. To me, coal and gas power stations aren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing either.

In A Nutshell

Encouraging putting solar panels on houses should be a government priority. Prices should be reduced and grants available. This is a brilliant thing to do, after all.

The Climate Change Collective started from a conversation between Michelle (Boomer EcoCrusader) and myself. We have asked other likeminded bloggers to get involved and now have a passionate, growing community.

If you would like to involve your blog, please drop a comment or tweet one of us. Make sure you check out our latest blog post from Krista at a sustainably simple life.