Scotland on Sunday readers' letters: SFA pledge to reduce emissions should be applauded

This week’s pledge by the SFA to reduce emissions, aiming for carbon neutral status by 2040, should be applauded if indeed it is followed up by significant motions.

Should all football matches be played at noon rather than 3pm to reduce the use of floodlights?

For many years I have wondered why we can't lead by example and encourage our football leagues to kick off earlier, perhaps even noon, rather than 3pm for the main purpose of reducing the use of floodlights at grounds. This would of course also benefit clubs with lower electricity bills during a period when they have otherwise suffered lower revenue due to reduced gates.

Of course exceptions could apply to matches with fans having to travel between our Highlands and Lowlands as well as those televised live being rescheduled to suit the broadcasters. In the majority of cases, however I believe this change to our default kick-off times would bring many benefits and there can be no better time to trial this.

Predictable opposition on the basis of tradition or "that's how it's always been" should be no argument for clinging to an outmoded 3pm custom rooted in history; thankfully we have in recent years accommodated enough deviation from this for it to no longer be seen as sacred.

Imagine the SPFL leading by example to brand itself as an 'eco-league' and potentially even seek sponsorship from our renewable energy sector to further the message. In some recent well publicised instances, our national game has somewhat blotted its copy-book in the eyes of the world so this could also help win some love back for the sport and back up words with actions.

Blair Hutton, Edinburgh

Hung out to dry

Ross Powell is right that natural fabrics are more sustainable than synthetics. However, the latter dry much more quickly than do naturals, leaving people, especially in winter, with the options of using an energy-guzzling and expensive tumble-dryer or having damp washing draped around the house for two or three days, which is not pleasant if your home doesn't have a bespoke drying room.

Worse still, some housing schemes forbid residents to hang washing out in their gardens or on their balconies, forcing residents to resort to the above unsustainable methods on pain of breaching their tenancy. Surely such environmentally-unfriendly rules should be made illegal?

Natural fabrics are fine for those with the space and means to dry them but I'm afraid synthetics are more practical for those without.

Jane Ann Liston, St Andrews

Grow up

If the discussions surrounding COP26 are anything to go by, it seems people are depending on governments to save us from increasingly disastrous tempests, droughts, fires and floods , much like the way a child leaves it to his or her parents to make things right. Unlike children, however, we should know better and must take personal responsibility.

In our society, vegan “taste-alikes” abound – from fakin’ bacon to vegan sausages, and plant milks – and beans and rice are among the plethora of affordable foods that provide all the protein and fibre our hearts desire, quite literally. We may be oblivious to what we’re doing to animals and our arteries by clinging to our old habits of eating meat and dairy, in part because we don’t see into abattoirs or inside our bodies, but it’s hard to miss a house floating down your street. It’s high time we acted like grown-ups, took responsibility, and went vegan.

Ingrid Newkirk, Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment Animals

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