Firstly, many apologies for my silence over the Christmas period, I have been very busy travelling back and forth between various family members and have only just returned to a ‘state of work’…
Secondly, I’d like to wish everyone a happy new year. It is at this time of the year that we make ‘new years resolutions’ and this leads me on to my first post of 2012. One of my main interests is understanding how we can spread effective environmental messages and, in a way, influence those around us into making small but necessary changes for the good of the environment.
A conclusion I made from my university dissertation/final year project (under-grad) in 2010, was that people tend to sit up and take notice of ‘green’ initiatives when they are financially beneficial. People that I spoke to during the data collection of that project included members of the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Broads Authority and local councils. These are the types of organisations that are responsible for maintaining and looking after our environment in the UK. They told me that one of the ways they get businesses in the local area (Norfolk/Suffolk) to take up green initiatives / schemes is not by telling them that they’re great for the environment, but by telling them that they’re financially rewarding. At the end of the day, many local businesses have to look at their (financial) bottom line first.
When I stumbled across this blog yesterday http://splodzblogz.co.uk/2012/01/04/no-more-standby/ it instantly struck me as an amazing idea that could be implemented in businesses and homes across the UK. It’s one of those ‘every little helps’ technologies, that many people will say, “What difference is one little plug going to make..?” or “This will probably save me about 3p, so what’s the point…?”
Well when you consider how many electrical items you have in your house that you leave on standby.. TV, Sky box, stereo system, laptop/desk-top computer…. and then you think how much electricity is wasted (for the environment and your bank balance)… and then you multiply how many houses there are on your street, all with the same standby problem… and then you multiply how many local shops, libraries, schools that all leave TV’s and computers on standby 24/7… well maybe you see my point.
Perhaps it’s because I have a green thought process, or maybe I just realised what a beneficial idea these ‘intelliplugs’ are but I made sure that I ordered one straight away. FOR £3. Absolute bargain, straight from Eon. I think it would be a lovely gesture by Eon to offer these plugs free to all of their customers, or for local councils to buy a bulk load of these plugs and send them out to businesses. However, if Eon or your local council won’t do this then maybe, just maybe more of us can make a ‘green’ new years resolutions and invest in one of these little devices to go some way to doing our bit for the environment.
Jack Whaley.
I am a freelance environmental author with an MSc and BSc in Environmental Sciences from The University of East Anglia. Just trying to develop social media as an effective platform for communicating and engaging with people on all things green... Please get in touch with me if you are interested, I am willing to discuss any proposals.
jacksenvironment 
Thanks for the mention Jack – it’s a great little device, so simple and help us look after those pennies (and the environment).