We can be heroes

The old saying that charity begins at home rings true for a much larger project – saving the world. According to Greeniology author Tanya Ha, the path to a sustainable future begins in your flat or house by reducing your effect on the environment in four key areas: energy, water, waste and transport.

In the recent environmental TV show Eco House Challenge, screened on SBS, eco-coach Tanya Ha guided two Australian families through challenges to reduce their emissions by 60 per cent, the golden target for all consumers to protect the earth.

It was reality TV with a difference.

“I want to tell people that this is not Green Big Brother,” Tanya said. “It’s a hybrid of documentary and reality. You don’t know how you’d react in this situation and that’s part of the appeal of these shows – like Survivor.”

The Edwards and Shepherd families were thrown in the deep end, deprived of running water, electricity, their cars and waste removal. Each family was intermittently given ‘survival packs’ of wind-up torches, bottles of drinking water and composting toilets. They had to budget water use, wastage and energy use, even scheduling TV time. Threatened with penalty shut-downs, the families struggled to reduce their emissions, resulting in tantrums, disappointments and a big dose of reality.

Ha says she was surprised that the Shepherds, who were very high consumers and the wealthier of the two, reacted badly to the whole project. She says this guilt factor is very common.

“That mental barrier is there because most people who are high consumers think ‘I like my TV, my 4WD and my lifestyle. This makes me the bad guy’,” she said.

“My challenge in the environment movement is to get people to have the right attitude. I think it’s about winning hearts and minds long before switching light bulbs.”

Ha says a lot of people say it’s too expensive to invest in green technology, such as buying more energy-efficient whitegoods and installing solar heaters or grey water garden irrigation systems.

“People always talk about the cost of environmental things, but I know people who have spent $5000 to $10,000 on things like an outdoor kitchen or an entertainment room. That’s what really surprises me,” she said.

The new fad at the moment is carbon offsetting, programs offered by companies such as STA travel and Virgin Blue where you can pay a fee to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. The money goes to other companies that plant trees or invest in renewable energy programs. But it’s brand new, unregulated and slightly contentious.

“I’m of two minds,” Ha said. “A lot of people are interested in carbon offsetting because you don’t have to change, you don’t have to make any effort. You can just pay someone else to plant trees to pay for your sins. I don’t like that approach.”

Ha’s three steps to being carbon neutral are simple: reduce consumption of energy, water and products, switch to green power, and then offset whatever is left over.

Take the EcoHouse Challenge by visiting the website: www.ecohousechallenge.com.au