Fight Climate Change - eco ideas and advice
This Go Eco! guide aims to give you some useful tips and ideas about what you can do to fight climate change. There are lots and lots of small actions you can take in the home, at work, or in your lifestyle that can all contribute to lessening the impact you have on the world in terms of greenhouse gases which cause climate change. This guide lists easy things to do as well as those that may require a little bit more effort and time, but the more you do, and in fact, the more all of us do, the greater the overall impact in reducing the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases that are emittde into the atmosphere which will help to reduce global warming and some of its possibly devastating global consequences.
Most of the actions are basically about reducing your carbon footprint - which is the amount of carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas) that is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of the things that you do in your everyday life. Many of the things we do require energy and electricity and much of this is derived from fuels that cause carbon dioxide to be released into the air. So quite simply if we can reduce the amount of energy we use or change what we do then we can reduce the amount of carbon dioixde that goes into the atmosphere and play our part in helping to fight climate change.
Go Eco! - In the Home
Easy things to do
These ideas can save you money
Easy things you could do in your home...which can save you money off of your electricity and energy bills because you will be using these less. We have many wasteful habits in the home which can easily be changed into good
energy efficient ones. Wasting electricity and energy such as when cooking inefficiently with gas results in unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions. These actions are very easy to do and can become good habits that you don't even think about!
Turn off your electrical appliances when you are not using them. Leaving them on standy uses significant amounts of electricity.
Turn off your lights when you are not in the room. Simple and effective.
Turn down your central heating thermostat by one degree or more if you are able.
Set your hot water thermostat to 60°C. This provides sufficiently hot water for your home.
When cooking, cover your pots and pans. This can save up to 70% of the energy you use.
Only boil the amount of water you actually need in your kettle, rather than filling it up and using only a little of it.
Use your laptop rather than your standard PC. Laptops are generally much more energy efficient than stand alone PCs.
Use full loads in your washing machine to reduce the number of washes you do. The same applies if you have a dishwasher.
If you have a tumble dryer, consider allowing your clothes to dry naturally if the weather is good or your home well ventilated.
Use energy efficient lightbulbs in your home by replacing any exisitng inefficient bulbs when they expire/blow.
Take a shower instead of a bath (can use up to 25% less energy). Avoid power showers, cheaper low flow heads clean just as well.
Green actions worth the small investment.
Buy an
eco kettle - which will ensure that you only boil the amount of water you actually need, saving energy and saving you money.
Buy
energy saving lightbulbs, which may cost more, but they last longer, save energy and can save you money in the long term.
Search for more information on climate change here...
Go Eco! - with your lifestyle
Easy things to doSaves you money
There are several small changes you could make to your lifestyle which can help make a big difference to the world. The more people that take these actions, the greater the overall positive effect will be so
encourage your family, friends and colleagues if you can.
Walk or cycle to your destination rather than drive if the distance is short, making you fitter and saving you money and fuel!
If you are stuck in traffic, turn your engine off rather than leave it running. It saves energy, saves your fuel and cleans up the air.
Car share where you can...jorneys to work, school runs, vacations. Saves you money and helps reduce overall car emissions.
If you are using your car, make sure your tyres are properly inflated as it improves the car efficiency and saves your fuel costs!
We all like a holiday. If you can avoid flying to your destination, consider greener alternatives like the train, such as the
Eurostar.
More easy habits to fall into and things to do
Buy locally produced fruit and vegetables rather than foods that have been transported across the world to your supermarket.
Green actions worth the small investment.
Buy a bicycle -
folding bikes are very practical, easy to carry and particularly useful for eco-commuters!
More ideas and suggestions coming soon...this page is presently being updated.