Sustainability stories - Milton Keynes LM

Lee Taylor, Milton Keynes LM

Signing up to the 10:10 campaign was a real spur for me, making me think much more about how I use energy. I'd like to say it'd been systematic, but really, it's been going with the things that I've known I should do.

I've done some 'hard stuff' - investing in renewable energy, but perhaps much more importantly, I've also confronted and tried to get to terms with things I do every day. Getting 'rid of stuff' has been big. I've found that it's been energising, rather than hard work.

I thought hard about my house, and invested in double glazing and a large solar pv system (having done the more obvious cavity wall insulation and top up to the loft insulation in previous years). Both were significant outlays, but the solar energy feed-in tariff means that there will be a return on investment as well as the satisfaction of looking at the monitor daily to check how many kwatts have been generated, and how much carbon saved (even on grey winter days). Both felt major activities, but it was good to work with local companies, and, to be honest, neither was a major disruption for long. Getting them done also made me feel more energetic - and has led to a lot of clearing, and re-furbishing of things I know I'm influenced by matters in Zimbabwe, as a Trustee of a small charity, especially needs at the Quaker training centre at Hlekweni. I no longer take it for granted that water will flow if I turn the tap on, or that lights will come on. Experiencing life at Hlekweni has helped me establish my own raised vegetable beds, and has re-oriented my priorities for consumption. I am appalled that there is so much so cheap here that is so needed there. Taking stuff out on visits or getting container loads is worth doing, but not a sustainable global answer. 

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