Selfsufficientish.com

Whenever I`ve worked out my footprint on one of those internet calculator thingies I always get marked down in two areas.
Firstly, apparently I should have a dishwasher, but you need loads of crockery if you`re going to use a machine for dishwashing. We only have two mugs, two plates, etc and I wash them as we use them. I don`t feel like buying a load of stuff just so that I can wash them in a big batch.
Secondly, apparently I`m naughty for having a 3 bedroom semi for just two of us, but four kids have been brought up in this house and have grown up and left
I know the reason for the above, just don`t like my carbon figure to look worse that it could.
Just being petulant I guess

Merry wrote:Whenever I`ve worked out my footprint on one of those internet calculator thingies I always get marked down in two areas.
Firstly, apparently I should have a dishwasher, but you need loads of crockery if you`re going to use a machine for dishwashing. We only have two mugs, two plates, etc and I wash them as we use them. I don`t feel like buying a load of stuff just so that I can wash them in a big batch.
Secondly, apparently I`m naughty for having a 3 bedroom semi for just two of us, but four kids have been brought up in this house and have grown up and left
I know the reason for the above, just don`t like my carbon figure to look worse that it could.
Just being petulant I guess

just think how much their carbon footprint is for their computer to tell you that yours is too big.

Do what you can and sod the rest.

How about buying a half size dishwasher and some second hand crockery? My MIL had one of the smaller ones and it was reasonable for her alone.

I suspect the house is a bigger sticking point; if you're not intending to downsize, how about making sure that you don't heat or light unused rooms and get some extra insulation generally (even if its low tech like draught exclusion and heavy curtains).

I too have the 3bed house, but don't downsize too soon, they keep coming back!! pbf

It doesn't make much sense to me that they suggest getting a dishwasher. Although the website probably assumes that you have a lot more crockery than you have. There is no way we would need a dishwasher, we only wash the dishes every 2/3 days as we know by then that will use a whole sink full of water (we dont bother doing it every day as we have to put on the hot water to heat up and it wastes too much gas).

I think the dishwasher advice must be for bigger families. Unfortunately I've found that a lot of carbon footprint measuring websites don't get into enough depth to judge accurately. But then again if they get somebody to do one more thing to reduce their output, then that can only be a good thing.

prison break fan wrote:I too have the 3bed house, but don't downsize too soon, they keep coming back!! pbf

Tell me about it... Mine went back ot uni last Saturday and arrived home again today... still it's his birthday on saturday so he'll bo off out for the weekend...ahhhhh.

Merry - you're doing what you can reasonably do. Now practice this mantra ... "Someone thinks I can do better" ... "Someone had better bugger off" ... "Someone is a pain in the arse" ...

Chant this every morning three times. You'll be OK. Someone else won't ...Tough!

There's no doubt that a parsimonious person can wash dishes using less water, less soap and less electricity (!) than a dishwashing machine. Calculations to the contrary assume that a human competitor is not parsimonious. I'm sure the calculations for the machines offered by the manufacturers won't also include the 'prewashing' required to er, clean the dishes.

You can then recycle the water on your flowers after doing the dishes. If I didn't do this I wouldn't have any flowers as the valuable cistern water all goes on the vegetable plot.

Rod in Japan wrote:There's no doubt that a parsimonious person can wash dishes using less water, less soap and less electricity (!) than a dishwashing machine. Calculations to the contrary assume that a human competitor is not parsimonious. I'm sure the calculations for the machines offered by the manufacturers won't also include the 'prewashing' required to er, clean the dishes.

... and for those who have'nt been to wikipedia yet......

Parsimony is a 'less is better' concept of frugality, economy, stinginess or caution in arriving at a hypothesis or course of action. The word derives from Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimonia, from parsus, past participle of parcere: to spare. It is a general principle that has applications from science to philosophy and all related fields. Parsimony is basically the implementation of Occam's razor.

Crumbs!
Am I all that?
Who/what is Occam and what is his/her/its razor?

Reading that has made me feel over so dumb...! However I am glad to have learnt a new word so I can impress others!

Gosh - where would I learn all these clever words if it wasn't for SSish!

Anyway - one way around this dishwasher problem - use a different carbon footprint calculator. The last three (I think) I tried out (yeah, I know I'm sad) only asked how much electricity I used. It's up to me whether I use it for a dishwasher or the immersion heater...

What a good idea!
If it`s the wrong size - measure it again - harder!

Merry wrote:What a good idea!
If it`s the wrong size - measure it again - harder!

.... I do that frequently with scales / trousers / shirts......