TRANSPORT:
- Less private cars – and a rise in electric cars for those left.
- A much better bus system – Cheaper, more frequent, on time. Buses should be very, very cheap. Think about how many people you’re sharing the fuel cost with?
- Car share – People giving lifts and even sharing cars.
- No short-haul flights! – No nipping from Bristol to Glasgow by plane when you could do it by train. Unless for real emergencies.
- Work on developing carbon-friendly aviation fuel/method – because planes are admittedly great in the travel they offer and it’d be a shame to lose that. But the amount of pollution they cause is just inexcusable.
WASTE:
- Mandatory recycling and composting – this might sound harsh, but I think people should actually be fined for putting recyclable material in the rubbish.
- Composting toilets – the newest designs can be indoor without smelling bad, and render the resulting compost completely harmless.
- Grey water recycling systems – where water from washing the dishes can be used to water the garden etc.
- Things should be designed to last – we’d have so much less rubbish without all this planned obsolescence idiocy. Also, things that will definitely become obsolete due to technological progress, such as wind turbines, computers, iPods etc, should be designed so they can be dismantled and the parts be reused/replaced.
I think it’s quite helpful to think about what changes to the world you would make if you could. Obviously I can’t wave a magic wand and make all these things I’ve just said come about, but I still like to write these kind of lists. It’s like giving some kind of focus, or idealistic to-do list.
It’s good to know what you’re aiming for.
Earth Baby 