Where There's Green There's Money ...
Many people think their lifestyle comes with a high price. But they're cool with that ... as long as somebody ELSE pays the price.
Our Government has decided to (at long last) do something about climate change and imposed a "carbon tax".
Ooh, and now the whingeing starts. "I'm going to be $500 a year worse off ..." ... "My electricity bill is going to go to unheard of heights ..." ... "I won't be able to afford to drive my car."
I've heard all this before, and until now, it's put the brakes on something actually being done.
There should be a long, hard look at our lifestyles. We can't rely on the government for EVERY thing.
So what do I have to offer?
To start, a question.
What is Green?
To many people being Green is hugging trees, trying to save warm, furry creatures, stopping oil spreading over the ocean and beaches.
Yes. But there's much more to it. Over the last half century, I've worked out what being Green really is about.
In a nutshell ...
If you can't afford it, don't buy it.
Many people seem to act as if global climate change is a new phenomenon and they suddenly want somebody (else) to do something about it.
Oh Purleaze! I first read about the possibility of global climate change (then called global warming) back in the early '60s. Whilst the science of the time was not as sophisticated as that of today, nevertheless I was convinced enough to take the idea seriously and kept a close eye on it.
I reasoned that electronics (and in particular computers) were going to be the dominant force in the future, so I decided I wanted a piece of that pie, and in 1965 I undertook an apprenticeship in the Australian Army as a "radio mechanic".
During the first year or so of my apprenticeship I was introduced to concepts such as photovoltaic generation of electricity, as well as practical applications of miniaturisation of electronic circuitry. My first year was involved with electronic valves ("tubes") and then I graduated to working with the transistor. Printed circuit boards were becoming all the rage.
One of my dreams was to have an electric vehicle, powered by sunlight. Another was to own a house which supplied its own electricity.
In 1967 I cross trained as a clerk and learned, inter alia, to touch type. (Electronics and keyboarding skills ... an ideal combination for a computer, no?)
When I reached the appropriate age, rather than do what most guys my age did and buy a car, I bought a small motorcycle, reasoning that it would consume fewer resources in manufacture, and be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than a car. I still ride motorcycles to this day, in my early 60s.
In 1972, I purchased my first bicycle. As a serving soldier, I was liable to be posted to any of a number of bases around Australia at short notice, many of which were situated far from centres of civilisation, so I bought a 1 ton panel van, which, as well as being able to carry all my worldly goods from state to state, also served as a workshop for my motorcycle and storage for my bicycle. I used the bicycle for short distance work, such as riding into the nearest town to do some shopping or have a beer at one of the pubs.
In 1979, the advent of the Apple II computer at last brought realisation of the dream owning my own computer. I spent the last 2 years of my time in the Army spending my money (or investing as I saw it) on the things I reckoned I'd need in "civvy street". My intention was to see if I could live a comfortable lifestyle without having to devote every working moment to paying for the "necessities". I bought enough tools to make a small but useful woodworking shop (only one power tool at that stage, which I'm still using today), a knitting machine, and a treadle/electric sewing machine (both of which I still possess.) I experimented with making my own bread (long before bread making machines became trendy), as well as beer. I also was learning several different musical instruments.
Once I was set free from the drab green of the army, I turned my attention to becoming truly bright green. My second-last expense of buying something that I could not afford (ie taking out a loan) was to buy a high quality impact printer for my home business. I paid it off well ahead of time (in fact I COULD have paid cash for it, but decided that might not be the wisest course.)
In 1981, I sold my panel van, the last car I ever owned, and bought a second bicycle. (I'd stopped riding motorcycle in 1978, when my last one was stolen, and I couldn't really justify shelling out for another one.)
The big experiment was under way.
Initially, I began to earn a modest living by typing up university student essays and theses using the then new wordprocessing software. To do this, I had to keep abreast of the latest topics, including science and current affairs. I began subscribing to Scientific American so was able to keep up with the global climate science.
I found it surprisingly easy to make do with little or no money. Because I had a home office, I was able to claim part of my rent, electricity and telephone as business deductions against my tax.
With no car or mortgage to support, I was able to invest my money in things like clothing material, and I would buy denim by the metre in sufficient quantity to make three or four pairs of jeans, as well as matching vests.
I found a tannery that sold tanned cow hides, at a very reasonable price, and I was able to make shoes, (moccasins and sandals), some of which have lasted 20 years or longer. It was also fun to make presents for my friends, such as shoulder bags and belts. Musical instrument cases. Belt pouches to carry my wallet and Walkman. (Remember them?)
I found I had spare time in the evenings (I didn't have a television) so I decided to become a night legal word processing operator for a couple of evenings a week, which brought in a bit of extra cash that I used to buy useful doo-dads. (The job also gave me a further insight into law, which I'd started having when I became a clerk in the Army, as I had to deal with military law.)
My interest in bicycle developed further, and I purchased a couple of primitive "recumbent" bicycles, which enabled me to travel further faster and more comfortably than the traditional "upright" bike.
I was still living in rental accommodation, and found that landlords (or their agents) were happy to have me as a tenant, as I was quite willing to do minor repairs and maintenance, which saved them money, and meant I wasn't waiting around for a "tradie" to arrive. (You can't buy a good "reference".)
One of the benefits of my earlier work doing university academic work was that I was very well informed on many different topics, so in 1990 I commenced training as a court reporter. Although this was nominally "casual" work (meaning I could take a day or two whenever I felt like it - ah, bliss) there was enough work around for me to really start raking in more money than I'd had since I left the Army. (I began receiving a small veteran's disability pension for war-caused injury at about this time.)
My dictum about not buying anything I couldn't afford was always at the front of my mind. I moved up in the world and bought my first TV and video recorder. (Wow!) Further, my interest in recumbent bicycles was boosted when I decided to buy a recumbent tricycle. From reading various sources, I decided that this machine would be suitable to later convert to electric drive, and possibly I could add photovoltaic electricity somewhere. For all these goodies I was able to pay cash.
I did maintain my credit card, but (I suspect) to the annoyance of the bank I began to use it as it was supposed to be used. I started receiving statements which informed me I had nothing to pay and worse (for the banks) there was no interest owing. So it was costing them the price of a postage stamp to let me know that I wasn't in debt to them.
From about 1992 onwards I celebrated the New Year by waking up on January 1 owing nobody a cent. (Except for recurrings like phone and electricity.)
Pretty much from then on everything I earned was mine to do with as I wished. And when I DID decide to work, it was because I wanted to work, not because I had to work.
This being green was really starting to pay off.
In about 1995 I met a very attractive lady and we formed a steady relationship and moved in together. Fortunately we were of one mind as far as being "green" went (she was the daughter of a farming family), and we decided that we could afford to buy a block of land between us. She supplied the deposit, and I then made the mortgage payments. Rather than buying in the suburbs, we opted for a five acre plot out in the country, with the intention of starting up a "permaculture" lifestyle.
As I would be working at home and my partner was partially able to do the same thing, there didn't seem to be any problem with "wasting resources" (and spending unnecessary money) on driving daily to "the office". The rest of the time we could spend doing as we wished ie growing things, cooking, preserving, making music and sweet love. (Neither of us had the slightest inclination to "settle down and raise children".)
Because this lady lived quite a distance out of town when we met, I decided to return to a motorcycle, which she enjoyed riding, so it saved us both money and time. I had sufficient cash to (almost) pay for the second hand motorcycle, but I decided that because I was going to be buying a block of land, I would need to establish a credit rating, so I decided to take out a small personal loan to make up the small financial shortfall. Surprisingly, I was knocked back, on the ground that because I didn't have a previous credit rating (despite my zero balances on my credit card) they wouldn't lend me the money, so I ended buying a small stereo system using the shop's finance, then paid the finance off in quick time. The next time I applied for the personal loan, there was no problem.
The bike was a 250cc 4 stroke twin, and very economical, returning about 27 km to the litre of petrol. I eventually traded the bike in and bought a new one (same model) and kept that for the 2 year warranty period, and then did the same again, so I had a motor vehicle which was always under warranty, and thus kept its resale value. Whilst this may seem extravagant, it actually saved money in lack of repairs and increased reliability, as well as giving the optimum fuel consumption. (I used the same shop each time, and they kept the service records, so they gave me the best possible trade-in.) Another benefit was that any subsequent purchaser of my old bike(s) would get a machine which had been well looked after and was less likely to be a "smoke bomb" polluting the air unnecessarily.
My partner and I started planning the house we were going to build, but the relationship sagged in the middle, and we parted, though on amicable terms. As a war veteran I was entitled to a war service housing loan, so I used that to buy my now ex-partner's share of the land and I took over everything in its entirety. I kept well ahead of the payments so that in the event of illness or whatever there would be no difficulty with the bank. This also reduced the amount of interest I would have to pay.
Through no fault of my own, the value of the land kept increasing, but my income was not sufficient to enable me to build a house on it, so it looked like becoming a bit of a liability. However, good luck for me and bad luck for a relative, I inherited a small amount of money which enabled me to pay off the mortgage(s) almost entirely. So I was now a landowner - but still renting accommodation.
By using the equity in the land I was able to borrow sufficient money to upgrade my motorcycle to something much grander, which, although it was roughly three times the capacity of my previous bikes, was still almost as economical, and likely to last many years, as it was under much less strain. The cost of the bike would eventually come from the proceeds of the sale of the land, if I ever decided to sell it. Until that day, I was riding around on a free motorcycle. (Or at least paying interest at a much lower rate that if I'd gone into a hire purchase agreement.
I'd managed to establish myself as a well regarded player in the court reporting industry, and although I was still working for contractors casually (taking work home), my own work began to build up, and after a couple of years I'd established a reputation sufficient to pretty well get as much work as I wanted (or needed), so I moved back into the home office scene full time, working solely on my own account.
After I'd settled into my latest rental accommodation, I decided it was time to really start investing in my dreams. It was actually the election of John Howard as the Prime Minister that inspired me to put my plan into action. At the time I felt that he (and his government) would not do anything to address climate change and thus I began by buying small photovoltaic panels and batteries to see whether I could operate my business from the sun. I only needed to run a small computer and a screen (most of my work was transferred electronically, hence I didn't need a printer) as well as an internet connection, and I soon found that at least in summer time, there was more than enough power to keep the computer going (even after dark, when I could squeeze a couple of hours from the batteries). (Because I could demonstrate this expenditure was related to my employment, I was able to get some tax relief - if ever I generated enough income to need to pay tax.)
I decided that I'd up the ante and bought first one then another 12 volt camping freezer, which also ran off the sun (or a battery charger at night time.) So (as happened on a couple of occasions) if the grid power went off I could still keep working and I wouldn't lose my frozen foods.
With more money sitting in the bank, I then made the plunge and bought an electric motor for the trike. I had the supplier, a Melbourne firm who'd originally built the trike, constructed a wheel for it and I spent a couple of days installing and wiring it up. (My electronics background was very handy here.)
In a couple of days I had achieved my first long-term dream, an electric vehicle, which, if I plugged it into the solar panels, would run on sunlight. Free transport. It even climbed hills reasonably well.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/09/solar-trikey-ma/
I soon bought some more solar panels and made a bracket for them to go on the carry rack, so the trike now had its own "on-board" power supply to charge the batteries. I found that as long as I was prepared to do a reasonable amount of pedaling myself, I could travel as far as I liked (in daylight) and not need to worry about flattening the battery. I eventually purchased a trailer which I could hook onto the rear axle (the trike has two steerable wheels at the front and the electric wheel at the back) so I can do my shopping.
In what initially seemed to be an extremely bitter blow, the department in charge of veterans affairs denied me my entitlement to a service pension (separate from my minuscule disability pension) because I had too many assets ... to wit, one block of land, which, due to a huge administrative cockup, they had decided to enforce a totally unrealistic value on. (The valuer had assumed (he hadn't actually looked) that the land had a house on it!!!) I brought all my clerical and legal experience to bear, and through the Freedom of Information Act, I eventually caused the Department to relent and dropped the value down to such a level that while I was now somewhat better off than previously, I was still not receiving an adequate income. (Although by this time I was totally and permanently disabled, to such an extent that I was unable to work full time, I still managed to knock over 6-8 hours a week for various private clients, so I would sometimes pick up a couple of hundred dollars.)
The second part of the crunch came when I decided that, because of this, I would have to sell the block of land, which, at the time, seemed to put paid to my "permaculture lifestyle" dream, in the form of the global financial crisis, which burst upon the scene, quite literally the day I put my block upon the market. It sat there for 14 months, and whilst I was suffering pretty hard times, I was still able to reduce my outgoings to such an extent that they matched my rather meagre income. Both the motorcycle and the tricycle were fully paid for, so I was in no danger of being rendered "sans wheels", and because of the solar panels I still had the free transport. The block itself was fully paid for (except for a couple of hundred dollars I had to keep the mortgages active in case I needed to borrow money for some reason), costing me only shire rates and the annual fire break being cut in the grass. (This last expense was eventually removed as the owners of the neighbouring block wanted to put their horses onto my land for agistment, which I readily agreed to. They were even offering to put a gate in the common fence, rather than take the horses out on the road, through my front gate.)
Eventually, the global financial crisis became dormant (but, as we are now seeing, not necessarily extinct) and the world starting trying to recover. The newly elected Rudd Government decided to start pumping cash into the economy to kick start it. On that very day I received a phone call from the real estate agent that there was an offer on the block of land, for almost exactly what I wanted. The deal was done instantly. I then inherited quite a large sum of cash, which I had to rid myself of otherwise I would lose my pension again. (The pension system is such that a home owner living in their home does not have that asset taken into account for assessing pension levels. Just other assets such as cash, cars, jewellery etc.)
I was living in a duplex property, and the owner/landlord lived in the other house. I asked him if he wanted to sell "my" house (which I'd been renting for about 12 years, long before he bought the property) and we agreed on a price, which was almost exactly what I had made from the sale of my block. (I had to pay tens of thousands of dollars in capital gains tax, but that's life.)
With the receipt of various government incentives (first home owners grant etc) I managed to have enough left over to move into my second dream, and I began to consider fitting photovoltaic panels to the roof of the house. Then a bonus. The government offered to pay a great proportion of the cost of this, in order to generate "green" electricity. (The payment was conditional on the system being wired into the grid, and the local power utility agreed to purchase my excess power.)
I thought about what to do with the rest of the cash, and rather buy a car or something unnecessary, I designed and had built a patio on the back of the house, with space for two middling sized rainwater tanks, as well as a transparent section of roof so that I could leave my electric trike parked in safety, indoors, while still keeping the batteries charged from the sun shining overhead on its photovoltaic panels. A fringe benefit is that in summer time, the patio is kept cool(er) because the water tanks moderate the temperature, and in winter time the warm air from the patio comes in to the house through the open back door. It also gives me a dry workspace so I can do things such as build electronic gadgets, like a second electric trike, as well as space for entertaining friends with an area for dancing or playing musical instruments, or even moving my sewing machine out there to do a bit of clothing fabrication.
It could also be used as a greenhouse for growing vegetables if necessary.
It's now the dead of winter, and although my solar hot water system is running on the electric booster for some days (not today), I'm in the situation of having a power bill which is in credit ie the power utility owes ME money, so with any luck, I won't need to pay for electricity until about 2013 or so, despite the purported increase in power costs caused by the carbon tax.
Further, because of the water tanks, my latest water bill tells me that I'm consuming roughly 80 litres of "scheme" water per day, at a cost of roughly 0.08 cents.
I'm currently revitalising my vegetable garden, and my neighbour and I are in discussion on how we should manage our proposed chickens in our adjoining yards.
So what do I have to say in conclusion?
Simply this. There's a heap of money to be made from thinking "green".
If I hadn't thought "green" I'd have wasted probably tens of thousands of dollars in buying unnecessary cars. I would never have been able to pay cash for my house. I'd have to pay for electricity and water.
It just needs the right mental attitude.
Joe
http://mostergonomickeyboard.blogspot.com.au/
http://qwertymyth.blogspot.com.au/
https://wpvsmsword.blogspot.com/
