Graeme Green-er

Our Lass and I do try to be as environmentally and ecologically aware as possible. At least for a given value of 'possible'. We have moved into a well-insulated home which, although heated by oil, has an efficient condensing boiler. The house isn't too big for our needs, so we are using and heating as little room as necessary. The garden is large by the standards of what we had become used to when living in a city and, whilst we no longer put food out for birds (there's loads of natural and farmed habitat where they can find sustenance), we do try to leave a bit of the garden as a wild area. Actually, that's a big fib... most of the garden is wild!

Yours Truly caught on camera by a visiting Second Born

We are able to recycle the majority of our household waste: glass, paper, cardboard, tin and some plastic through a fortnightly collection; and garden waste, clothing and beverage cartons by taking them to the local recycling centre.

When it comes to what we eat, our rules are as local as possible, as sustainable as possible and then as organic as possible.

Food waste is kept to a minimum by planning meals, freezing bulk purchases and creative use of leftovers (I'm quite proud of my 'sad salad drawer' stir fry!).

But I have to admit that I have an Achilles' heel that drives roughshod through all our good environmental works. 'Drives' and 'roughshod' being rather apt. For about fifteen years, my transport of choice has been a succession of 4x4 vehicles, all rather useful for transporting all manner of what have you and excellent for wildlife watching. However, they're a bit heavy on the juice and, consequently, on the pocket. What to do, eh?

Sometimes, you just have to stand back and look at the numbers. Lives change, time moves on, the shifting sands of technological advances smother the unwary and one day you wake up and realise that there is a different way.

So, those numbers...

Old 4x4

With some careful driving, I manage about 34mpg from the truck (which equates to about £2500/year in fuel), but those carbon dioxide emissions contaminate both the atmosphere and my bank account (£285/year). And it's not the cheapest thing to insure, even in Orkney.

The gas guzzler just has to go, to be replaced with a smaller, more fuel-efficient car. Perhaps all the re-appraising that has occurred during the past year has made this decision a little easier.
  

Newer replacement

Hmmm, this looks a bit healthier all round. Reducing fuel costs by more than fifty per cent at a stroke. With emissions below 100g/km, there's no road tax to pay, and I also make a saving of £100 a year on insurance premiums. Winner!

But I may have to invest in a trailer, for those occasional trips to the recycling centre with fourteen large bags of dock leaves and assorted other garden detritus. All of which should provide plenty of comedic potential when my reversing skills come into play.