Leading By Example

As a councillor I feel that it is particularly important to set a good example to others and I am therefore taking firm action to personally reduce my impact on the environment and adapt to future climate change.

In my home I have two log burning stoves and I have replaced an old, inefficient gas boiler (installed at the time of introduction of natural gas), with a wood burning boiler. There is a VAT reduction of 5% on pure wood burning stoves, although the model I selected does not fall into this category.

The new boiler is for the kitchen and is used for cooking, central heating and heating water. I am told that it will heat to 55,000 btu/h, so I may still require a back up system. I am however pleased to report that I have gone through the winter without need for any back up gas boiler and very much hope that I will be able to avoid this long term. I have found that wood does not always provide sufficient power and I have therefore had to supplement wood with anthracite to produce more power.

I am in the process of installing a solar hot water system on my roof, which could heat around 70% of my household's hot water. At present, prices for this technology are still quite high, but recent announcements about financial help for installing energy efficiency measures in domestic homes may encourage more people to invest in alternative energy options and this could bring costs down. I think that next winter the solar heating will be especially useful in supplementing the wood burning stove so far as water heating is concerned.

With regard to household waste I strongly support recycling and feel that more needs to be done than just providing the right receptacle for specific items. For example, I also use a green cone for recycling household food waste including meat, fish, bones, bread and dairy products. The heat from the sun breaks the waste down into nutrient rich water which eventually passes into the soil. The nutrients are then distributed around my garden by the worms.

I am a great advocator of public transport for travelling and use the train whenever possible; from Canterbury to County Hall in Maidstone, for example. If I do have to drive, I use my Prius hybrid-car, which has great fuel economy and low CO2 emissions.

Parting shot - Cremation releases harmful toxins into the atmosphere, so I would like a green burial, where I am buried on a hillside, with no headstone.