Doing our bit for the planet

Great to read of people committing to change (‘‘Households learn to thrive with less’’, Focus, September 22), and I wondered what I could do on climate change.

Using an online calculator I calculated our household’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including a winter holiday in the Pacific. That trip was about 1000kg each; a third of our annual CO2e. With family overseas I won’t promise to never fly again but flying is something I can reduce. I love to travel so this hurts. I can also eat less meat, consume less and plant a few trees but the numbers make reducing air travel a no-brainer.

How can we ask farmers to change or look the next generations in the eye if we aren’t prepared to put ourselves out?

Touching speech

I found the speech Greta Thunburg gave touched deeply in my heart. I know she is right we all know she is right. It astounds me that someone so young has the courage to call all of us out. Perhaps it is only those who are truly entitled, with their multiple homes, jet skis, gasguzzling SUVs, European holidays and winter ski trips who don’t want anyone to spoil the fun!

Ingrid Memelink, Dunedin

What a thunderbird Thunberg has become and for whatever reason, received so much publicity. I do believe in climate change but her aggressive, anguished attacking I find unacceptable and disturbing. Perhaps she needs ballet or yoga to bring calm and balance into her life. the centre of the news story about sexual predation may well be innocent. He may equally well be guilty.

How many women have over the years faced ‘‘personal and professional ruin, depression and intense anguish’’ in their lives as a result of male predation?

I surmise that it would be thousands as opposed to the very few men whose actions are ever exposed to scrutiny.

K.M Gibson, Wellington

The oldest church

Autocorrect is probably responsible for the lovely typo in ‘‘A broad church’’ (Focus, September 22).

It reads: ‘‘The first church building was believed by archaeologists to be St Gorgeous in Jordan, built in 230AD.’’

The claim was for an underground structure beneath (and earlier than) the ancient church which was named for St Georgeous, rather than Gorgeous.