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16:43 GMT, Monday, 5 March 2007

Go Green or Else!

Justin Rowlatt

We are told climate change is the biggest threat facing the world but is there anything the average family can do about it?

On Monday we find out. The BBC has forced one of its reporters and his family to "go green" for an entire year.

Their challenge? To make as big a cut in the family's carbon footprint as they can.

But their efforts didn't just affect the environment.

Read Ethical Man's story

"With all the rows and arguments it sometimes felt like we were making an episode of Wife Swap rather than a Panorama on how to tackle climate change," says Justin.

Read Transcript

'Eco virility symbol'

Every aspect of their life and every family member was affected: Justin and his wife Bee as well as five-year-old Eva, four-year-old Zola and baby Elsa.

Justin with his family

How long will they be able to survive without their car? Should they invest in expensive insulation and double glazing to cut carbon or are there cheap and simple alternatives?

Read Ethical Man's top 10 tips for ethical living

Then there is Justin's "eco virility symbol". How much carbon free electricity will the wind turbine he wants to install on the roof of their terraced home actually generate?

Read Ethical Man's blog

Justin has a particularly taxing time. He has to stop eating all meat and dairy products for a month to see how that affects the carbon footprint of his food.

'Carbon guru'

Naturally he wants to know if there are any short-cuts to green living. Flights are banned so the summer holiday is by train.

Read Ethical Man's Newsnight reports

Bee with money

But then Justin finds a reason to leave his wife and children at home and to fly to Jamaica. Bee is not impressed so what is his excuse?

He says it's to investigate carbon offsetting and whether it works. So does it prove the solution he seeks to get the family's old lifestyle back?

The final judge of all of this is Professor Tim Jackson of the University of Surrey, the Rowlatt's "carbon guru".

He's an expert in sustainable consumption and ecological economics. The professor calculates precisely how much impact the family's "eco make-over" is having on their carbon footprint.

If you want to find out how the Rowlatts got on you'll have to watch the programme. But there's one thing you should know now. They save serious money by going green for a year - more than two thousand five hundred pounds.

  • Go Green Or Else will be aired on BBC One and on this site on Monday 5 March at 2030.



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    Related to this story:
    Go Green Or Else Transcript (07 Mar 07 |  Panorama )
    Ethical links (06 Apr 06 |  Newsnight )
    Go green or else: Ethical Man's story (04 Mar 07 |  Panorama )
    Ethical Man's top ten tips for ethical living (05 Mar 07 |  Panorama )
    I am the ethical man (22 Feb 06 |  Newsnight )
    My carbon footprint (22 Feb 06 |  Newsnight )

    RELATED INTERNET LINKS
    Eco makeover families wanted
    Energy Saving Trust
    Friends of the Earth
    National Energy Services
    Association for the Conservation of Energy
    Ethical Man's Newsnight reports
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



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