Wind power brings light to the poor

KHAROCHHAN, Pakistan (AFP) – A tiny island of fishermen is light years ahead of the rest of Pakistan, powering homes and businesses with wind turbines -- protecting the environment and improving the quality of life.

The government may lack the cash to harness hydro, wind and solar resources on a large scale in the electricity-starved country but charities are lighting the way forward by putting wind power to work in remote villages.

"We've been given two bulbs a house, it's a blessing for all of us," said 42-year-old fisherman Mohammad Arif on the subtropical island of Kharochhan, a land of creeks and mangroves in the cyclone belt of the Arabian Sea.

Lying 150 kilometres (94 miles) due south of Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, Kharochhan is an island of thatched homes where fishermen scrape by on 75 dollars a month and never dreamed of having electricity.

Then a local charity pitched up and installed five wind turbines. Now a fifth of homes -- 100 out of around 500 -- have been hooked up to the system.

"Each of us saves up to 1,500 rupees (18 dollars) that we would have spent on kerosene. I couldn't afford to educate my children, but now I'll put two of my four daughters in school," Arif said.

"We're poor with meagre resources. Our boys usually become fishermen and our girls illiterate housewives. This money could help us improve our children's future," he added.

Pakistan faces a catastrophic energy crisis, able only to produce 80 percent of the electricity that it needs, suffocating industry and making life tough in extreme winter and summer weather.

The shortfall has been blamed on government incapacity, corruption, short sightedness, debts, a creaking distribution system and lack of money to invest in energy sources.

To help cut energy needs Pakistan last year introduced daylight saving time in summer, but experts say the most sustainable long-term solution is to tap into abundant renewable resources.

Half an hour by boat from the mainland, development on Kharochhan has been hampered by isolation, said Nadeem Jamali, secretary general of a charity helping coastal villages use strong winds to generate electricity.

"Our project is to avoid environmental degradation and help provide the population with a proactive social life," said Jamali, of the Pakistani charity Action for Humanitarian Development.

Before his organisation erected turbines, villagers cut down mangroves for firewood to cook meals and used kerosene to light homes, damaging the environment and producing heavy smoke causing allergies.

"Wind energy should stop the use of kerosene and we advise people to use acacia wood for cooking because mangroves protect them from rampant cyclones," said Jamali, of the trees that are a buttress against waves during storms.

Shah Kamal, who designs wind turbines, says the high winds that batter Pakistan's 1,050-kilometre (656-mile) coastline are perfect for powering turbines and cutting power shortages.

The applied physics graduate said the energy crisis, which sees power cut for 10 hours a day when temperatures top 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), forced him to design and mount a wind-turbine generator on the roof of his house in Karachi.

"When I solved my own problems, I thought why not provide similar advantages to other people?" he said.

"We have given electricity to more than 100 houses in Kharochhan with five turbines. There are also four street lights," Kamal said.

"I see a great future for this technology," he added.

It has revolutionised villagers' lives, which once ended at sunset.

"With light available at night we can now do business for longer and our women do more embroidery work to earn for the family," said local fisherman Shahid Ali.

"Stray dogs don't bark at us now because they can recognise us in the light. And most satisfying of all -- our lights don't go off as routine in big cities," said Ali.

Pakistan's Alternative Energy Development Board says small wind turbines provide electricity to a few dozen coastal villages and that one large wind farm was established in April.

"Our target is to meet at least five percent of total installed capacity through renewable energy resources by 2030," said AEDB chief Arif Alauddin.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department says the country has the potential to generate 50,000 megawatts -- more than its total needs -- through wind, mostly in southern Sindh province.

Swat, the northwest valley ripped apart by fighting with the Taliban, also enjoys favourable wind conditions where authorities intend to invite investors once militancy is suppressed, said an official in Islamabad.

Climate campaign 'One tonne less'

The 'One tonne less' campaign encourages the Danish citizens to reduce their personal CO2 emissions. Thousands have already taken the first step.
Campaign idea
The awareness-raising climate campaign ‘One Tonne Less’ aims at informing the Danish citizens that CO2 emissions are caused by our way of life – and that we are all responsible for reducing our own CO2 emissions. One of the fundamental messages of the campaign is that this can be done without waving goodbye to our modern way of life – all we need to do is to change some of our everyday habits.

Download the Brochure for Climate Campaign http://www.1tm.dk/doks/92314_TB.pdf





Calculate your own CO2 emission
Considering that it is necessary for people to understand that the personal climate challenge is measurable and controllable a program on the campaign’s website enables individuals to calculate their own CO2 emissions, set up an action plan, and then see how much they can reduce their CO2 emissions by implementing the plan.



Making a pledge for the climate
The focal points for taking personal action are in the fields of electricity, heating, consumption and transportation, and a lot of people have welcomed the challenge of reducing their personal CO2 emissions. The progressively increasing number of pledges can be seen on the campaign website www.1tonmindre.dk (Danish version only).



Communication through partnerships
One of the unique features of the ‘One Tonne Less’ campaign is its partnerships with a range of companies, institutions, municipalities and NGOs. Through the conjoint effort in these public-private partnerships the campaign has managed to spread its message to areas that would otherwise have been difficult to reach.

So far more than 80,000 people have made a pledge to reduce their emissions of CO2

Cherry-Picking for Maximum Employment From The Green Energy Investments Basket

World leaders are gathering in Copenhagen next December to debate on decisions and obligations that are essential in order to avert a major threat to Nature from climate change and the increase in the Earth’s average temperature. Energy, as the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions on the one hand and Green Energy, as the greatest hope for averting disaster on the other, will unavoidably be in the central stage of this debate.
Raphael Moissis, Sc.D., President of the National Energy Strategy Council in Greece
29/06/2009 09:50

Climate Change Impacts in Eastern Ganga Basin: Responding within a complexity

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we will face in the coming century. According to the 2007 IPCC summary report, there is no question we will be impacted in myriad ways: “the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level”. While global warming will affect all natural processes, from basic ecosystem dynamics to the spread of disease, one of the greatest impacts is expected to occur as a result of the predicted increases in the frequency and intensity of storms, floods and droughts. The fact that such disasters recur regularly will undermine the ability of individuals, communities, and nations to meet basic development goals.
Ajaya Dixit, Chairman, Nepal Water Conservation Foundation
12/07/2009 18:05
The Eastern Ganga Basin (EGB), consisting of parts of Tibet, North India, Nepal and Bangladesh, is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, in part because a large proportion of its population is engaged in primary sector livelihoods, like agriculture and fishing, which depend on favorable climatic conditions. A combination of geographic and climatological factors also exacerbates the region’s vulnerability: millions will be affected when the pattern of the monsoon and the hydrologic characteristics of EGB rivers alter.

While floods, droughts and high-intensity storms are normal features of life in the EGB, not all people have adapted to them with equal success. Variations can be attributed to differences in systems of governance and degrees of development, urbanisation and social stratification. Adding a complicating dimension to this physical, agro-ecological, development and institutional diversity is the prevalence of conflict. Together, diversity and conflict pose major challenges to our ability to identify strategic entry points for building the resilience and capacity of EGB denizens to adapt to climate changes.

We need to begin by making a key distinction: adaptation to climate change comprises far more than simply coping with it. If people are well-adapted, the environment and those dependent on it will fare well under changing climactic conditions. Individuals, households, and organizations in such a situation will act autonomously in response to the opportunities and constraints associated with climatic change and other stresses. Planned adaptation, in contrast, is not rooted in the independent actions of affected communities; instead, it is the introduction of targeted interventions designed to reduce the impacts of climate change by national governments and external donors.

Recent studies in India and Nepal suggest that it is the capacity of people to adopt new livelihood options as climatic conditions change that is at the heart of autonomous adaptation. Whether or not people have this capacity is determined by their access to and the resilience of : (a) knowledge, communication and economic systems and (b) asset baskets and by (c) the relationships among them [1] . Resilient and flexible systems for communication, banking, health, energy, safe drinking water, transportation and mobility can help families switch livelihood strategies by exploiting opportunities and overcoming constraints. Alternative livelihood options must be based on renewable energy sources that have low carbon footprints.

As uncertainties about the future increase due to climate change, we will increasingly find that historical data and past knowledge are limited in their ability to offer explanations. We need to generate and transfer new knowledge as well as to develop the capacity to refine learning iteratively as conditions change. Developing well-adapted systems accessible to those most affected by climate change impact is central to building adaptive capacity at the local level, where it matters the most. Whether or not such systems are accessible to local populations, particularly vulnerable groups like women and the poor depends on the type of governance in place.

We need to boost our understanding of climate variability by ensuring that the regional and local scenarios of climate change impacts we develop are robust and representative. We also need to introduce innovative ways of informing those most likely to be affected about weather forecasts and to help them establish early warning systems. To that end, we must help identify livelihood options and develop well-designed strategies to increase resilience and minimize risk, including local village-level responses, engineering measures and insurance.

The impacts of climate risks are location-specific, but the strategies for responding to them depend on regional and global systems that offer people opportunities to better understand the ongoing changes and, in consequence, to adapt effectively. Both autonomous and planed adaptations are opportunities for providing institutional support such as access to markets to community-based or other measures. It is also about galvanizing institutions to address constraints that emerge as a result of climate change.

The “climate change problem” in EGB has neither a single definition nor an easy solution. Any attempt at defining it would reveal nested and intermeshed layers of challenges that cross administrative, disciplinary and conceptual boundaries. Tackling such an intricate problem calls for thinking outside the box so that we can come up with flexible solutions that accommodate a wide range of physical and social uncertainties and that foster strategy switching. At the same time, the process of arriving at solutions must be informed by the concerns of the various disciplines involved. In particular, it must be informed by, and speak to, the officials of government departments, the cautionary and critical voices of civil society and the innovative agents of the market. [2]

Ajaya Dixit is Chairman, Nepal Water Conservation Foundation.

Which gases are greenhouse gases, and why?

The most important so-called ”long-lived” greenhouse gases are CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and CFC. In total they account for more than 97 per cent of the direct effect of the long-lived gases on how much heat is retained in the atmosphere.

A range of different gases can act as greenhouse gases. The common denominator for them is that they can absorb heat (thermal infrared radiation), which is emitted from the earth, and re-emit it.

When the sun shines on the earth, about 70 percent of the energy gets through the atmosphere. The remainder is retained or reflected by, for example, clouds. It is mainly invisible light that gets through.

On the earth’s surface the light is retained and converted into heat, which is sent back into space in the form of thermal infrared radiation – in the same way as a bonfire emits radiant heat. A part of this heat does not escape from the atmosphere, but is retained by greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane. The thermal radiation causes the gas molecules to vibrate with energy, until the energy is released and re-emitted as thermal radiation. In this way the atmosphere retains for a time a part of the energy the earth receives from the sun. This is the greenhouse effect.

The atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. The molecules of these gases are simple – they consist of only two atoms. They have a lot of difficulty in capturing thermal radiation and in vibrating. Therefore they are not greenhouse gases. Other molecules have a structure that can capture heat.

The most significant greenhouse gas is water vapour. But water vapour stays in the atmosphere only very briefly, and the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere is affected by other greenhouse gases, because hotter air causes increased evaporation from the oceans in particular.

The discussion about the anthropogenic greenhouse effect is therefore concentrated on the so-called ”long-lived” greenhouse gases. The most important ones are CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and CFC gases. In total they account for more than 97 per cent of the direct effect of the long-lived gases on how much heat is retained in the atmosphere. (Photo: Scanpix/Reuters)

What is the greenhouse effect and global warming?

The most recent assessment report from the UN’s climate panel (IPCC) says that the earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees in the period from 1906 to 2005, and that the average temperature will continue to rise.

The greenhouse effect is a natural mechanism that retains the heat emitted from the earth’s surface. The earth’s average temperature is at the moment around 14 degrees celsius (57 degrees fahrenheit). If the natural greenhouse effect did not exist, the average temperature would be around minus 19 degrees celsius (minus 2 degrees fahrenheit).

The greenhouse effect is caused by a range of different gases in the earth’s atmosphere. Water vapour makes the most significant contribution to the greenhouse effect, followed by CO2. The atmospheric content of greenhouse gases – in particular CO2 – and the consequences for the climate are being discussed because the content of these gases in the atmosphere has risen precipitously in a period covering approximately the latest 250 years, and especially the last 50.

At present the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is about 385 ppm (millionths). Before industrialisation it was about 280 ppm. Analyses of air contained in ice from the Antarctic ice cap show that there is far more CO2 in the air today than at any time in the last 650,000 years.

The consequence is that the greenhouse effect is becoming stronger, and therefore the earth is becoming warmer. How much warmer has, however, been a matter of dispute. The most recent assessment report from the UN’s climate panel (IPCC) is from 2007. It says that the earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees in the period from 1906 to 2005. The warming is stronger over land areas than over the sea, and accordingly it is strongest in the north. At the same time occurrences of heatwaves and violent downpours have also increased, the oceans have risen, and the ice at the world’s poles and on its mountains has begun to melt. All of these effects are predictable in the event of global warming.

The IPCC’s most recent assessment report says that the average temperature will continue to rise, but that the extent and the duration of this rise, and the severity of its consequences, depend on how quickly and how effectively emissions of greenhouse gases can be restricted and, over time, reduced. (Photo: Scanpix/Reuters)

What consequences can we expect, and what can we do?

Predicting the consequences of global warming is one of the really difficult tasks for the world’s climate researchers. First, because the natural processes that cause precipitation, storms, increases in sea level and other expected effects of global warming are dependent on many different factors. Second, because it is difficult to predict the size of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the coming decades, as this is determined to a great extent by political decisions and technological breakthroughs.

Many of the effects of global warming have been well-documented, and observations from real life are very much consistent with earlier predictions. It is the precise extent that is difficult to predict. Among the effects that can be predicted are:

More drought and more flooding:

When the weather gets warmer, evaporation from both land and sea increases. This can cause drought in areas of the world where the increased evaporation is not compensated for by more precipitation. The extra water vapour in the atmosphere has to fall again as extra precipitation, which can cause flooding other places in the world.

Less ice and snow:

Glaciers the world over are shrinking rapidly at present. The trend is for the ice to melt faster than estimated in the IPCC’s latest report. In areas that are dependent on melt water from mountain areas, this can cause drought and a lack of drinking water. According to the IPCC, up to a sixth of the world’s population lives in areas that will be affected by this.

More extreme weather incidents:

The warmer climate will most probably cause more heatwaves, more cases of violent rainfall and also possibly an increase in the number and/or severity of storms.

Rising sea level:

The sea level rises for two reasons. Partly because of the melting ice and snow, and partly because of the thermic expansion of the sea. Thermic expansion takes a long time, but even an increase in temperature of two degrees celsius is expected in time to cause a rise in the water level of almost a metre.

In order to get an idea of the extent of the consequences, researchers typically work with scenarios that show various possible developments. (Photo: Scanpix/Reuters)

World changers wanted: Chain Reaction

There are few problems we can’t crack when we all get around a table to talk things through. Which is the theory behind Chain Reaction – two days worth of talking things through. One really big table.





Chain Reaction has been thirty years in the making. It’s thirty years since Community Links started working in the East End - providing benefit support, setting up youth offending services and running after-school clubs (they even found time to create a little organisation called We Are What We Do along the way. Overachievers.) What thirty years has taught them is that communities, together, will come up with their own best solutions. And that they will work best when implemented by Government, by their own community leaders and by you. Which is precisely who is on the invite list…





Chain Reaction runs over two days (November 17 & 18th) in London. Attendees will be ‘People with power, and people whose only power is their own actions.’ There will be 500 community leaders, 100 who will be under 25. Together they will (deep breath) explore social action and how to make it stick and road-test tools for social change; they will wonder aloud if entrepreneurs really can change the world and look at how story-telling might move us all; they will look at why an architecture of change must contain a role for the arts, for theatre, for media and then promptly get us to all draw, sing and dance our way towards it. We have it on good authority that there will be a firm commitment to tea drinking. And that there will be general thought-piloting from politicians and activists like Jon Bird and Tim Smit, from community workers and entrepreneurs (Sir Richard Branson, Mark Thompson Director General of the BBC), from CEOs and from ordinary Joe’s.





If you are someone with a creative approach to problem-solving, someone with a faith in community and a hunch that – together – we’ve got all the answers we need, then they have a you-shaped hole on their invite list. Rectify that pronto. Visit http://www.chainreaction.org and find out more.

Recycle your mobile phone

There are 15 million mobiles replaced in the UK every year. That's a hell of a lot of annoying ring tones, and worse, it equates to 1500 tonnes of landfill. The same as burying a World War 2 destroyer. And despite the strong desire to grab the bloke on the train's Flip Up 2200 and chuck it in the nearest bin, resist. The least irritating thing about your mobile should be what use it can be put to after its death. Through the Fonebak scheme you can drop your old handsets into over 1200 outlets throughout the UK. Find out more at: www.fonebak.com, www.green-solutions.com or www.envirofone.com Mobile phones are easy to recycle and of the 50 million in the UK alone, a lot more could be put to good use after they've been replaced. Take action If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here. www.fonebak.com www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/recycle/phones.htm www.recyclingappeal.com www.greenmobile.co.uk www.envirofone.com www.green-solutions.com

http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/assets/uk/do_something/images/actions/animations/13.swf

Get Fitter Feel Better

Try walking more.
Try taking the stairs, not the lift.
Or walking up escalators.

Obesity is turning into a massive problem in the developed world. One suggestion from doctors is to do something simple like walk up a couple of flights of stairs every day.

Although, if you are obese, you're not going to want to do this because inevitably you'll sweat a lot. Which will draw attention to the very thing you're trying to deal with.

So much for doctors.

But try walking as much as you can do.

If that's only from the dessert trolley to the cheese board and back again - well, that's a starter.

Well, no it isn't - it's a pudding. But you get the idea.

You could even get yourself a trendy pedometer that measures how many steps you take so you can measure just how little you currently walk. Then start by walking more, to school, for example and who knows, it may develop into a gentle jog occasionally, which could become a weekly run and before you know it you'll be giving the Ethiopeans a run for their money
Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.everydaysport.com
www.activeplaces.com
www.whi.org.uk
www.walktoschool.org.uk

Turn off appliances at the main

The average TV is left on standby for 17.5 hours a day, and secondary TVs average at 21.5 hours per day. This means that over the course of a year every household, with 2 TVs, will waste a whopping 35 KWh/ year - that's the same amount of energy a car uses to drive 25 miles!

According to the Energy Saving Trust, over the course of a year, a video recorder on standby uses 85% as much energy as it uses playing a tape.

Changing that little "standby" light on the front of something from green to red doesn't actually do you -or the planet - much good.

Mobile phone chargers left plugged in when not charging waste massive amounts of power. Unless you turn it off at the wall it's still costing you money and wasting energy.

If everyone in the UK turned off their TV overnight it would save more than £66 million worth of in electricity each year, which would floodlight 250,000 Premiership football matches.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.greenenergy.org.uk

Saving Marshes - Saving The Planet Soil Scientists Restore Marshes To Protect Coastal Ecology

Soil scientists spread material dredged from shipping channels over shore areas to help rebuild marsh areas. Wetlands along the shore protect the land from storm surges, create habitat for wildlife, and the plants that grow in them could sequester three to eight tons of carbon dioxide per acre every year.

Our nations wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. But now, marshes are being restored to help save the planet.

Bill Giese has lived near wetlands his whole life, and year after year he's watched a once thriving marsh disappear. "We've lost over 8,000 acres of wetland vegetation," said Giese.

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide causes global warming, which causes rising sea levels that are then washing away wetlands. But tidal marshes are excellent at capturing carbon dioxide.

"Now, the beauty of a tidal marsh the decomposition is very slow, so most of the carbon that's fixed, or sequestered, stays. It doesn't get returned back to the atmosphere," Brian Needelman, Ph.D., soil scientist at the University of Maryland, told Ivanhoe.

Now, soil scientists are wading through soggy, murky marshes in a new project to help restore wetlands and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Dirt and sediment from the bottom of rivers and bays are pumped into washed-out marshes. New marsh grasses are planted, die and decompose in the water -- taking carbon dioxide down with them. A healthy marsh can collect three to eight tons of carbon dioxide per acre a year.

"What we do is take a soil sample each year and we try to tell how much more carbon is in the soil after each year, and it increases slowly from year to year," Dr. Needelman said.

Marshes are a vital habitat for wildlife; they improve water quality and prevent shoreline erosion. Restoring wetlands is essential for a healthy earth.

"If we want marshes as part of our ecosystem and part of our lives, then we need to restore them and we need to build new ones," said Dr. Needelman.

Helping to save the planet one marsh at a time.

THE CARBON CYCLE: The carbon cycle describes the movement of carbon, in its many forms, between the earth, atmosphere, oceans, and the animals, plants and bacteria that live there. For example, much of the carbon stored in trees and soils is released into the atmosphere when forests are cleared and cultivated. Sometimes this release happens very quickly, like when a forest fire burns. Sometimes it happens slowly, as dead plants decompose. When forests regrow on cleared land, trees draw carbon from the atmosphere and store it again in the plants and soil. If the global totals for photosynthesis (plants taking CO2 from the air and using it for energy, giving off oxygen) and respiration (animals taking in oxygen and using it to make energy, giving off CO2) are not equal, carbon accumulates, either on land or in the atmosphere. The rates of photosynthesis and respiration are not known, and they're not measured well enough, but there does appear to be an imbalance, known as the "missing sink" of carbon. Yet the carbon cycle must be a closed system, which means there is a fixed amount of carbon; we just don't know where the missing carbon is yet. Understanding why there is an imbalance, and where it occurs, is critical to combating the threat of global warming.

ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: Global warming refers to an increase in the earth's average temperature -- which has risen about 1 degree F over the past 100 years. A warmer earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, and a rise in sea level, for example, as polar glaciers melt. Some of this rise is due to the greenhouse effect: certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun so that heat can't escape back into space. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be too cold for humans to survive, but if it becomes too strong, the earth could become much warmer than usual, causing problems for humans, plants and animals.

The American Geophysical Union and the American Waterworks Association contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Fish Oils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flatulent Cows

The benefits to animals of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have been well documented – helping the heart and circulatory system, improving meat quality and reducing methane emissions.

These last two benefits may only apply to cows but lowering emissions is important for the environment, as methane given off by farm animals is a major contribution to greenhouse gas levels. Researchers from University College Dublin reported that by including 2% fish oil in the diet of cattle, they achieved a reduction in the amount of methane released by the animals.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate March 30, Dr Lorraine Lillis, one of the researchers, said, "The fish oil affects the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen part of the cow's gut, leading to reduced emissions. Understanding which microbial species are particularly influenced by changes in diet and relating them to methane production could bring about a more targeted approach to reducing methane emissions in animals."

More than a third of all methane emissions, around 900 billion tonnes every year, are produced by methanogen bacteria that live in the digestive systems of ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats. By volume, methane is 20 times more powerful at trapping solar energy than carbon dioxide making it a potent greenhouse gas.

Approximately 50% of Irish agricultural methane emissions result from farm animals; there have been suggestions that, to help combat global warming, a cap be placed on the number of animals in animal production due to their methane production but with a reduction in methane levels through diet this may not be as necessary.

Register online as a organ donor

Last year nearly 400 people died while waiting for a transplant.
http://tinyurl.com/tuloo

After you've died, you could let your heart beat inside someone else's chest.
Let your liver live, after you've passed on.
Let someone share your vision, give them your sight.

But the important thing to bear in mind here is this.

To make sure your wishes are carried out, you need to do two things:

Firstly, tell your next of kin about your wishes. Otherwise, in the heat of their distress, they can easily rescind your decision.

Secondly, register online.

So, next time you're surfing the web - make sure you "save" before you log off.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.uktransplant.org.uk
http://tinyurl.com/tuloo

Spend time with someone from a different generation

Most of us know we're not very good at this. People from a different generation know really cool stuff you don't. Learn from them. Make new friends. Who says all your mates have to be the same age?

If you're young, you may get on with an elderly neighbour. Don't see them as old, see them as experienced. They'll have some really cool stories to tell.

If you're older, get yourself around younger people. They'll keep you young and open minded to new things.

Like the eight year old girl who spends every Saturday morning on her seventy two year old neighbour's allotment. She gets to learn all about Maris Pipers, he gets to know all about Tracey Beaker.


Check out a short film about this action produced by BBC Broadcast
Broadband users only Click here to view (Windows Media Player needed)

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.ageconcern.org.uk
www.contact-the-elderly.org
www.horsesmouth.co.uk

Turn your Thermostat down by 1 degree

This is a 'no brainer'.

Want to save money? Want to use less energy as a household? Turning your thermostat down by just one tiny degree will hardly make any difference. Just an average £25 a year or 10% of your heating bill, that's all.


Why stop there? You may want to make your home more energy efficient or invest in solar power?

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.

Calculate your carbon footprint

If you visit www.stephentimms.org.uk, you can calculate how much carbon you emit while travelling to and from work. Then - on the same site - they'll tell you how you can erase that carbon footprint, easily.

This applies to companies as well as individuals. HSBC was the first bank to go 'carbon neutral' and BSkyB, the first
media company. How does that make you feel about those two companies?

Let's face it. We all leave a mess behind us.

The difference is, mature people clear it up afterwards.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.thec-changetrust.org
www.co2balance.com
www.earthday.net
www.bestfootforward.com
www.treesforcities.org
www.carbonneutral.com
www.carbonfootprint.com
www.eta.co.uk
www.targetneutral.com
www.sbsbsb.com

Smile and smile back

:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)


Are you a smiler? Chances are you could make a bit more effort. And help influence others too. We all know the Mr Misery in the office or Ms Glum at the petrol station. Get them to smile more. It takes up half as many muscles as it does to frown and it makes you and others feel twice as good.

Smiling also makes you appear approachable and more attractive. It says: 'I like you, you make me happy, I am pleased to see you.'

People can even tell when you are smiling from the intonation of your voice. So smile when you're on the phone. Start the day with a smile. Stick a reminder on your bathroom mirror.

You actually can't smile too much, although American synchronised swimmers accepting Gold medals come pretty close.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.lotsajokes.com

Learn basic first aid

It takes fifty hours to learn to drive but only two to learn how to save a life. What else are you going to do in that time that is going to make such a difference?

Watch 'stars in their eyes' twice over?

It can take just four minutes for someone with a blocked airway to die, but eight minutes for an ambulance crew to arrive. Your two hour training would show you how to save that life immediately. The idea of saving someone's life is cool. In fact, it's about as cool as you can possibly get, especially when you realise that statistically the person you help is unlikely to be a stranger.

They're more likely to be a friend or relative.

Imagine saving your best friend's life.

Imagine giving up two hours of your incredibly busy schedule juggling the school run, food for the weekend and sending emails, with something really important.

Both St. John Ambulance and the Red Cross have essential skill courses find out more at

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.sja.org.uk
www.redcrossfirstaidtraining.co.uk
www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=40542

Fit at least one energy-saving light bulb

They're not cheap, these energy saving light bulbs, but over their lifetime they'll save you 65 quid and a lot more besides.

And we're not just talking about the pain of getting the wobbly step ladder out from under the stairs but the environmental saving this small action can make.

Most of us use light bulbs designed about 100 years ago, inefficiently producing nearly as much heat as light. And it doesn't end there, along with heat they produce carbon dioxide the nasty little gas that helps cause global warming.

In fact if every British household fitted just three bulbs enough energy would be saved to supply the entire country's urban lighting. (who does work this stuff out?). So lower bills over a year and a cleaner planet... err, why wouldn't you adopt this action?

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.est.org.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/bloom

Read a story with a child

When kids ask you to read a story to them it's because they know something you don't. They know you'll both feel richer for the experience (they know they'll get an extra half hour before bed as well).

Remember how much you enjoyed the experience as a kid - how your imagination was captivated. Well now it's your turn to pass on that feeling and experience how rewarding storytelling really is. And not having kids is no excuse. Read to a nephew or niece, a godchild or friend's child. Local schools and libraries are often crying out for people to read to pupils. Reading and listening to books actually rewires a child's brain, speeds up their grasp of language, helps reduce stress and boosts self esteem. So how terrible that 60% of children go to bed without a story.

Can't find a book they like or aren't bored with, by the fifteenth visit? Make up your own stories. You might be quite good at it.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.dfes.gov.uk/read
www.readtogether.co.uk
www.roomtoread.org
www.silverjungle.com

Decline plastic bags wherever possible.

Every person in the UK uses up to 167 plastic bags every year.

That's 10 billion bags all together. All sitting in huge land fill sites producing tons of methane gas. And methane gas contributes to global warming. All this from a humble shopping bag. And if you consider a plastic bag can take up to 500 years to decay you realise that; 'Houston, we've got a problem.'

So, where to start in helping to reduce our growing bag mountain?

Well, there is an alternative. It's called a shopping bag and apparently in France, it's very chic. Failing that, start by just using fewer bags at the check out, or better still, take old bags with you to the shops when you can.

Maybe we can influence supermarkets to supply biodegradable bags. When they smile sweetly in a helpful manner and offer you a bag just remind them politely they're not, in fact, being very helpful.

One thing is certain, with very little effort we can all use fewer than 167 bags a year.

Take action
If you like the action, why not give it a go? We don't want you to spend hours trying to find out how to get started on each action, so we've got some ideas here.
www.recoup.org/business/default.asp
www.greenmanproductions.co.uk/page1.htm
www.carry-a-bag.com
www.onyabags.co.uk
www.beunpackaged.com
www.gogreenbags.com
www.saynotoplasticbags.co.uk