Donnachadh McCarthy Interview

[Shirley]

As part of our season on Energy, The Interview this week meets Donnachadh McCarthy who wants us to save the planet by changing our lifestyles.

He tells Carrie Gracie how he generates his own household energy with a windmill and solar cells on top of his London house, cuts down his rubbish to half-a-carrier-bag-full a month and never lights more than one room in his house.

The former ballet dancer who was born in Ireland has written a book with such tips, tried to put green policies on the political agenda and made a career out of providing advice on environmental measures.

But what impact can one man hope to have on the wasteful consumer society he lives in?

listen here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/progr ... view.shtml

[ina]

Can't get the interview to work (maybe it's just the computer being on a go-slow...), but his book sounds interesting - at least it would be Britain-based, him living in London. Have to look into that!

[Shirley]

http://www.cix.co.uk/~dmccarthy/mygreenhouse.html might give you more of an idea.. am sure I've seen another site for him... but can't find it now....

[ina]

Sounds amazing, that guy... I've spontaneously ordered that book - it's the kind I know who to give to as a birthday present! I hate it when people say they can't change their lifestyle (for x/y/z reasons); if I suggest how they could act differently, it doesn't count. Seeing it printed in a book makes taking advice easier for some.

[glenniedragon]

A real inspiring guy, with a wonderful accent to boot! makes you want to re-evaluate your life- I don't think I could manage half a carrier bag of rubbish a month! wow

kind thoughts
Deb

[Shirley]

Sounds amazing, that guy... I've spontaneously ordered that book - it's the kind I know who to give to as a birthday present! I hate it when people say they can't change their lifestyle (for x/y/z reasons); if I suggest how they could act differently, it doesn't count. Seeing it printed in a book makes taking advice easier for some.

It's very true Ina... and do you find that if you are talking to such sort of people their eyes glaze over too?

[ina]

Either that, or they get really stubborn: NO I CANNOT CHANGE MY WAYS! Even if I support a stupid system with it, and harm the environment/my fellow humans or whatever, and it wears me out on top of it all... (Had a discussion like that not too long ago. In a way I pity these people, because they really don't do themselves any favour, let alone anybody else.)

[Shirley]

A real inspiring guy, with a wonderful accent to boot! makes you want to re-evaluate your life- I don't think I could manage half a carrier bag of rubbish a month! wow

kind thoughts
Deb

the accent IS amazing isn't it - not to mention a very honest and cheeky face !

I doubt I could manage a half carrier bag a month... perhaps we should all do a weekly rubbish confession - how full is your bin??

Our rubbish collection is about to go fortnightly - it's causing huge arguments between joe public and the local council at the moment. Here, as a rural household... we will be given an extra wheelie bin for paper only - which will be collected; and a collection box for all the other recyclates so that we can take them to a collection point. Now... for us, paper is actually a small amount of our recycling because we reuse before recycling.... the other recylates would take much more than a box per week... luckily we are out and about so can do things as we are on the move... other householders are not so lucky, particularly older people... to go to the nearest recycling place to us is a 25 mile round trip.

We are trying to precycle as much as possible - ie avoiding the packaging in the first place - there should be a fine for companies that use excessive packaging.

[ina]

there should be a fine for companies that use excessive packaging.

The packaging situation improved a lot in Germany when, many years ago, the Government decided that the producers had to take back any superflous packaging, i.e., if an item was "double packaged", the buyer had the right to leave the outer wrap in the shop. All shops put up bins for that, separate for paper etc... And Coca Cola for example was only allowed to introduce their 2 litre plastic bottles if they charged a deposit on them and took them back. Most drinks still come in deposit bottles.

On the bin situation here - I've not put mine out yet since Christmas, and it's about half full. In Germany I managed with one black bag in 3 months, but it really is more difficult here.