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.