GUILTY SECRETS

Far be it from us to be 'holier than thou' - it's a world of compromises and we've made plenty. In becoming more sustainable, it might be wise to apply the Pareto princple - the 80/20 rule. Address the 20% of the things which are 80% of the problem. Then pick away at the rest as you can.

Here are some things about our life which are less sustainable than we'd like. One aspect of this is that we made some major decisions before we were as 'aware' as we are today. Some of them will be addressed over time as our own thinking and behaviour changes, others as they become more convenient. Some are limited by the construction of the (brick veneer) home we inhabit. This list will also grow as we become more aware of the impacts of what we do.

• We have a large plasma screen TV. Mainly because we love movies - and being parents with young children (and no family around to help babysit) we rarely get out on a night, so we entertain at home.
• We have a bigger house than we can really justify - the result of wanting a change from living in Hong Kong's tiny flats for 14 years. Having said that, there is room for our children to grow into their teenage years.
• We have a large petrol car when I'd prefer a small electric one - or better still, do without one altogether.
• We still do some air travel for regional holidays. But at least not across the globe, even though our immediate families live on the other side of the world.
• We should be vegetarians for all sorts of reasons - not we are not there yet. We have reduced our meat intake significantly - esp. red meat.
• Not exactly proud of having installed a four head, single condensor split AC system when we first moved in. We were convinced it was needed and I must say it really does help when the heat is suffocating some nights. It's an 8kW system and we keep its use to the absolute minimum, even turning it completely off at the circuit breaker for 90% of the year!
• I take longer showers than I should, which increases our water consumption and is an opportunity for me to change my own behaviour! Thinking about the rebound effect, then maybe because we already use so little and harvest rain water, I feel I can afford myself that luxury?
• I don't like that newspapers contribute so much to our recycle bin. We only subscribe to 4 days per week, but what a volume! We are now mixing some in with grass clippings to improve our composting.
• When we renovated our home, we didn't put any significant effort into seeking sustainable alternatives, such as paints or materials. However we did try to minimise waste by reusing, selling or recycling the waste.
• Probably lots of other stuff . . .