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A closer look at some of the commandments of green living could greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Photograph: Getty

1. What they tell you: Turning off the lights saves CO2

What they don't tell you: It makes sense for individuals to use less electricity to help reduce the emissions of British power stations. However, it's worth bearing in mind that the total amount of CO2 that can be released by power plants and other industrial facilities across the EU between now and 2012 is fixed by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. This means that if the UK power sector reduces its emissions, extra carbon permits get freed up for use elsewhere, such as German power stations or French cement plants. In other words, the same amount of CO2 will be released, just from different sources. If you want to ensure that your electricity savings do make a real environmental difference, join Sandbag, a charity that will remove CO2 permits from the EU scheme to stop your good work being traded away on the carbon markets.

2. What they tell you: Buy a greener car

What they don't tell you: If you definitely need a new car, it makes perfect sense to buy a small, super-efficient model with low CO2 emissions. However, making a new car – including mining and processing the metals and manufacturing and assembling the components – takes a huge amount of energy. According to an expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute, the production of a typical modern car causes around 8 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to driving 23,000 miles. Because of this, unless you currently drive a lot in a highly inefficient car, it will often be greener to stick to your existing vehicle than to sell it and buy a new one.

3. What they tell you: Going veggie cuts emissions

What they don't tell you: It's true that animal products tend to have much higher carbon footprint than food produced from plants. Hence vegetarianism tends to be a good idea from an environmental point of view. The devil is in the detail, however, because certain dairy products are more "carbon intensive" than some meats. In particular hard cheese, which takes a lot of milk to produce, can have a bigger footprint per kilo than chicken. So while cutting out meat – especially beef and lamb – definitely makes ecological sense, the benefit will be reduced if you make up the calories by consuming more dairy. The most effective way to reduce the emissions of your diet is to go vegan – or as close as you can get.

4. What they tell you: Don't overfill the kettle

What they don't tell you: It's not just how much water you boil that determines the carbon footprint of your tea or coffee, but also the type of kettle you use. Jug kettles are fast and convenient, but their fuel – electricity from the national grid – produces almost three times more greenhouse gas for each unit of heat than burning gas in the home does. Hence switching to a stove-top kettle on a gas cooker will usually reduce emissions – especially in colder months when any heat from the flames that escapes around the side of the kettle will warm the room, reducing the burden on the central heating system.

5. What they tell you: Use more efficient appliances

What they don't tell you: Choosing highly energy-efficient appliances is one good way to ensure that routine tasks such as dishwashing and laundry don't create more carbon pollution than necessary. But there are other ways, too, such as simply running your machines at night. In the daytime, when electricity consumption is at its highest, the dirtiest, least efficient power stations are rolled out to help meet peak demand. At night, when demand is lower, these power stations can be switched off, which means that each unit of electricity has a lower carbon footprint. Turning your washing machine and dishwasher on before you go to bed therefore shaves a little off your carbon footprint by "spreading the load" on the electricity grid – though the difference isn't as huge as some websites have claimed.

6. What they tell you: Sign up with us, we provide 100% renewable electricity

What they don't tell you: Various electricity companies promise to provide customers with power from renewable sources. This gives the impression that by signing up you'll be increasing the amount of clean electricity being produced. The truth is rather more complex. The government requires a certain proportion of UK electricity to come from renewable sources. If an electricity company exceeds this target by generating most or all of its power from renewables it can sell its extra green electricity credits to other companies which in turn can avoid producing any green power themselves. The net effect is that not very much changes. That's not to say don't sign up, but if you do use a green power supplier don't expect your electricity to suddenly be carbon-neutral, no matter what the adverts suggest.

7. What they tell you: Wood fires are green

What they don't tell you: If you burn the wood in an open fire, the majority of the energy in the wood will be lost up the chimney. Assuming it comes from properly managed forests, however, wood is a green fuel because the CO2 released when it gets burned will be sucked from the air by the trees planted to replace the felled ones. The inefficient burning typical in a fireplace also creates plenty of soot. Like CO2, soot warms the atmosphere by absorbing heat from the sun – and it can also travel thousands of miles to settle on Arctic ice, where it accelerates melting by darkening the surface. A much better option environmentally is a log-burning stove. These capture most of the heat from the fuel, greatly reducing the amount of wood required, and they slash soot emissions too. Some modern stoves are so clean-burning that they can even be used in smoke-free zones.

8. What they tell you: Use eco detergents

What they don't tell you: "Ecological" washing up liquids and clothes detergents offer an environmental benefit by favouring rapidly biodegradable, low-toxicity, plant-based ingredients over harsher synthetic ones. However, when it comes to climate change, most of the footprint of washing up or cleaning clothes is not caused by producing the detergent but by heating the water. Hence the most effective way to cut emissions is simply to be sparing with hot water when washing up and to use low temperature cycles for laundry. If you find a 30-degree wash sufficient with an ecological powder, then that's ideal; if not, then arguably it would be better to use a more powerful detergent rather than turn up the temperature dial.

9. What they tell you: Reusable nappies are better for the planet

What they don't tell you: It's true that disposable nappies occupy a lot of space in landfill sites and consume a fairly large amount of oil in their production. However, an in-depth study from the Environment Agency (pdf) found that the total impact on global warming could be slightly higher for washables than for disposables. Washables can have a lower carbon footprint, but only if you have an energy-efficient washing machine, use a 60-degree wash cycle, limit yourself to 24 nappies, and don't tumble dry or iron them. Nappy washing services have the highest footprint of all.

10. What they tell you: Buy local

What they don't tell you: The transport of goods accounts for a small but significant proportion of the human impact on the climate. It generally makes environmental sense, therefore, to favour local food and other products. However, it's not always true that local is best. One study suggested that lamb from New Zealand, with its clean energy and rich pastures, has a lower footprint when consumed in the UK than locally produced lamb, despite the long-distance shipping. Another study showed that cut flowers sold in Britain that had been grown in distant but sunny Kenya had a smaller carbon footprint than those grown in heated greenhouses in Holland. So while transport is important, it's not the only factor to consider.

• The examples above are all drawn from the Rough Guide to Green Living, which was published this month.

I'm a luke warm (for the sake of the environment you understand) green campaigner. I hope these myth busters don't put you off doing "your bit" but make you wiser in the way you do it.

Take the recent report from Deutsche Bank, entitled 'The Peak Oil Market: Price Dynamics at the End of the Oil Age'. This describes a world where the effect of failing global reserves is compounded by incoherent politics. If the US Government was honest about the cost of oil, for example, it would slap another 50c on a gallon of gasoline to pay the cost of the war in Iraq. Ludicrously, as global oil supplies dwindle, the increasingly precious part that remains is concentrated in the hands of those who give it away to their citizens for almost nothing – Saudi Arabia, Venezuala, Iran, Iraq.

Governments should be planning how best to manage the limited supply of oil sensibly, for the long-term, the bankers write:
'We believe, based on the history of the past decades, years, and months, that they will do the exact opposite.'

Deutsche Bank is trying to point out the end of the Petroleum era, and how to cope... but they're not expecting anyone to listen... how cynical... they're probably right :)

According to farm scientists at Cornell University, cultivating one hectare of maize in the United States requires 40 litres of petrol and 75 litres of diesel. The amazing productivity of modern farm labour has been purchased at the cost of a dependency on oil. Unless farmers can change the way it's grown, a permanent oil shock would price food out of the mouths of many of the world's people. Any responsible government would be asking urgent questions about how long we have got.

Monbiot on oil and food security - again, the question on everyone's lips is "why is the government not taking action to address this urgent issue now?" Oh well, if we really are nine meals from anarchy at some point soon, maybe the government will have the decision made for them...

The problem of course as we now have witnessed through two US administrations, and numerous foreign ones, is how does a government start to explain the phenomenon, peak oil, and more importantly the extreme sacrifices required to mitigate its occurrence to its citizens. Suppose the President gave a prime-time speech describing the evidence for the proximity of peak oil and laying out proposals to the Congress as to what needs to be done. It does not take a rocket scientist to deduce that there would be a huge political flare-up and likely a collapse of the equity markets. The President's political opposition, which has yet to figure out just why polar ice caps are melting, would go completely berserk at the hint of restrictions either through taxes or other means on energy consumption.

What will happen in several years' time? Will politicians look back on 2009 as the year they should've seen peak oil coming? This Falls Church News-Press article addresses the dilemma faced by revealing the oncoming crisis now, made more acute by the fact that we're in the midst of a great recession. Arguably though the crash to come will be even greater if we don't start to face reality now.

I think climate change is real. You don’t? That’s your business. But there are two other huge trends barreling down on us with energy implications that you simply can’t deny. And the way to renew America is for us to take the lead and invent the technologies to address these problems.

Using less gas and electricity isn't just good for the environment, it can save you money on your gas and electricity bills too - so check out uSwitch energy expert Ann Robinson's top ten energy saving tips.
Plus, why not use the conversionzone energy comparison service? It takes just minutes to do a comparison and see how much you could save by switching. You could save up to £425 when you switch your gas and electricity, plus we'll give £12 to your rugby club if you do. Go to http://www.uswitch.com/rfu to find out more.

GE (NYSE: GE) and its Chinese partners that represent some of that country’s key infrastructure development goals announced the signing of a series of “Country to Company” agreements aimed at promoting collaboration between GE and Chinese public and private sector aviation, energy and transportation organizations. The announcements, which were made as part of "GE's Clean Technology Week in China" activities, included the formation of two joint ventures – in avionics and locomotive engines; and the parties’ agreements to explore future “cleaner coal” gasification and high-speed rail opportunities.  

The agreements encourage active collaboration to advance clean technologies that address both long-term strategic challenges and economic opportunities for GE and China. Over time, these initiatives are expected to create and safeguard thousands of jobs in both countries.
 
Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE said, “These agreements share common themes – rapid growth potential, clean technologies and job creation. Whether expanding our existing aviation, energy and transportation relationships or looking at technology collaborations to open up new growth opportunities, partnerships like these help protect and grow employment for both GE and China’s infrastructure sectors.
 
“We expect these investments and commitments to yield long-term benefits,” Immelt said. “New global sales will be a direct result of these collaborations – safeguarding and growing U.S. jobs while supporting Chinese growth for GE businesses and the Chinese aviation, energy and transportation industries,” Immelt said. These partnerships will also give GE the opportunity to strengthen our own local capabilities, enhancing our ability to serve our Chinese customers as that nation drives its technology initiatives.”
 
Mark Norbom, GE’s president & CEO for Greater China, said: “The deals we are signing are built upon GE's rapid growth in mainland China in the first three quarters of 2009.  They not only represent tremendous growth opportunities for our China platforms but also support jobs in the United States.  The partnerships we are building with the Chinese industry leaders will better position GE in strategic growth sectors in China such as aviation, transportation and energy. "
 
Spanning GE’s industrial portfolio, the announcements include initiatives in the following areas:
 

·         Avionics joint venture: GE Aviation and AVIC Systems will create a global avionics business to develop and market integrated systems for commercial aircraft customers. The joint venture, to be headquartered in Beijing, China, plans to offer fully integrated, open architecture avionics and services for future civil aircraft programs. The joint venture, which was announced on Sunday, may create more than 200 U.S. jobs.

·         Cleaner coal energy: GE Energy and Shenhua Group Corporation have agreed to a framework for an industrial coal gasification joint venture. GE and Shenhua would conduct research and development on new cleaner coal technologies to improve cost and performance of commercial scale gasification and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) solutions, and jointly pursue the deployment of commercial scale IGCC plants with carbon capture and sequestration. To further progress "cleaner coal" IGCC technology in China, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) announced its intention to fund the initial steps toward a plant in China based on GE's technology.

·         Advancing high-speed rail technologies: GE and the China’s Ministry of Railways (MOR) are considering advancing partnership opportunities to pursue high-speed rail projects in the United States. While GE is the world leader in diesel-electric locomotive technology, GE does not currently manufacture locomotives for high-speed rail travel. A successful partnership with the MOR would allow GE to more effectively compete against European and Japanese companies for high-speed rail related opportunities and would create in the near future about 150 high technology jobs in the U.S. and sustain approximately 3,500 U.S. jobs over time – at least 80% of the content would be sourced from, and all final assembly will take place in the U.S.

·         Transportation locomotive assemblies order:CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Co., Ltd. agreed to purchase 300 Evolution® Series locomotive assemblies. The agreement helps to sustain nearly 1,200 clean-technology jobs in the U.S.

·         Engine joint venture: GE Transportation and CSR Qishuyan will form a joint venture company to develop, build and service GE’s Evolution® Series locomotive diesel engines in China, where there is significant opportunity for modernization. Of the 12,000 diesel locomotives in China, only a small fraction are advanced technology. Also, as demand for the ecomagination™ certified technology increases around the world, the new company would jointly seek future commercial opportunities.

 
The announcements came as GE’s “Company to Country” strategy continues to bear fruit. In 2006 GE signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to explore broad partnerships with the Chinese government and state-owned companies, especially on GE’s green initiative “ecomagination.” The areas of cooperation with NDRC cover energy, transportation, aviation, water, lighting and other key infrastructure sectors. 
 
GE started doing business in China as early as 1906 and was considered one of the most active foreign companies in the country at the time. Currently GE runs 36 wholly owned or joint venture companies in China ranging from manufacturing, service, research and development, financial services and sourcing, with a total workforce of over 13,000. GE is actively involved in China's infrastructure expansion by offering products and technologies in power generation, oil & gas, water treatment, aviation, transportation, healthcare, security, lighting, power distribution and financial TV.
 
To learn more about GE’s announcements in China this week, visit http://www.ge.com/chinanews.

This clean and elegantly designed page from Wire&Twine offers you 50 great tips to help save the planet by living more more greenly on a daily basis. The list covers the whole gamut of simple daily habits from #2 turning off your computers at night to #11printing double-sided (my personal pet peeve) to #17 showering with your partner (another personal fave). I'm sure you are already practicing some or many of these behaviors, but I guarantee you that 60 seconds on this page will give you at least 2 - 3 new green habits, which you can begin practicing this week.

We will prolong the livability of our planet only by mass adoption of basic behavior modifications that have small impacts individually, but massive benefit collectively.  Which of these do you commit to adopting, starting today?!?!