The Econaut

It’s easy to be branded an eco-pain. Before Christmas, I sent out an email to everyone I had ever met at my work, reminding them in as self-conscious a way as possible that TVs, plugs, PCs and whatnot needed turning off before we all left. So I’m used to having “Hippie!” bellowed jokingly (or not so much) at me from across the office.

Which is why I didn’t feel too awkward trying to sort out a problem that, in reality, isn’t a monumental issue. The epic building site outside where I work is ringed with a fence, and the fence is dotted with electric lights. Which are on 24 hours a day, every day, all week. Sure, it’s hardly the end of the world. But it was still worth looking into.

To sort it out, I called the 0800 number advertised on the barrier. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought it through enough to note down the specifics – as in, where the hell the building site was.

–

Me: “Hi there, I’m from Bath and I’m just calling about the building site at the bottom of town.”

Considerate Constructors: “Er… Where, sorry?”

“It’s… Southgate.”

“Ok. Do you have a postcode at all?”

“Yes. It’d be BA1… Erm…”

“Do you know the names of the builders?”

“Oh. No. I don’t.”

“Is that Southgate in London?”

–

Rookie error. A good illustration of how going off half-cocked helps solve the square root of sod all. Eventually, though, I went back to get the info, and then called the number again…

The chap I spoke to was helpful – probably something to do with me actually knowing the crucial details – and did a good job of easing my worries that I might just be making a big fuss. “One site,” he told me, “actually had an electric circuit where the tools and generators wouldn’t work without the lights being on,”. Fortunately, he thought that might be a “unique” case. Yes. You’d ruddy hope so.

He noted down my point, took my name and asked if I’d like to be contacted. Always a glutton for punishment in the form of gruff, manly foremen yelling “Hippie!” into my ear (but always welcome to the idea of a tree-hugging builder) I said yes. I’ll have to wait and see if that was a good idea or not.

Think about it, though. These small, seemingly insignificant things are easy to fix and simple to solve. They don’t require the G8 or UN to bash out a ‘roadmap’ to a discussion about making an agreement. They’re perfectly doable and easily avoidable. If everyone turned off lights that weren’t needed, or simply dumped stuff they didn’t need in a different bin than before, it wouldn’t just make a small difference. It’d make all the difference in the world.