Oil factory, Colombia. photo: Christian Aid/Jusith Escribano
How can you make the world a better place by saving energy and choosing the right utility services for your home?

Once upon a time the fashionable thing to have in your attic was an undiscovered masterpiece that was either preventing you from ageing (did someone say Dorian Gray?) or that was about to be valued at millions on the Antiques Road Show.

Well, times change, and nowadays the must-have loft accessory is rather a lot of fibre-glass insulation. It's not as aesthetic as art (unless you go for all that Damien Hirst stuff) but it is enviro-friendly. Which all leads nicely on to the main topic for this section: how can you make the world a better place by saving energy and choosing the right utility services for your home?

The good news is that there are lots of things you can do. For all kinds of ideas on energy conservation at home, from low-energy light bulbs to DIY draught exclusion go to the Energy Saving Trust website.

The issues
Before we go on to see who's who in the energy production sector, let's look at why it matters in the first place. The big issues are these. First, we rely hugely on fossil fuels like oil, coal, petrol and gas. That's a bad idea, because burning them releases sulphur compounds into the atmosphere, and that causes acid rain, which kills trees and poisons lakes. It also releases 'greenhouse gases' like carbon dioxide, causing climate change, which is vastly increasing the numbers of so-called natural disasters like floods, heat waves and droughts. For example, 12 of the last 14 so-called natural disasters to which Christian Aid has responded, have been linked to climate change. Click here to read the report.

Just as worrying, is the fact that the world's reserves of fossil fuels are finite, which is why they're known in the trade as 'non-renewable' energy sources. If we keep on consuming them at present rates, those reserves will be exhausted within two or three lifetimes. Scary.

Problems
Secondly, other forms of energy production also have problems. Remember Chernobyl? The massive escape of radioactive material from the nuclear reaction chamber there in 1986, is believed to have caused illness in up to 3.5 million people around the world. Here in the UK there have also been a number of incidents at nuclear power plants, leading to fears about the radioactive contamination of seafood. Find out more from the special nuclear feature on the Greenpeace website.

Is there a ray of light somewhere in all this gloom? Happily, yes. And it's shining straight onto a solar panel. How's that for a link? Solar energy is just one of several 'renewable' energy sources, which also include wind and wave power, and hydroelectricity. A great way to make ethical energy choices is to look for a provider that buys as much as it can from wind farms and other clean, renewable energy suppliers. For electricity, Friends of the Earth have produced a league table of suppliers, rating them on their energy production methods.

For lots more information about 'sustainable living' visit the Alternative Technology Centre website where you can try their special quiz to find out just how green your life really is.

Switching Supplier
To look for a green supplier, or to change with the minimum of fuss to a green tariff, use the Switch & Give service. You'll also make up to £40 for Christian Aid into the bargain.

Finally, if you're the last person to leave this article, please remember to switch off the light. Cheers.