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EASY ECO AUDITING – Reviewed by John Meakin ACA, our Resident Green Accountant
Donnachadh McCarthy, is the UK’s top eco consultant”. from celebrities and charities to small buisnesses, Donnachadh has advised hundreds of people and organisations on how to eco audit their lifestyle and become greener. Donnachadh was the eco-auditor on the hit BBC2 series “It Is Not Easy Being Green, ITVS How Green is Your House” and Skys “Green Britain Week”. He is a freelance environmental journalist writing for The Independent and The Guardian. His home became one of the first homes in London to actually become climate positive.
Donnachad's excellent summary of the basic science of climate change, why it is a problem and what we can all do about it, both at work and individually. I like it because it also explains how climate change and carbon emissions cannot be looked at in isolation – life on earth is inextricably interconnected, and so we must look after the natural world as well. His chapters on water, waste and nature show this clearly.
The book gives lots of good tips and advice on how to do things in a more eco-friendly way, going into great detail on a lot of issues, (although I noticed that he has not mentioned floor insulation).
And the last chapter gives a fascinating account of what he has done in his own life to reduce his environmental footprint.
On the negative side, some of his general environmental views and policies need questioning.
Nuclear power is dismissed, but is now seen as an essential part of the solution in the short term by an increasing number of environmentalists. He says that supplies of uranium will only last 50 years, but, according to James Lovelock, “uranium is not a rare element and even if it cost as much as gold this would barely affect the price of electricity produced in a modern power station”. The author also says that we wouldn’t be able to build enough power stations to make a serious impression on emissions. If the French can build one in less than 5 years, then we could build several very quickly.
I would also question his assertion that his home is carbon negative. This is based principally on the fact that he attributes zero CO2 emissions to his wood burner, which accounts for the bulk of his heating and therefore energy consumption. The actual CO2 released when burning wood is something like 50% more than gas. His premise is that these emissions are cancelled out because a tree is immediately planted to replace the one he has just burnt. But a tree takes many years to grow and soak up the CO2 that has been released in a much shorter time, so the net impact is initially a release of CO2 into the atmosphere which is only clawed back over a long (too long?) period of time. Would it not be better to leave the trees standing, plant more, and use gas, or, better still, nuclear whilst we develop and build suitable renewable energy sources? We need to look a lot more closely at the “carbon payback” of doing things before we make important and influential assertions.
The issue of meat consumption was generalised, but it makes a huge difference as to whether animals are reared on natural grasslands unsuitable for growing crops or reared by intensive grain feeding methods. And farm animals produce manure which we need to fertilise vegetables and other crops, rather than using oil-base fertilisers. A balance needs to be struck, but I agree that the developed world is consuming too much intensively reared meat, particularly beef, and methane emissions from cattle need to be significantly reduced. It should be noted that a high proportion of British produced meat is from animals NOT reared by intensive grain fed methods, and much of the rest is fed on by-products anyway.
Food miles is another tricky area. It has been estimated that, on average, the transport component of the carbon footprint of an item of food is only 10%. Therefore, we must look at the other 90% before we take a decision based purely on food miles. The method of food production is a major factor. For example, New Zealand lamb supposedly has a lower carbon foot print than English lamb despite being transported half way around the world. This is, I believe, because there is no requirement for supplemental feeding in New Zealand. As a general rule, however, lower food miles will probably mean a lower carbon footprint, and a lot of other issues mean more local food production is generally a good thing.
In summary, I think the book is an excellent piece of work on the subject of climate change and how to go about tackling it, but the reader should question certain broader assumptions made by the author in connection with reducing one’s carbon footprint and, as with all issues relating to climate change, do their own research on these issues before jumping to any conclusions.
This book provides a step-by-step guide to going green by the UK’s leading eco-auditor. It explains why going green matters and how to get started, including tips on identifying and overcoming bad habits and coping with feeling overwhelmed. The book breaks eco living down into easily managed chunks, including how to change your water usage habits, how to saying goodbye to your rubbish mountain, what you can do to help save and protect your natural environment, green cleaning principles and how to motivate your family, friends and colleagues. With advice on principles to follow both at home and at work, this is the one-stop eco guide everyone must own. Donnachadh’s ambition for this book is that it be the essential handbook for amateur activists to green up their school, workplace or home.
Book: Easy Eco-auditing – “How to make your home and workplace planet friendly”
Paperback published by Hamlyn’s Gaia Press, February 2008.
Reviewed by John Meakin, ACA
(If you have any comments or questions for John look at The Green Accountant Blog)
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