1 EAGLETON NOTES: I Am an Ecological Vandal (Apparently).

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Friday 16 May 2014

I Am an Ecological Vandal (Apparently).

I have often been accused of being an ecological vandal and having far too large a carbon footprint.  I live alone but I have two homes on opposite sides of the globe and I use an aircraft to commute between them.  I have two cars.  In fact I have two of most possessions where others only have one and often that one is shared between a whole family.  In other words I utilise a far greater quantity of the earth's resources than I would do if I had an ounce of green in me.  I've never really seen it like that but I am making no attempt at defence.

However even I was a little surprised at the carbon footprint of a purchase I made this week.  I use plastic storage boxes (a non-green thing to do anyway) and the ones I use in New Zealand are  designed and made there and are far superior to the ones that I use here in Scotland.  Needing some more I ordered some of the same design and make as the ones that I use in NZ.  They arrived this afternoon.  Much to my surprise they are not made in Europe under licence but are made in NZ and transported here.  They do not stack so take up a huge amount of space for their value.  So not only do I use plastic boxes but I use plastic boxes with a huge carbon footprint.

Would that stop me buying more?  I'm sad to say that it wouldn't.



If you are wondering why I think they are so superior it is because the clip is on the base and clips onto the rigid lid.  The others all seem to have the clips on the lid and eventually the less rigid sides of the box make it less easy for the clips to hold.

25 comments:

  1. I have to agree with you, these are great storage containers! So I guess that makes me less ecologically friendly as well ;-) But quality has to come first I'm afraid and really this whole carbon footprint thing is a load of old codswallop anyway if you really read into it...I could say more, but it is late.

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    1. Because of course something that is quality, generally lasts longer so inevitably will have LESS of a carbon footprint...is another way to look at it.

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    2. As a Kiwi, Serenata, I thought you would appreciate this post. The design is so superior to most others I have used. The problem with carbon footprints for many of us is that they don't really appear to achieve anything. They do, however, provide considerable income for NGAs and Governments. Cynical? Moi? Perhaps a reader who is better informed can provide enlightenment.

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  2. Wow, that is very clever, really...just a simple thing, to have clip on the bottom rather than the top, but it makes much more sense.
    And I agree with the commenter above. If you use something for years, then that is LESS of a carbon footprint.

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    1. That's an angle I hadn't previously considered Kay but it's certainly a valid one from which I shall take comfort.

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  3. Dear Graham, you are very welcome to consider me not owning a car your excuse for owning two - sort of you can have "my" car :-)
    You are also welcome to have "my" plastic storage containers. I only have two or three of my own, and they are very rarely used, since I only cook when RJ is here, and then we eat up everything we prepare.

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    1. Ah thank you so much Meike. I can use some of your carbon credits? Is that how it works I wonder? On a practical note I do use them a lot for the fridge and freezer but I also store things in them in cupboards (e.g. pasta and other loose foodstuffs).

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    2. As daft as it sounds I think that is basically how carbon credits work, although companies usually sell them rather than giving them away

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  4. Let us hope they are made from recycled plastic.

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  5. I agree having the catch on the box not the lid is much better. Most of our smaller food boxes have the catch on the lid and they drive me nuts, especially when they break so I'll have to look out for these. If you want larger storage then I can recommend the Really Useful Boxes -- we use these throughout the house for storing stuff.

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    1. Mark I am a tidy storage fanatic. I have storage boxes for everything. I have a loft full of Really Useful Boxes full of really unuseful things. The rest of the things in the loft (except books which are on shelves) are in the folding plastic crates. In addition to those being used I have an inordinate quantity which used to have things in but which now sit (folded!) in a pile at least 4 feet hight in the garage. Those and plastic stacking crates that I also have are used by friends when they move houses or things. I could start a hire business!

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  6. The voice of good sense - thank heavens! Besides, even you can't drive two cars at once, GB, so your so-called footprint is the same as that of the rest of us, presumably.

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    1. Thank you Frances (assuming your first sentence was a reference to my words).

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  7. Those storage boxes are quite nice......and at least they're BPA free so don't stress too much about your purchase.
    There are lots of other ways to reduce your carbon footprint in other areas of your life.....it's quite impossible to have a zero carbon footprint, so please don't stress too much my friend.
    I do however like the idea of carbon credits....made me smile.

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    1. At last. I've been unable to comment on this post for a day or so. Not sure why but it's suddenly okay again.

      Virginia I suppose that we could all go and fight for the last few remaining caves and live the simple life again. Until we have to though it just isn't going to happen. Carbon credits do actually exist between countries but I'm sure that someone will find a way of trading them between individuals in due course. After all where someone can make a buck out of an idea (often by being a consultant) then there is always a way of persuading politicians.

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  8. GB, I agree -- these containers from Sistema are fantastic! Actually, I think they are green, because they do a better job of keeping food fresh, which is less wasteful. And since they can be washed and reused, they are more economical than the plastic bags that are thrown away. I just discovered them in a couple of stores here, and promptly bought myself a few. Now I am coveting the two-part lunch box type, with space for a sandwich on top, and salad below, with a tiny little jar for the dressing, and a little fitted fork and a knife, Since I am retired, I probably wouldn't use it as much as I would've if I were still working, but I keep thinking what a neat system the whole thing is. So I don't think you're un-green at all! Anything which can be reused comes under the heading of "recyclable" in my book. xoxox DeeDee

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    1. I haven't seen that box DeeDee but then I haven't been looking for one. Having said that it would have been perfect for the days I used to take my lunch to the croquet lawns. They are superb for keeping stuff fresh and they do seem to last for ever too.

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  9. I'm sure I've said it beforebut I'll say it again: I haven been in an airplane for 35 years so you're welcome to my "share" as well. And I have no car either as you know. On the other hand I have to confess I never paid any attention to where my plastic containers were made. Probably China or Taiwan! Seems to me that's where most things are produced, even if designed in Sweden... I think few of us are able to keep in mind more than SOME of all these environmental things... I know people who are quite obsessed with buying only fairtrade coffee or bananas for example... but still flying around the world on holidays leaving those airmile footprints.

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    1. There was a time Monica when I flew most weeks but that ended some time ago. Having said that it's unusual for more than a couple of months to go by without me flying. I've just worked out that in the last 12 months I've flown at least 18 sectors and probably covered around 30,000 miles. Fairtrade coffee and bananas can still have a large carbon footprint. New Zealand is pretty good from that point of view. Most fresh food in the supermarkets in Napier was seasonal and NZ. In the UK fresh food is not seasonal and comes from anywhere in the world all your round.

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    2. I suppose bananas and coffee might not be the best example (as they can't be grown in our climate so have to be imported if we are to have them at all). I guess the point I was trying to make was more to do with how hard it is to be absolutely consistent in our lifestyle, though.

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  10. Regarding carbon footprints, I find I only make them when walking through the remains of a garden bonfire but if I walk on the vegetable patch I make soil footprints and if I walk on a beach I make sand footprints. So my advice to reduce carbon footprints is simply to avoid tramping through the ashes of dead bonfires. Oh and - empty plastic boxes? Whatever turns you on sir.

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    1. Empty plastic boxes certainly turn me on YP: because I can fill them.

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  11. Strange how people elsewhere have not realised that this is a better way to do it!

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    1. Jenny, having just had to dispose of two boxes which just wouldn't clip shut any more I certainly now look more carefully at design of such items. Garlic presses are often badly designed too (says I from experience last week).

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