Carbon Fast: Day 1

So, Day 1 of the Carbon Fast says: Remove 1 lightbulb and live without it for 40 days. Immediately here we run into difficulties, for there is no lightbulb in my house or car which: 1) I can safely remove and 2) I would notice the absence of. For example, I would be inconvenienced if I removed my bedroom light, but it would also be dangerous, because I'd fall over things. On the other hand, I could safely remove the light in the cloakroom, but I wouldn't really notice that it was missing, so I don't think that counts.

Therefore, I replaced my bedroom light with an energy saving bulb, which means that all our bulbs are now energy saving ones, apart from the aforementioned cloakroom light which is only on for about 5 seconds a year anyway and therefore hardly matters.

I feel bad that I have cheated already, so I have decided to have a system of forfeits. For every day when I don't manage to do what it says, I will put a pound in a box (I know a pound isn't much, but I'm off work on sick leave, remember, so I don't exactly have money to burn) and give it all to TearFund at the end. Also any money I save by doing any of the things I will give to TearFund as well.

The only exception will be when I don't do the thing because I have already done it; on those days I will find a way to do something else instead, and if I can't think of anything else or don't do anything, then I will pay a forfeit. I have a book called 'Save Cash and Save the Planet', which my good friend Philip gave me, and it has lots of suggestions, so I will use that.