Jemma Walton meets some 'green people' who are doing their bit to be greener.Wasteful excess packagingGuy Eames has got a horrible way of embarrassing his wife whenever they go shopping.
"I'll take cornflakes out of their box at the checkout, he said. "I really hate unnecessary packaging."
Guy, is now a 41-year-old dad-of-two, but his interest in green matters was sparked when he was 17, when the debate about nuclear energy was kicking off in earnest, and there seemed to be oil tanker disaster after oil tanker disaster.
"I joined Greenpeace then," he said. "But I don't think it's been until the last couple of years that people have really begun to sit up and take noticed of environmental matters.
"Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, opened a lot of people's eyes, and I think recently people have been thinking of what they can do, rather than expecting the Government to take all the initiatives.
"We do have a lot of power. Once we let supermarkets know that we don't like excess packaging, or carrier bags or whatever, then that's when they will think about changing."
Guy worked in the telecommunications industry before studying for an MSc in climate change and sustainable development at DeMontford University, and changed careers to become Manager Eco Innovation Centre, Peterborough.
The centre supports Peterborough's environmental sector businesses, such as Peterborough Renewable Energy, which recovers energy from waste products.
Guy well and truly practices what he preaches - he gets the bus from his house in Oundle to Peterborough every morning – and his home is beautifully green.
He and his wife have double-glazed their house, put in extra loft insulation, put in a heat-recovery fan into bathroom (which refreshes air without losing heat) and 95 per cent of lights are energy-saving in house
"Our bills are 40 per cent less than they used to be," he said." Which is as good a reason to follow in his footsteps as any.
Next page: Jemma Walton meets - Dr Ian Tennant who has one tip for anyone going green – get yourself a nice gang of worms to live in your back garden.
See also:
See Peterborough's 2008 Green Festival listingsGreen events for all the family across Greater Peterborough between May 24th - June 8th.
Council officer to receive Green Hero award Peterborough City Council officer Kirsty Martin is to receive a coveted honour from environmental campaigner and television personality Professor David Bellamy.
28 May 2008
The full article contains 442 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
