21st Century Sustainable living

Back in the 20th Century, in the late 90’s, to produce and publish a Journal like this one you had to have an open plan office, at least 6 full time production staff, a switchboard, receptionist and a heap of large computers, printers, photocopiers, scanners etc. all linked by a tangled spaghetti of cables, wires and bits. I know, I used to have an office just like that in the City. It also meant that if you lived out of London, keeping the family somewhere “Green and clean”, you commuted or kept rooms in London, only going home on weekends. 3 hours a day commute on top of your usual 9 hours daily work. Around 60 hours a week commuting and working Monday to Friday was normal.

In early 21st Century during 2003, that started to change, laptops had more power, longer operating times. Remote wireless access, email on the mobile phone. A complete technological jump. Suddenly it was possible to work from home only going into the office for meetings. You needed less staff, no more switchboard or receptionist. You didn’t have to have to go through the every Friday night apology at 8.30pm “Hello kids, remember me, I’m your Dad”. You actually got some home “Down time” with the family because you’d chopped off 18 hrs a week commute time. And your work productivity soared.

And moved Mum, the two kids and the journal office into the 21st Century sustainable EAST battle bus. It is now possible to create each monthly edition of the Journal from anywhere on Planet Earth. And to talk to us just simply dial the EAST Journal’s Central London telephone number and you’ll be connected immediately to wherever the EAST bus is, for the cost of a local telephone call. Amazing. Or just simply continue to send your editorial contributions and pics or comments by email as before.

The cost savings have been immense, getting rid of a 4 bedroom, 2 storey house in the South of England saves £2000 per month. Closing the office in the City saves £1600 per month rent, getting rid of the family estate car saves £600 per month. Travel and hotel bills a further £800 per month. The cost of living, travelling, working, learning and playing wherever we choose as a family unit are really very reasonable. Around £3000 per month. And the cost of purchasing and setting up the entire environmentally sustainable, enjoyable mobile unit was less than buying a Studio flat in an English regional town.

The environmental savings in CO2 are immense as well. The battle bus, by running all motorized functions solely on LPG, saves 11 tonnes of CO2 annually and at 40,000 miles per year saves thousands of pounds each year from the standard pump price of petrol. As Mike Chapman of the LP Gas Association says, “On 40,000 miles per year at 11mpg you save £7331 pa (how big a no brainer do you need!) and 7.9 tonnes of CO2 off the engine alone.”

Colin Challen MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change wrote in the February 06 edition of this Journal, “Let’s resolve to reduce our personal carbon emissions.” (It’s a piece well worth reading again). Our man at the Agency calculates that our four member family by becoming 21st Century sustainable citizens have reduced our annual carbon emissions by 70%, a figure well in excess of Colin Challon’s plea to us all “To reduce them by 25% over the next five years in line with his 25/5 personal carbon emission challenge”. This excellent challenge is supported by 38 leading MP’s.

And yet it’s all so much fun. The next edition of the EAST Journal will be out in September 06. In the meantime the family and I are going touring, from now through August. Stay tuned in September for the results of our maiden voyage. And the first EAST edition created electronically from somewhere.