YOUR HEALTH
Going Greener
GOING GREENER
at home and work
Going greener is a complex balancing act, but one we will all have to get right for a sustainable future…
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ANY holistic therapists already have smaller carbon footprints and higher levels of sustainability awareness than the UK average. An FHT survey conducted in 2019 showed that just over half their members already use sustainable and environmentally kinder products into their practices and lives. We also recognise that the bulk of the problem lies not with individuals or small businesses, but with large multinational companies. Let’s be clear, 20 global companies are directly or
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indirectly the source of a third of the world’s global carbon emissions. The list includes oil giants like Saudi Aramco, BP and Shell, as well as coal companies. 90% of this is because we all rely on these companies to provide us with fuel for our vehicles and heat for our homes. Just 100 companies were responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 1998 according to the Carbon Majors Database.
A complex issue Just because we, as individuals and an industry, do comparatively well, doesn’t mean we don’t need to consider the environmental impact we have and do more to reduce this. It’s difficult, because the issue is complex and each action we take can have negative impacts on other areas of our lives. Take green energy suppliers, for example. It may be easy to advise switching to a supplier who offers 100% green energy, but often that energy is from carbon credit trading, rather than
renewable resources. Additional factors include the increased cost of green energy at a time when many holistic practices are trying to recover from enforced closures and the danger of energy companies collapsing. We are, for the most part, reliant on energy companies, particularly if our premises are rented. Renewable energy sources such as solar panels, biomass boilers and ground or air source heat pumps often bring their own issues. Currently, a mid-sized house would need over a decade to recoup the £5000 or so outlay on solar panels and they are unlikely to fully meet household needs. Similarly, relatively few homes have space for a biomass boiler, which generally needs to be housed outside. Ground source heat pumps require either a bore hole several hundred metres deep or around an acre of horizontal piping while air source pumps are noisy and only make a home feel truly warm if combined with AC units and sealed window systems.
holistictherapistmagazine.com
