| It is Time to Vote With Your Money So here we
go with another General election. We could be excited that an opportunity has again come
round for us to have our say on the things that are important to us. Or perhaps we feel so
disillusioned by the dishonesty and impotence of politicians that, along with countless
others, we decide that our vote is no longer worth anything to us. The latter position is
understandable, but not tenable. People have fought long and hard for the right to vote.
We really should use our vote. As Sir Douglas Allen, one time head of the Civil Service
said, "The enemy of democracy is inertia by the many - not their activity"
Politics is the art of the possible. Even a Government that is aware of the environmental
problems crowding in on us could be thrown out of power at the next election if it acted
ahead of the understanding of the electorate. Consequently, any action on the issues of
major concern to us is likely to be too little and too late. Climate change is upon us,
yet world leaders cannot agree on the way forward. Even the small progress made to date is
jeopardised by the arrogance of the Bush administration in the USA. Future generations
will not look back kindly on these actions.
But we live in new times. The ability of Governments to effect change is increasingly
constrained. The globalisation of trade, and the ability of multi-nationals to avoid
democratic control, leave those of us concerned with the future for our children, and the
fate of the Planet, angry and frustrated that our concerns are largely disregarded.
The ethical alternative
It would be easy to feel that there is nothing we can change, so we do nothing. But we
have available to us the ability to vote, not just at the ballot box, but - probably more
effectively - with our feet and with the money in our pockets. We can choose to boycott
those companies that flout their power and exploit the Planet and its peoples in the name
of profit, and to support those that have ethical policies.
Wirral Green Alliance subscribes to the "Ethical Consumer", the magazine of the
Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA). This is available for all members to read in
the library at the Centre for Sustainable Living (CeSuL). The motto of ECRA is
"Promoting change by informing and empowering the consumer". Their aims are to
promote universal human rights, environmental sustainability and animal welfare by
encouraging a wider understanding of the ability of ethical purchasing to address these
issues.
As an educational Charity, Wirral Green Alliance endorses the aims of ECRA. We are all
consumers, and we have almost limitless power to change things simply by choosing whom we
will do business with. In future issues of "Ever Green" we will look at some of
the issues researched by ECRA. Although we will not be able to cover these issues in great
detail because of space restraints, the full article can always be consulted at CeSuL.
Green electricity
The current issue of "Ethical Consumer" examines Green electricity and compares
"Green Tariff" schemes which allow consumers to support renewable energy
generation. Green electricity is that which is generated in an environmentally sustainable
way. This includes wind, hydro, tidal, geo-thermal and wave power; photovoltaics and
photoconversion; sewage and landfill gas; and combustion of carbon-neutral biomass. But
beware, some electricity suppliers even include municipal incinerators in their renewable
energy portfolios!
Scientists believe that we need to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 70% in order to
stabilise global warming, and that we already have the technology to do this. Britain has
one of the best locations in the world for wind generation, and we could easily provide
three times the UK's entire current electricity needs with wind alone. Germany is
installing new wind power capacity at a rate of 1.5MW per day. This is roughly four times
Britain's entire existing capacity every year!
55% of the British public say they are willing to pay more for Green electricity. However,
only around 17,000 British customers have yet taken up the option, compared with 250,000
in Germany. Friends of the Earth believes that domestic consumers opting for Green Tariffs
send a powerful signal to the Government of the degree of public concern about climate
change and the need for it to get serious with its policy on the issue.
"Ethical Consumer" examines in detail the various options, and concludes that
the overall Best Buy for Green electricity is from Unit(e) (details from 0845 6011410).
You should also make sure that your home is as energy efficient as possible. Energy
Projects Plus will be happy to offer free advice here (0800 512 012).
Look out for more ways of using your money to effect changes in the next issue of
"Ever Green". Link: www.ethicalconsumer.org
(Wirral Green Alliance is a non-party political organisation, and we do not seek to
bring about change by putting forward our own candidates at elections. We leave that to
others in the wider Green Movement.)
Les Bufton
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