Eden Project

Mike Berners-Lee: climate change doesn’t mean less fun

As Eden celebrates its 10th birthday, we asked carbon guru Mike Berners-Lee to get out his calculator and design us the ideal party that scores high on fun and low on emissions.

Climate change stories aren’t often positive, but I’ve got some good news: we can have at least as good a time in a lower carbon world.

I’ve put together the ingredients for a fantastic all-night party that comes in at under 6kg, far less than the 20kg average that we Brits rack up on an ordinary day.

The party calculation takes in everything from ironing your glad rags, to drinking lovely local beer, to getting there by lift sharing or bike, to an hour’s wild dancing (fuelled by mainly carbohydrate and seasonal fruit and veg) to enjoying the company of friends (0kg).

It even includes that essential morning-after cup of tea (3/4 of which is down to the milk). What a bargain. We should have more fun more often.

Of course your party footprint could be very different: You buy an outfit that you only use one, drive there by yourself in a hummer, bloat yourself on Peruvian asparagus and steak and hot-house strawberries all night, drink wines and beers from the far corners of the world.

At the end of the night mountains of food and half-opened drinks are chucked into landfill and down drains.

This party works out at around 50 kg CO2e per head – but doesn’t sound any more fun.

Mike Berners-Lee is an expert in greenhouse gas footprinting and author of How Bad Are Bananas?: The carbon footprint of everything. He’s Director of Small World Consulting, which helps organisations embrace the climate-change agenda.

Find out how Eden is reducing its own carbon footprint through cleverly designed buildings, efficient heating systems and even plans for a geothermal power plant onsite.

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Celebrations, Eden's 10th birthday, Environment, Sustainability

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Eden's 10th birthday, Fun, Sustainability