This article is from page 33 of the 2008-02-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
EAST Clare people who are wonder- ing whether their carbon footprint is a neat size four or a massive size 12 can now find out.
A special ‘Carbon Clinic’ in Killa- loe can even tell people who are not in the ecological know how to reduce their footprint and save money into the bargain.
Energy management expert, Vin- cent Carragher, who hosts the clinic at the Family Resource Centre says he has been asked advice on every- thing from saving on the heating bills to how to future-proof new homes.
“People can be conscious of the need to reduce their carbon footprint,
but they may not know or be just too busy to research how to do that. If they come to the clinic, I can work out what size that footprint is, based on things like car usage or how well a home is insulated. Or sometimes, people just want to know if there is a grant for things like solar panels and who is a good supplier for them. If someone is building a new home and wants advice about conserving energy, I can talk to them about bet- ter insulation. Any of these issues that people want to know about, I’m qualified to talk to them.”
The clinic is becoming busier as time goes on, with the price of oil soaring and as a result, the price of fuel for home heating and motoring.
‘Fuel is so expensive now that it’s being measured by the milligram. By reducing their fuel consump- tion, householders can save money as well. We try to give them the best advice we can in whatever situation they are in and with whatever their issues are.”
There are advice leaflets available during the week from the centre and Vincent is available on Friday after- noons but will also try to accommo- date queries outside that.
Vincent, who studied biochemis- try and carried out a study of how a community in Ballina was able to reduce it’s carbon footprint and save money, believes that at a time “when more and more environmental scien-
tists are talking about Irelands three- planet lifestyle it is becoming imper- ative that people are introduced to principles of sustainability through the educational system from an early age, and that these principles are reg- ularly reinforced and built upon.”
Vincent believes that the “bottom- up” method of cutting emission, in which individuals keep watch on their own carbon footprints is the best.
Anyone who would like to talk to Vincent can reach him through the centre on O61 374741 and there’s more information available at www. ul.ie/lowcarbonfutures.