As editor of Shiny Shiny, Susi's carbon footprint is legendary. But word has it she has a greener side that is getting stronger every day. Watch the video to find out what a gadget-loving girl's gotta do to go green.
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Hey Abi, Susi,
Interesting experiment!
Mobile phone chargers -- yes, they do still draw electricity after you've unplugged your phone. But not very much (see halfway through this vid, http://tinyurl.com/4su5yy).
Interesting to hear you mention bags and recycling as big ways to cut your carbon footprint. Both are really miniscule contributions to your footprint -- the big stuff is heat/elec for your home, transport (esp flying) and food (+ general consumption).
Susi, have you tried any of the online carbon calculators? Would be interesting to know what your footprint is in kg. Mine usually comes in at between 5,000-7,000kg which is better than national average but far from saintly.
Ok, I've done a check and my footprint is 3.74 tonnes a year. It says the national average is 4.25 tonnes, so I'm feeling slightly less bad than I did... Having said that, they don't count business flights, which I suspect might increase my footprint significantly.
Hi Adam - your link there 404'd, but I did have a chat with a reliable science graduate who told me the same thing, i.e. that the amount of electricity drawn by a charger when not connected is really minute: he also pointed me towards this page here
Good point about the sort of life changes that actually make a difference: I'll be sure to grill my next victim on their household energy usage next time, as that is indeed a big deal!