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The Benefits of Using Vintage Tools for a Low Carbon Footprint

As a small UK business that has adopted tech as part of our future and as a result, I study closely from a wide range of sources many aspects that may affect us.

Those who are aware of the adoption of ESG by large corporations and how they and governments around the world are striving towards net-zero targets. Their long-term intention is to control our consumption via personal carbon credits, probably via CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) More here. There is much more to this but to keep things simple I will specifically focus on the carbon credits aspect that each and every one of us will face in the future.

If this amongst other aspects gets put into place, then those people who rely on wasteful consumerism will be affected the worst. It certainly looks like life could be returning to an era of ‘make do’ and ‘fix it’ and for some, it will provide new opportunities. if they have those skills and hand tools where manpower becomes a big factor again.

I can hear the cries now of ‘This is not progress’ or ‘we will be going backward’ but having thought long and hard about this, there are many factors at play that those in power must consider at some point in the future.

With the Global ability to produce new things to consume, especially with AI on the horizon and the rise of worldwide affluence, it’s a fact the planet cannot sustain the growing waste elephant in the room. We humans are very resourceful when we need to be or are forced to be.

So for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint, using vintage tools is an excellent way to do so. Vintage tools are not only eco-friendly, but they are also usually more reliable than modern tools which in themselves will carry a carbon footprint. Using vintage tools and learning to maintain them will help preserve the environment by reducing the need for new materials to produce new tools, especially with the energy-intensive manufacturing process needed.

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the effects of climate change whether we believe this or not, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One way to do this is by using vintage tools for everyday tasks as opposed to the modern type which are often designed to be used a few times before they are discarded. Modern tool quality has declined over the years due to the focus on the DIY market consumer who does not have the skills needed for tool maintenance.

Vintage tools are those that were manufactured usually before the 1980s and are still capable of being brought back in good working condition. Their performance however often relies on refurbishment skills and one’s ability to optimising that performance.
Vintage tools are much more energy efficient than modern tools as they often do not possess a plug, they were designed to use less physical energy when performing tasks, so the right tool for the right job comes to mind.
For example, a range of old hand saws suitable for many tasks uses far less energy than modern hand saws limited by their design, whilst those vintage saws can also be resharpened again and again.
Power tools and their energy consumption will be accountable for in all work-related processes in the future. This means that using vintage tools can help you reduce energy consumption and your carbon footprint at the same time.
As we already know vintage tools are often made from higher-quality materials than modern tools, this means that they will last longer, often lasting a lifetime with good care.
To the modern trade worker and talking about taking care of hand tools is like speaking double Dutch as they are so used to throwing them away and buying new ones. It’s a sign of the times as they say but for how long? Will their trades be undermined by those sharpening skills they see as meaningless?
When you also consider what is involved with battery-powered equipment which is charged from the grid. The lithium being unethically extracted using child labour or the use of Uyghurs slave labour in China, questions have to be asked over the long-term effects not only on those suffering but the ethics of these products. It also has to be questioned when these products have such short lifespans whether morally this should be happening, obviously, this hasn’t crossed the minds of those corporations producing them yet.
So given that we have a good idea of where the world is traveling, isn’t it a good time to prepare? If your reliance on power tools is significant would it be prudent to explore how things were once done? Yes, it’s more physical but it is also so much more satisfying and often better both your health and well-being.
I guess to each their own but it’s not all negative, especially when you consider the upside of all this.
Could it mean handmade will finally become something with meaning again? where human effort has its true meaning and value? I certainly hope so, because we have lived with blurred lines for some time now, where the two completely different ways of doing things have been at odds over whether things are truly unique & handmade or machinist manufactured.
So it could be said Zero emissions may be a blessing in disguise, especially when everyone and everything has to calculate every aspect of its own carbon footprint.
All this is worthy of consideration on many fronts but it’s clear the present day has brought many comforts, however, so many people nowadays are all often looking for true meaning!  I’ve never looked for an easy life, mostly by design and choice, I’ve always looked for the challenge to grow as a person, and it only occurred to me recently that living on the edge only develops the resourcefulness to not have fear of the future, find true peace and contentment.
Meaning, self-worth, and confidence in not by wealth but through the strength of mind, body, and ability! It seems such a shame those driving all that’s going on in the world seem to lack so many of these qualities.
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