Redland Bristol CRAG
In 2006 some of us tried calculating our carbon emissions. The exercise was immensely confusing, because of all the different units used.
Then we discovered the national CRAG network.
So we formed our own CRAG, and from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2010 we counted our carbon. Here’s how we did it;
- we counted personal travel (including commuting) and home energy, using the very easy CRAG calculator sheet (paper and pencil or excel version).
- we gave our figures to Alex who kept a simple spreadsheet of totals
- our aim in 2007/08 was less than 4,500kgs CO2 each, which we all achieved.
- For 2008/09 each of us has set a target that meant we reduced further, but this time we didn’t all have the same absolute level. This way we made sure that new members who may only just be starting to make changes can join with higher allowances.
Why did we bother?
- once you know that your resource intensive life is threatening the lives of future generations the you face a choice. You can pretend it’s not true, or that you’re not really responsible, or you can feel bad about it, or you can change it.
- if you want to change it then you need to be sure that what you are doing is worthwhile, and not counterproductive – the knowledge and expertise that exists within the CRAG network means you have a much better chance of making the right changes, and you can measure it. It’s not just about carbon, but also about local resilience and protecting biodiversity.
- doing it as part of a group makes it a pleasure not a sacrifice, you learn a lot and you discover that some changes are dead easy
- low carbon living and cutting our dependency on fossil fuels makes economic sense, so far from being about self-sacrifice it is in our long term self-interest
We found that the CRAG was a really helpful thing to do. After three years, our carbon figures had plateaud, and our learning had peaked. Doing the quarterly figures then had about the same reward as doing a tax return and we’d rather be volunteering on the Community Farm or looking after the Orchard. So that’s where we are.