Carbon footprints

Reading some of the posts on here about alot of us composting etc made me think of something I heard the other day on the radio.

Did you know that a digital radio uses much more 'energy' than an analogue one. Did you know that listening to the radio on TV (never really got that one although big confession -I was listening to this information through the TV at the time:o) uses about 50 times more energy than listening on a radio (transmittor).

How come we're being forced into digital tv then? We are also being forced, through fines in some cases, to recycle etc. What's the point? Actually I know the point but get annoyed because it's a case of one hand not knowing (or caring) what the other ones doing.

I'm sure that there are lots of people on here that will give us actual facts but I find it amazing that we are told some things but not others.

cheers

 

Sounds about right to me, they lie to us all the time.

It'll be a long time before I start worrying about MY carbon footprint.
Just another way of extracting more money out of us, and making us all feel guilty.

My digital TV is rubbish, makes loud noises and the picture breaks up all the time, then the sound level drops.
They tell me its because the signal wont be a full strength around here until 2012, so how can they expect us to change to something thats not working properly yet.

 

Just like digital radio, a load of hype.

 

Whatever happend to the old saying.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Why do they have to change everything.
Give everyone a stupid carbon footprint.
Expect everyone to go Digital :confused: :rolleyes:
It's really getting on my nerves.
And I'm sick of all the go green lark.

 

I heard the digital tv thing (on my car radio...). I agree, it's not great. Having more channels seems like a good thing until you realise that there's just more options of things you didn't want to watch anyway, although there is a slightly better chance of finding a film you want to watch - but then again, half the time I can't get half the channels (including ITV and channel 4) and the picture's worse, and there is a lag between the picture and the sound. The power requirement for digital v. analogue is pretty shocking and again, it's nice to have more channels and easier tuning, but to be honest my radio is pretty much always on Radio 4 anyway!

Have to disagree on the green thing, I think it IS very important - but the message is too often communicated by people who don't know what they're on about and there's too much disagreement in the green camp (basically there are more questions than concrete solutions at the moment, because we're dealing with very complex issues) - so I'm not really surprised that a lot of people are fed up with it.

 

This is an interesting thread. I upgraded to XL package with Virgin last month and ever since I have had problems both with tv and broadband. I had the engineer out yesterday checking out all the cabling in the flat only to be told that the signal in from outside was too weak. Today my broadband came up with signal too weak.........yet I had upgraded to the 20MB? Its worse than when I was on the lower package. The engineer is coming out tomorrow to try to improve the signal into the outside inspection pit........... sounds as though it's a case of too many services running off an inadequate system. It's reassuring to know that we are not alone in this but presumably when they strengthen my signal someone else's will fall?

 

I've got a Freeview box on the TV now. It seemed the cheapest way to be able to continue watching TV after the Great Digital TV Switchover.

But what a waste. It just takes me longer to find out there's nothing I want to watch! And like many others here, I find that there are nasty sound and vision problems. Like all things digital, the faults are much more annoying when they occur. Your mind can filter out ghosting or a slightly snowy picture, but a sudden pixelated flicker jumps out like a camera flash.

Guess I'll get out into the garden again while we have the light summer evenings

 

Carbon Footprint

Another funky slogan with a tax behind it

 

It's certainly a difficult thing to try and reduce your carbon footprint when so much of society's momentum is geared to increased consumption. Like the digital vs. analogue TV thing, it's very easy to be unaware of the difference in energy use. I turn electrical items off at the wall when not using them, rather than use standby, but then find my digital box is more energy hungry :confused:

Things like that make me want to give up in exasperation, but we can't afford to do so. Global warming is too important an issue for us to carry on as we have done.

I wonder whether, rather than adding our names to petitions to the government to reduce tax on fuel, we shouldn't be petitioning car manufacturers for instance, to get real busy on developing alternative fuelled cars. Or at least very much more efficient petrol engines. I think it was general motors that developed a very economical engine decades ago, but never used it in their cars.

A more useful petition to the government might be to insist that it institutes a big financial incentive to make our homes more economical. I read (I think in New Scientist) a while back, that if all Britain's homes were properly insulated, the resultant drop in demand for energy would negate the need to build all the new coal-fired power stations that it is considering. But for some reason, the government seems to be barely even paying lip service to the idea of efficiency.

 

What brasses me off is seeing all these motors getting about with one person in them what a waste,we had a gang that used to share going to work they only needed their car once every 5 weeks when it was their turn,maybe when petrol is cost prohibitive the idea may get a resurge.

 

If you can take anything positive from the current petrol prices, I guess it's that it will start concentrating people's minds on how to economise.

I'm without a car this year (long story) and I have to say it's inconveniant; but mostly it's when I want to go somewhere with someone else. By myself, I'm using my pushbike most of the time, which is improving my fitness and making me feel virtuous too :D

 

:confused:

People have to work , shop, etc.
You can't do everything in a gang. :rolleyes: :D :D :D

 

Well done Louis benefitting yourself and the planet:thumb: Lyn nobody is suggesting that you do everything together at times it isn't practical but a little thought and a bit of planning can help try it.:D

 

I'm sorry but I can't see it.
Who exactly am i supposed to have in my car with me. ? :confused:

Some suggestions maybe.:D:D:D

 

Lyn I am not on this thread to tell you personally what to do and who to have in your car to be frank i'm not interested, the suggestion is that people in general think about what they do and at least try to improve matters.