I was going to write on the subject of debt in this coming year, but I was struggling to write anything that didn’t come across as hectoring. Then something happened today that has emphasised the economics of going green. Going back about eight months ago, I was talking to a woman from my village about how much cheaper life can be by going green. As is usual I was given all the normal excuses about how expensive it is to be environmentally sound.
As I have lots of books on wildlife and I often find myself acting as a book borrowing service, a few days latter she called round with her son as he wanted to borrow a book for a school project. I offered her a cup of tea and as I brought them through her son commented on how quickly the kettle had boiled. This reopened the debate about saving energy.
I gave her a few tips like not filling the kettle but only boiling enough water for your immediate needs, washing clothes on the coolest wash cycle and washing only a full load. Then the debate came on to energy saving light bulbs, she said, that she didn’t like the colour of the light from them (I make no apology to my American reader for using the correct spelling of colour here), and why was I not practicing what I preached. I pointed out that the light in the room was an energy saving light bulb, as are all my lights.
I corrected her assumption that I was against using power or gadgets, just against the waste of energy. Anyway before she left I gave her four new bulbs and told her she could replace them once she had saved on her electricity bills the equivalent cost of buying them.
Then events took a bizarre twist, as her partner decided he didn’t approve of my friendship with her, and in some strange logic I was accused of being homosexual and being to familiar with his girlfriend. I was not sure if he was trying to say the she was a he or that he didn’t understand what the sexual preferences of gay men were. All I knew was that I was unlikely to get my books back.
Well today while out shopping in the village I bumped into her and her son. We exchanged pleasantries and she asked were I had moved to, she wanted to return the books. I told her, I also said that her partner would not approve. She said that was no longer a problem. We parted and just minutes after getting home she was knocking on my door. She was returning the books and the energy saving light bulbs.
While we savoured some fresh coffee, she told me that she had ditched the bloke. Further, she had followed some of my ideas, particularly as her son kept on prompting her too, and had started to seriously reduce her Electricity bills. In fact she now finds herself free of energy debt for the first time in over five years.
This lead her to start thinking about what else in her life was costing her money, and her now ex was another thing she ditched. As he was unemployed, she works, he was sitting around most of the day watching TV or playing computer games, and frequently drinking. For her just discovering that there was another way of thinking was an Eye Opener for her. She even suggested to her ex that he get an allotment, but his reaction was to accuse her of having an afire with that “Long Haired Freak” (Guess what I think I now know who my Cyber stalker was).
I never intended to disrupt any household, nor did I ever voice my distaste for her partner, but I am not unhappy to see her free of him. That said, during our conversation she reminded me that during one of our early encounters, in one of the public houses in the village, he had made the rather crass and stupid claim that he was unemployed because of all these (in his words) “Stupid Poles who cant speak English are coming over here and taking our jobs”. Well I retorted; “so your saying that someone who cant speak the language and is more stupid than you, is better at your Job!”
She realised at that point just how dumb her ex was and that she wanted more from life than supporting a deadbeat. Further, she started to understand that she was better than this. It has been something that I have seen locally, that there are many men who for one reason or another have just given up on trying to do anything positive for themselves. I suspect that it’s a national problem too. However, for her seeing me who at least tries to live a principled life and is prepared to stand up for what I believe in, empowered her to leave her ex.
Its rather a embarrassing experience for me but I am glad to discover that by her trying to embrace a greener life experience that I have at least inspired one person to make changes that have helped her and more importantly her son, who has, in her words, blossomed since kicking him into touch.
Now I doubt that going green will provide everyone with such a positive experienced, but you never know.
As I have lots of books on wildlife and I often find myself acting as a book borrowing service, a few days latter she called round with her son as he wanted to borrow a book for a school project. I offered her a cup of tea and as I brought them through her son commented on how quickly the kettle had boiled. This reopened the debate about saving energy.
I gave her a few tips like not filling the kettle but only boiling enough water for your immediate needs, washing clothes on the coolest wash cycle and washing only a full load. Then the debate came on to energy saving light bulbs, she said, that she didn’t like the colour of the light from them (I make no apology to my American reader for using the correct spelling of colour here), and why was I not practicing what I preached. I pointed out that the light in the room was an energy saving light bulb, as are all my lights.
I corrected her assumption that I was against using power or gadgets, just against the waste of energy. Anyway before she left I gave her four new bulbs and told her she could replace them once she had saved on her electricity bills the equivalent cost of buying them.
Then events took a bizarre twist, as her partner decided he didn’t approve of my friendship with her, and in some strange logic I was accused of being homosexual and being to familiar with his girlfriend. I was not sure if he was trying to say the she was a he or that he didn’t understand what the sexual preferences of gay men were. All I knew was that I was unlikely to get my books back.
Well today while out shopping in the village I bumped into her and her son. We exchanged pleasantries and she asked were I had moved to, she wanted to return the books. I told her, I also said that her partner would not approve. She said that was no longer a problem. We parted and just minutes after getting home she was knocking on my door. She was returning the books and the energy saving light bulbs.
While we savoured some fresh coffee, she told me that she had ditched the bloke. Further, she had followed some of my ideas, particularly as her son kept on prompting her too, and had started to seriously reduce her Electricity bills. In fact she now finds herself free of energy debt for the first time in over five years.
This lead her to start thinking about what else in her life was costing her money, and her now ex was another thing she ditched. As he was unemployed, she works, he was sitting around most of the day watching TV or playing computer games, and frequently drinking. For her just discovering that there was another way of thinking was an Eye Opener for her. She even suggested to her ex that he get an allotment, but his reaction was to accuse her of having an afire with that “Long Haired Freak” (Guess what I think I now know who my Cyber stalker was).
I never intended to disrupt any household, nor did I ever voice my distaste for her partner, but I am not unhappy to see her free of him. That said, during our conversation she reminded me that during one of our early encounters, in one of the public houses in the village, he had made the rather crass and stupid claim that he was unemployed because of all these (in his words) “Stupid Poles who cant speak English are coming over here and taking our jobs”. Well I retorted; “so your saying that someone who cant speak the language and is more stupid than you, is better at your Job!”
She realised at that point just how dumb her ex was and that she wanted more from life than supporting a deadbeat. Further, she started to understand that she was better than this. It has been something that I have seen locally, that there are many men who for one reason or another have just given up on trying to do anything positive for themselves. I suspect that it’s a national problem too. However, for her seeing me who at least tries to live a principled life and is prepared to stand up for what I believe in, empowered her to leave her ex.
Its rather a embarrassing experience for me but I am glad to discover that by her trying to embrace a greener life experience that I have at least inspired one person to make changes that have helped her and more importantly her son, who has, in her words, blossomed since kicking him into touch.
Now I doubt that going green will provide everyone with such a positive experienced, but you never know.
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