No one puts on heating or air conditioning at home and leaves the doors and windows open. That would be mad, and very expensive. But we all use shops which do exactly this, squandering up to 50% of the total energy being used instore by heating the street in winter and cooling it with air conditioning in the summer. The cost in £££s ultimately goes onto the price of goods which we pay. Worse still the increased CO2 emissions involved are horrible - heating alone for a small/medium size high street retail unit accounting for the equivalent of three return plane trips to Hong Kong a year. See the results of independent research by Cambridge University Engineering Department here. This doesn't need to happen and we can help end this.
Consumer opinion counts to retailers and this is what you can do:
- Support shops and restaurants displaying the Close the Door logo
- Close doors behind you where you can.
- Speak to the staff. It is especially useful to contact the manager. Always be polite, no one listens to being haranged. Ask to have your concern registered to senior management.
- If a shop will not Close the Door: don’t shop there, go elsewhere if you can. Continuing to use shops that persist in keeping their doors open means that you are lending your support to their energy waste.
For arguments commonly used against closing the door click here
YOU can make a difference.
Further information
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
This site explains various renewable energy technologies and encourages energy efficiency.
www.climatecrisis.net
Website for the film An Inconvenient Truth, with scientific information and tips on how to combat man made climate change.
www.unfccc.int
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international treaty to combat global warming, and the website offers both introductory and expert resources.
www.unep.org
The United Nations Environmental Programme promotes sustainable development and environmental management and protection.
