What One Can Do

We all affect the environment through our everyday choices and lifestyles.

Huge global changes are needed in the way the human race impacts on on the planet. Yet it is true that “change begins with me, and begins today” Even small changes in our habits are worth doing.

Be a global citizen – we can all live a sustainable lifestyle.

Household

· Recycle as many of your bottles, jars, cans, newspapers, magazines and clothes as you can.

· Switch off the lights and electrical appliances when not using them.

· Turn off the tap while while brushing your teeth.

· Pick up litter outside your house

· Re-use such items as bottles, carrier bags, refillable containers

· Use a diaper washing service, they use 32% less energy and 41% less water than home washing

· Turn down your central heating and put on a sweater

· Wash environmentally friendly – low temperatures, low phosphates powder and full loads

· Reuse airtight food containers

· Choose energy-efficient appliances when you replace old ones

· Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last eight times as long and use a fraction of the energy

· Get to know neighbors, they are more likely to keep your home safe than energy using security lamps

· Use recycling facilities

· Reduce your use of your air-conditioner

· Buy a houseplant as they help reduce indoor air pollution

· Drink tap or filtered water, not bottled

· Invest in a washing line or clothes horse; tumble dryers consume lots of electricity

· Turn of TVs and stereos instead of switching them to standby

· Lighten up: paint your walls a pale color, so you need less artificial light

· Only flush toilets if really needed; or invest in a low flush or dual flush toilet

· Insulate you home. Cavity wall insulation can cut heat loss through the wall by up to 60%

· Soak up the sun; solar panels can produce a surprising amount of energy

· Clean the back of your fridge. Dusty coils can increase energy consumption by 30%

· Don’t choose blinds. Heavy curtains keep in more heat in winter

Waste

· Depose of chemicals and oil responsibly and don’t pour them down drains

· Do not dump waste, but dispose of it correctly

· If you have a garden, start a compost heap to reduce the organic waste you end to landfill sites

· Recycle your car oil at a recycling depot or gas station; it contains lead, nickel and cadmium or at a civic amenity site

· Give your garden a good breakfast; coffee grounds and eggshells are ideal for composting

· Donate left over paint to a community project

· Cut up plastic rings from backs of beer and soda; they are invisible in water so wildlife can choke on them or trap themselves

· Bring a mug to the office instead of using polystyrene cups

Transport

· Do not use the car for short journeys, walk or cycle instead

· Give a colleague a lift to work; if no one is going your way, join a car-pool scheme to find a passenger

· Reduce pollution by not flying abroad, and vacation in the US

· Choose a car which uses alternative fuels to reduce pollution

· Cancel that expensive gym membership and walk to work instead

Shopping

· Refuse plastic carrier bags, or at least reuse them. Clothe bags are better and stronger

· Wrap gifts in fabric and tie with ribbon; both are reusable and prettier than paper and sticky tape

· Join a library instead of buying books and donate old books to libraries and charitie

· Buy local or, better still, grow your own food, so energy is not wasted on transportation

· Raise your glass to organic beer, conventionally grown hops are sprayed up to a dozen times a year

· Buy from companies with eco-friendly policies; boycott those without

· Grow plants to give to friends instead of cut flowers

· Buy less – save time and money as well as the plane

· Buy sustainably produce wood (look for theFSC lable), instead of MDF and chipboard, which release formaldehyde, a carcinogen

Eating, drinking and shopping

It is the sum total of all our consumption that is causing damage to the environment – and to the people who lose out from environmental damage (usually the poorest people in any society).

By changing the way we consume, we can cut that damage, help other people and feel better about ourselves.

Our food and drink affects our own health too.

Food and Drink

The way we eat and drink impacts all over the world: the land used; the pesticides and fertilizers; the fuel used to transport it and the packaging it comes in.

What Can You Do?

Buy local

Try to get fruit and vegetables produced as close as possible, farmers markets are a good way of doing this but in any shop you can check to country of origin. This cuts down on fuel use and may reduce packaging too.

Buy Organic

Organic food and drink is produced without toxic chemicals and artificial fertilizers, helping the countryside and the people and the people who work in the fields or live downwind.

Buy Fair Trade

“buying Fair trade gives people freedom for the fear of not being able to feed their families, so let’s give our shopping baskets a makeover.”