What Fuel Crisis

Currently we are going through another fuel crisis with the truckers protesting in the streets and every news broadcast suggesting that there is no way we can survive if the cost of fuel stays the way it is. If a household spends over ten percent of their income on fuel then they are apparently in "fuel poverty" if they have to spend more than forty percent of their income on fags, booze, sky TV and clothes does that push it into "entertainment poverty"?

I think that I have a solution. We can't reduce the tax on fuel as it is there for a very good reason, to reduce our dependence on carbon fuels. As the tax office are benefiting from the increase on fuel duty as the price rises then they should have some cash to spare. If we where to give that back to the general population and businesses in an even way it would ease the burden on people while still encouraging the increased use of alternative fuels. Each person or business would get an even dole out regardless of the mileage they incur so the individual with the large gas guzzler would get the same handout as the person who always takes the bus. The haulier would get the same tax break as the battery company.

Maybe if fossil fuels have a cost that is more representative of their real affect on the planet then we might finally start to take the alternatives a little more seriously. If individuals or companies that think they are dependent on fossil fueled vehicles start to feel the pinch then they will start to seriously seek alternatives. For a while the cost of transport will rise but in the west we can more than afford that but after a time as we start to depend more on the alternatives the overall price will drop.

I think that it is the role of the government to give the markets a little nudge now and then to make sure that we have a longer term future. They should make the tough decisions for all our good and not knee jerk reactions to get the popular vote.

?UseLess: Benomyl

Well it's a fungicide, developed by ?DuPont that also kills worms so I don't like it already. Apparently you can't kill a rat with it but if you feed them a lot for a long time it may get a liver problem so it is not really that directly harmful. There have been some links with problems with development of the optic nerve in unborn children which lead to it being banned in Australia[1]. Apparently it is still widely used for celery and grapes and flowers.

It has been know to cause allergic reactions in workers who are exposed. It is slightly toxic to Birds and very toxic to Fish[3] so that does not sound to good.

All in all it's not likely to do you any direct harm but will kill most of the wildlife surrounding the field!

Think of the worms. Don't use it.

[1]http://www.apvma.gov.au/chemrev/benomyl.shtml [2]http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DetailChemUse.jsp?RecId=PC32865 [3]http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/benomyl.htm http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/benomyl.htm

UseLess - aluminium phosphate

I have a t-shirt that has the words Use and Less on the front followed by a list of things that we should use less of. I am going to try to find out about each and every one of them and you my dear reader are coming along for the ride.

Starting with aluminium phosphate which as far as I can tell is used as a sort of baking powder.

Hmmm does not sound that bad we eat a fair amount of aluminium anyway and it occurs naturally in the soil. I am not sure that it is really that much of a problem

Having said that sodium aluminium phosphate or E451 is banned in some countries so that may no be good.

There are some links to Alzheimer's and Osteoporosis but these have not been proven. Some studies in the 1920s involved mice being fed bread using aluminium phosphate as a raising agent and these show effects on reproduction and infant mortality but just feeding it to rats appeared not to have any affect.

http://www.foodreactions.org/allergy/additives/500.html http://www.intox.org/databank/documents/chemical/alumsalt/cie193.htm http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v17je26.htm

New year resolve.

We as a nation have made a commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020(I think it's something like that, i.e. a little; some time in the future) and the trendy budget said that 0.2% of the houses in Briton would qualify for a discount on their stamp duty if they are built "carbon neutral" ( What does that mean exactly? Do you have to plant the, no doubt tiny, garden with trees to offset the building or have no heating? ) so this will solve it all.

I think that regulation and tax breaks are only part of the picture. It will come down to the masses changing the way we live and use our resources. Don't get me wrong here, the government has a massive role to play in making it more attractive and educating us but in the end unless you and I are willing to change then nothing is going to happen. To this end I am proposing that we all do a little every year to make the world a better place. Over the next 14 years make your new years resolution a green one. Forget all the ideas of going to the gym or eating less pies and make a promise that you can keep for the good of the planet. Replace all your bulbs with low energy ones; get some loft insulation; turn your thermostat down to 20 from full-on; persuade your boss to let you work from home once a week; change your electricity provider over to a green one or if you are still trying to get fit or loose some weight, cycle to work once a week. I think it will work some of these things will only take a short amount of time and you can relax for the rest of the year with a smug grin on your face.

These little changes that we make may not reduce the overall output of our country but as the years go on it will be easier to find better options and more natural for you to question what it is you are doing. The other effect is that as you start to make these changes then your friends and workmates will notice, some will mock you, some will try to ignore you, but they will notice and as more and more people start to change they will be forced to change by sheer wait of numbers alone.

Next year you can try to persuade your office to make a new years resolution if you are that sort of person, and don't forget that most of the things that you suggest to help reduce energy will also reduce the expenses of the people you work for so you can get it done as a cost saving exercise!

PS. Well done to Sainsbury's for committing to get all their bananas from Fairtrade sources, a bit of a headline grabber but a step in the right direction anyway.