Christmas in October!

After almost 3 months our stuff we shipped from Pasadena has finally arrived! I have to say that I was a little worried given what the stuff was picked up in (see pics below), for all I know that van could have been heading straight to Mexico with our stuff, but then again everything was insured so I didn't really care!

It is funny to think about branding, 'Beverly Hills Transfer and Storage' was the local agent that boxed and shipped our stuff out of Los Angeles and all I have to say is that if anyone in Beverly Hills saw that van pull up at their mansion they would not have let them in the gate. If anything didnt survive the trip, don't worry, you'll be the first to know.

Hot or Cold

This is the sink in our bathroom in our flat. It looks like a normal facet, even by American standards, but looks can be very deceiving. Here in the UK, plumbing standards as a whole are not quite what we have come to enjoy in the states (this might be because the cities and water systems are so old). For example, showers have an electronic pumping system to maintain water flow (are the systems not already pressurized in the delivery?) and sinks normally have hot and cold water in completely different facets (no mixing like in the states). I think the reason for the separate hot and cold is because it was normal UK culture to just plug a sink and use the water that has/ is accumulating in the basin (like a bath tub). This procedure is fine if you want to soak dishes or hand wash clothing, but wastes water and takes too much time for simple hand washing so most people do not do this anymore. So my question is this, if culture has changed and plumbing fixtures have been updated (to American standards), why does my modern (~5 years old) sink not mix hot and cold water!

Carbon Neutral

One of the biggest things that you begin to notice when living in the UK, is that they actually care about the environment and making a difference. There are some good projects/ initiatives in the US, but it is not as pervasive to all aspects of life.

For example, some grocery stores charge for plastic bags and since most people walk to and from stores, even if they don’t charge, it’s common for people to bring their own bags with them to the stores (Jess and I always bring an large Ikea shopping bag and try to reuse a few normal plastic bags).

Also, most people either walk or take the bus to get around. This is encouraged since gas, parking, and in general operating a car is not only more expensive here. You would expect gas and parking to carry natural taxes to improve road conditions, etc but they also impose taxes on individual cars based on the emissions. It’s hard to explain, but basically you are taxed higher if you have a higher polluting car (I think only electric cars, like smart cards, could be tax free in this regard).

Lastly, as I work for a big corporation, the first thing I noticed was that my work just became 'carbon neutral,' which is a big deal. One way or another it takes a lot of time, effort, and money to do so. Basically the concept is that your net impact on the environment is zero. Obviously just by conducting business you have an impact on fossil fuels, trees, etc. so they start by using 100% recycled paper, encouraging people to travel on trains (vs. flying as flights impact on the environment by approximately 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per 1,000 miles). Then at the end of the day, they have to buy offsets (normally through environmental projects, such as planting trees) to become carbon neutral.

Food for thought.