Mark Dixon

David Mackay in Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air  quotes from a media headline: “If everyone turned their mobile phone charger off when not using it, the UK would save enough energy to power 66,000 homes”. Put that way, the gains sound truly impressive. Applying the same thinking but articulated in a more analytical manner, Mackay goes on to state: “If everyone leaves their mobile phone charger plugged in, those chargers will use one quarter of one percent of their homes’ electricity”. He summarises by saying “The mantra – Little changes can make a big difference – is bunkum, when applied to climate change and power. “

Does this mean we should not bother turning our phone charges off when not it use? Mark’s response to this is an emphatic “No!”.

Mark believes the impact of making small changes is more powerful than the amount of energy saved or for the reasons often suggested in media headlines.  “It can drive you to think about things in a different way, to challenge personal behaviours. It might inform who you vote for, which in turn drives a change in government manifestos”.

Making small changes can have a profound impact.