Are public holidays good for the planet? We ask an expert
With the exception of Scotland, Monday is the last UK public holiday before Christmas. The UK has eight days a year, compared to an EU average of 12.8. But, beyond the opportunities for relaxation, what do they mean for the planet? I spoke to Dénes Csala, who found that every public holiday saves 100,000 tons of carbon.
Your findings surprised me, especially when the days Holidays are such a popular time to fly abroad. Some are, although some are also family events, so people are staying home. And when we looked at all the holidays, we found that power consumption dropped by about 10% overall, probably because commuting was gone.
How did you get to 10%? We used statistics published by Entsoe-E – the EU's energy watchdog. But what is striking is that even if energy consumption drops by around 10%, we have calculated that emissions could drop by up to 22%-25%. We first use cleaner energy sources, such as nuclear energy. As we need more energy, we are starting to tap into other sources, like wind turbines. It is only when we reach the peak of energy consumption that we start using the most emitting sources, such as natural gas. Moreover, there are big differences between summer and winter. In summer, we consume less.
So from an emissions perspective, we better have more winter holidays? The numbers suggest it.
Winter is for hibernation! I know it, you know it, the bears know it. You mentioned the impact of commuting. Does that mean hybrid working is also good for the planet? I don't think enough time has passed to make that judgment. From an energy consumption perspective, there may be a drop, but there are other considerations, such as how office buildings can be more efficient than homes.
Are there energy-conscious things hybrid teams could do? Work in different time slots to reduce commute peaks: for example, some people work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., others 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As it is funny, I was just reading an article on circadian rhythms. Apparently, we're all on different biological clocks and are more productive at different times of the day, so it's pretty crazy that we have to live on the same schedule. I think personalizing the work week would have many benefits. Take this idea of the four-day week: a three-day weekend sounds enticing, but perhaps the best way is not to have a Friday off for everyone, but an extra day off at different times. But it's a false dream to think that a four-day work week will suddenly cut emissions in half. In Utah, a week-long, four-day trial reduced energy use by 13%, but it was abandoned when the state government decided it wasn't worth it .
Like the dream of work Come on, I like the utopia where machines do the drudgery so that human labor is only fulfillment - inventing and creating. Mind you, I'm not sure about the energy efficiency of these machines. Interesting - if we replaced human workers with robots, which would be the most energy efficient? You might think of robots - but then you think of the energy that goes into making a product somewhere in Asia and putting it on a ship and, well, I'm not so sure.
With the exception of Scotland, Monday is the last UK public holiday before Christmas. The UK has eight days a year, compared to an EU average of 12.8. But, beyond the opportunities for relaxation, what do they mean for the planet? I spoke to Dénes Csala, who found that every public holiday saves 100,000 tons of carbon.
Your findings surprised me, especially when the days Holidays are such a popular time to fly abroad. Some are, although some are also family events, so people are staying home. And when we looked at all the holidays, we found that power consumption dropped by about 10% overall, probably because commuting was gone.
How did you get to 10%? We used statistics published by Entsoe-E – the EU's energy watchdog. But what is striking is that even if energy consumption drops by around 10%, we have calculated that emissions could drop by up to 22%-25%. We first use cleaner energy sources, such as nuclear energy. As we need more energy, we are starting to tap into other sources, like wind turbines. It is only when we reach the peak of energy consumption that we start using the most emitting sources, such as natural gas. Moreover, there are big differences between summer and winter. In summer, we consume less.
So from an emissions perspective, we better have more winter holidays? The numbers suggest it.
Winter is for hibernation! I know it, you know it, the bears know it. You mentioned the impact of commuting. Does that mean hybrid working is also good for the planet? I don't think enough time has passed to make that judgment. From an energy consumption perspective, there may be a drop, but there are other considerations, such as how office buildings can be more efficient than homes.
Are there energy-conscious things hybrid teams could do? Work in different time slots to reduce commute peaks: for example, some people work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., others 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As it is funny, I was just reading an article on circadian rhythms. Apparently, we're all on different biological clocks and are more productive at different times of the day, so it's pretty crazy that we have to live on the same schedule. I think personalizing the work week would have many benefits. Take this idea of the four-day week: a three-day weekend sounds enticing, but perhaps the best way is not to have a Friday off for everyone, but an extra day off at different times. But it's a false dream to think that a four-day work week will suddenly cut emissions in half. In Utah, a week-long, four-day trial reduced energy use by 13%, but it was abandoned when the state government decided it wasn't worth it .
Like the dream of work Come on, I like the utopia where machines do the drudgery so that human labor is only fulfillment - inventing and creating. Mind you, I'm not sure about the energy efficiency of these machines. Interesting - if we replaced human workers with robots, which would be the most energy efficient? You might think of robots - but then you think of the energy that goes into making a product somewhere in Asia and putting it on a ship and, well, I'm not so sure.
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