HOPE Australia

Householders' Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc.

"Think Globally - Act Locally"

Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle

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Tips

Use timers for outdoor lights so they stay off during the day.
How you can help save our planet! PDF Print E-mail

Each one of us needs to reduce our ‘carbon footprint’ as much as we possibly can. We need to decrease it to the bare minimum. Here are numerous easy ways we can all contribute to saving our planet.  Numerous things we can do to help save our planet:

Water:
·       Use less water all round.
·       Shower rather than bath.

·       Turn off taps (and dripping taps).
·       Put out a water container in your garden to catch rainwater.
·       Install a rain-water tank.
·       Process grey water.

Food:
·       Don’t waste food; use left-overs for your next meal/s.
·       Eat less meat.
·       Avoid buying products containing palm oil.
·       Eat seasonally – fresh foods.
·       Go ‘urban foraging’ - look for fruit trees in the area in which you live; if you see fruit not being picked and used, ask the owner if you can pick some for your own use.

Travel:

·       Share cars; form car-pooling groups.
·       Don’t rent a car - travel as the locals do
·       Cut down on producing car emissions - use your car only when you have to and use the best fuel for reducing pollution.
·       Ride your bike.
·       Catch a bus when you can.
·       Cut down weight loads in your car (remove boxes, excess baggage etc.).
·       Don’t convert your garden into parking space to fit in your 4x4. Get a front drive car and keep your garden intact.
·       Fly economy class, not business or first class.

Garden:
·       Plant trees.
·       Grow plants on your roof (green roofs).
·       Keep a compost bucket and heap (perhaps a worm farm/wormery too).
·       Shower - don’t bath your plants.
·       Don’t use peat compost, try making your own.
·       Make a wildlife pond in your garden.
·       Plant ground covers.
·       Put out a water container.

Electricity and water:
·       Put minimal amounts of water in your kettle (only what you are going to use – don’t fill it each time you use it).
·       Wash your towels and/or bed sheets once a fortnight, not every week.
·       Turn the thermostat down on your hot water.
·       Use energy saving light bulbs.
·       Have one fridge, not more.
·       Buy an electricity metre, which can show you how much electricity you are using at any one time.
·       Hob cooking - match the size of saucepan to the size of the element; this saves electricity.
·       Use microwaves where possible; these do save energy.
·       Turn off stove hood fans, when not being used.
·       Use dishwashers on the lowest temperature. These save energy when compared to washing dishes by hand.
·       Use solar-powered lights.
·       Use an electricity company that is ‘green’.
·       Use a laptop computer - this uses less power than a desktop computer.
·       Switch off all electrical appliances when not in use (don’t leave them on stand-by for long periods of time); turn off lights at night, when not in use.
·       Don’t leave electrical gadgets on stand-by; switch them off.
·       Use tumble driers only when you have to.
·       Use rechargeable batteries.
·       Defrost your freezer regularly - this makes it more power efficient.

Shopping:
·       Stop using so many plastic bags.
·       Buy fewer clothes - save on textiles.
·       Buy organic: - buy direct from the farmer, if possible.
·       ‘Think global, stay local’ - keep money in the area. In other words, think that damaging your environment affects the whole globe, and when shopping, buy local produce (because this keeps small businesses alive and it costs less environmentally if you get it in your local store).
·       Use washable nappies, not disposable ones.
·       Buy biodegradable cotton pads (women) and/or washable/recyclable pads.

Recycling:
·       Recycle food packaging and other packaging.
·       Use a toy library.
·       Use rechargeable batteries.
·       Recycle everything you can.

In the home:
·       Use green cleaning products.
·       Get a compost toilet in your home - there is a range of these available.
·       Put a brick in your toilet cistern, or have an economy flush fitted to your toilet.
·       Use solar heating in your home.
·       Work towards a carbon-zero home.
·       Check that the wood you use in your fireplace / wood heater is environmentally friendly.
·       Don’t leave unfinished DIY products lying around; use them up or donate them to someone or an organisation who/that will use them.
·       Get your whole house insulated, especially the ceiling, and exclude all draughts from your home.
·       Use natural paints and materials to decorate your home. Many of the ones people use ‘leak’ harmful gases into the atmosphere.
 

Yes - you can make a difference - accumulatively - we can change our planet!!


(Sourced from 70 easy ways you can Save the Planet)

 
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 April 2010 10:13 )
 
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