PAWS

Is carbon offsetting really an effective way of helping limit the effects of global warming? i.e. is it really ok to continue living the way we are and just paying for more trees to be planted? To make real change we need to follow the logic: refuse --> reuse --> recycle --> landfill. That is we need to avoid using a product in the first place (e.g. plastic bag, 15 pairs of shoes, driving). If we can't avoid it the next step we should take is to reuse or offset the product (e.g. reusable bags, carbon offsets, E10 petrol blend). If we can't reuse the product we should recycle it, and this means additional energy and resources are required (e.g. packaging from food products for health and safety) - this should be avoided as much as possible. Finally landfilling. Any product that requires landfilling should be avoided as much as possible. While there are the occasional products that have no alternatives, we should strive to buy products that avoid waste. simple example is to buy fruit and veg that are loose, not packaged up in plastic.

We almost need a name and shame system for those who buy excessively packaged products

What are your thoughts on the issue?