How to keep your creature comforts without harming the world

Living in the 21^st century comes with its creature comforts. I love my hair straightener. I love my laptop. I love my smart phone, my blender and my kettle. There is almost no way you could possibly get me to eliminate any one of these items from my lifestyle, or even reduce how much I use them. They are non-negotiables for my lifestyle and business.
However, I am on a very slow, but ever progressing journey to become more environmentally aware and conscious of my impact on our world. One step at a time ladies. I’m no clean energy guru, but I do know that all of these ‘non-negotiable items’ have an impact on the environment through carbon emissions. I’ve thought about it but I genuinely don’t think that I could reduce my use of these sorts of items in my life – how could I work without my laptop? How could I get through my morning with out my kettle? First world problems I realise, but problems all the same. So, if I can’t reduce my use of these items, is there any other way to reduce their impact on the environment?

Carbon offset electricity in Australia

It turns out there is. If you use electricity, which I’m pretty confident you do, you have to power to use it responsibly. Through researching I found out about Powershop. Have you heard of them? I hadn’t heard of them before, but it turns out they are the only energy company in Australia that offsets 100% of the carbon energy used by their customers. This means that they are 100% carbon offset and certified for it by the Australian government. AND they don’t charge you a premium for it.

What is carbon offset electricity?

It sounds good right? But what does carbon offset actually mean? I’ve heard the term a lot and I know it’s important but I didn’t know quite why. I’ve tried to simplify the facts for you here.

No matter which energy provider you are with in Australia, all your energy comes from the same pool. No power company can control which electrons actually get delivered to you house, so what Powershop do is measure how much energy you purchase from them, then they purchase certificates to support sustainability projects around the world which reduce carbon emissions. It offsets the negative environmental impact, so when you straighten your hair in the morning, it changes it from negative to neutral. They invest in renewable energy as hydro stations and wind farms, such as Hepburn and Salt Creek Wind Farms and Blue Rock and Hume Hydro’s.

Analogy of how carbon offset electricity works

It’s still confusing, I know, so I’ve got an analogy to try to make the process easier to understand.

Think of the new recyclable bottle processing machines often found out the front of Woolworths.

They (eventually) provide a new product to someone with a need for a service. This machine is like the electricity grid which delivers power to consumers. Research has shown the recycling machine is more efficient and thus kinder to the environment if the bottles are washed with water prior to putting them into the machine. So one bottle company employs someone (this person is like Powershop) to wash the bottles for their clients before they put them into the recycling machine.

More and more people begin to choose that brand of bottle because they can see the positive impact that the clean bottles are having on their environment around them. Other bottle brands also start to offer the same making sure that the outcome is best for all customers and the community as a whole!

Working towards a happy planet

So, that’s why I have made the switch. I want to support the company that works to make our energy pool cleaner. All the energy I use in my every day, first world lifestyle is now carbon offset! It’s a win-win situation. Happy Amy, happy planet. And I’m one step further along my journey in becoming more environmentally conscious and reducing my carbon footprint on the beautiful world we live in! #justsavingtheplanet

This post is proudly sponsored by Powershop. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make Eat Pray Workout possible. 

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