26. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint In The Home
Use energy efficient lightbulbs where possible – they save 80% on lighting costs and can last years. And turn off lights when you don’t need them.
Check out Green Energy (www.greenenergy.uk.com) who provide renewable sources of electric energy.
Fill gaps in floorboards and place newspaper under carpets for extra insulation around the house.
Put a lid on your saucepan so it will boil six times faster and save energy.
Keep internal doors closed as much as possible to keep in the heat.
Try not to put hot food straight into the fridge as the fridge will need to produce more energy to cool it.
If you need any food to defrost, try to put it in the fridge the night before. The coolness from the frozen food will help save the fridge energy.
Buy a Savaplug for your fridge – it can save up to 20% of the energy the fridge uses by better regulating it’s power use.
Log onto www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk and take their fun quiz to see how green you are!
Use a water meter to be more aware of how much water you use; this can often save money as well as it is often cheaper than the annual payment.
Use a toilet brick to cut down how much water is wasted when you flush the toilet.
Use showers to reduce the amount of water you use and the energy used to heat the water.
Use a water butt to collect rain water to use on your plants instead of using water from the taps.
Wash dishes in a bowl instead of under the tap.
Only fill the kettle with as much water as you will need.
Keep a bottle of water in the fridge instead of waiting for the cold tap to run.
Put cotton buds and tissues in the bin where possible, instead of down the toilet. Thames Water estimates that 100,000 cotton buds are disposed of down toilets each week, contributing to the 25,000 tonnes of debris removed from the sewers every year.
28. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When Travelling
Only use the car when necessary and try to use the bus or train when possible.
If you can afford it, look out for electric cars – they can be cheaper in the long-run as you save on petrol although they are quite expensive initially.
Try car shares and car pooling to reduce your carbon footprint.
Plant trees and plants in your garden to offset your carbon footprints!
29. Buy In-Season Fruit And Veg
In 2003 The Guardian put the problem of food miles to the test and the results were quite surprising. A basket of 20 fresh food items were bought and it worked out that a cumulative 100,943 miles has been travelled by all these items which included pears from South Africa and lettuce from Spain. Even 56% of organic food is imported from abroad so no matter how ethically it has been grown, the carbon footprint will be quite high. To ensure your veg has been locally grown, you can visit local farm shops instead of your local supermarket or plan the fruit and veg you buy according to what’s in season and make sure it states that it has been grown locally on the label.
A Calendar Of Seasonal Fruit And Vegetables
January - leeks, cabbages, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, artichokes, mush-rooms, pears, beetroots, potatoes and onions.
February - cauliflower, leeks, swede, potatoes, carrots, apples and pears.
March - broccoli, cauliflower, spring onions, radishes, leeks, potatoes, pears and apples.
April - lettuce, watercress, spinach, radishes, carrots, rhubarb and potatoes.
May - potatoes, asparagus, radishes, carrots and rhubarb.
June - asparagus, new potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and cherries.
July - strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, cherries, redcurrants, summer cabbage, new potatoes, broad beans, courgettes, French beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and cucumber.
August - strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, cherries, redcurrants, summer cabbage, new potatoes, broad beans, courgettes, French beans, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, leeks, peas, sweetcorn and cucumber.
September - plums, pears, blackberries, early apples, spinach, figs, onions, cabbages, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, aubergines, sweetcorn, peas, mar-rows, courgettes, red onions, beetroot, broccoli, swede and brussel sprouts.
October - apples, marrows, sweetcorn, beetroots, squash, mushrooms, on-ions, leeks, artichokes, cauliflowers, potatoes, sprouts, carrots and broccoli.
November - cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, leeks, swede, pars-nips, apples, pears and sprouts.
December - sprouts, turnip, swede, parsnips, red onions, cabbages, beet-root, apples and pears.
For nearly every item we buy, no matter how ethically it has been produced, it has damaged the environment, and that affects all of us. Nearly everything is produced using lots of natural materials and producing lots of toxins and gases which all contribute to global warming. For example, did you know that, for a simple t-shirt, an average of 20,000 litres of water is wasted? Unfortunately, it’s impossible not to buy stuff like clothes, bags, food etc. But there are some actions you can take; by buying from charity shops or pre-loved websites you can keep items lasting for longer without new things always needing to be produced. Also by mending things instead of replacing them, you can make them last longer and save money. Then, lastly, consider whether you really need things that take your fancy to reduce how much you consume!
31. Grow Your Own Vegetables
Although buying in-seasons fruit and vegetables, helps greatly reduce your carbon footprint, the best option is to grow your own fruit and vegetables; this way you can be sure no pesticides or environmentally damaging chemicals have been used. If you don’t have a garden, you could purchase an allotment if you have the time to tend to it.
A mixture of healthy soil and natural pest control are good ways to ensure your produce can be grown effectively without harming the environment. It’s worth investing in a compost bin to keep your soil healthy and inviting animals into your garden that will control the pests for you. By placing wood chippings around your plants, you will also greatly reduce the likelihood of weeds.
The kind of pest controllers you want to invite into your garden are hedge-hogs, frogs, ladybugs, birds and spiders. A mixture of shrubbery, a pond, bushes and fencing will all attract these visitors.