You may have heard the dictum more is better. But not when it comes to conservation. Before making a purchase, ask yourself if you really need this product and now, or can it really wait. If the answer to that question is you can wait, then it’s wise to postpone that purchase. Chances are that you will never buy it — ever. Your immediate apparent need would have passed or gone on to something else.
There could be another way out of getting rid of excess baggage. Get in touch with your local authority or church and spread the word around. Enquire at your office also if someone is interested in second-hand stuff. Or better still, organize a garage sale or a swap/ barter day where neighbors and friends can pour in and exchange their functioning appliances. There are agencies like Freecycle.com that do this online.
This is sad as:
- Poor energy features jack up electricity load and your monthly utility bills (One estimate is that such families end up spending 20% of their monthly income on energy consumption and equipment maintenance
- Can be a serious health hazard for children and elderly as such homes have several entry points for dust, head and frost
- Increase moisture content inside the house which is another invitation to insects and pests
- Such homes contribute to global warming
To make amends, the first thing that you need to do is….
- Determining your current energy cost and consumption, identify and prioritize your energy needs, learn to do small things to save for huge ones, practice energy saving tips
Across the world, conventional buildings guzzle up 40% of the world’s total energy, 25% of wood harvested and 16% of clean water. Worse, although people residing in these buildings spend 90% of their time indoors, the air quality inside the building is often 2-5 times worse than that outside! Honestly, would you want your family to live in such a house? Or would you rather live where you are guilt-free and NOT heaping more filth on this planet then there already is? If your answer to both these questions is yes, read on…
Getting Started….
Energy efficiency is cost-efficiency. It’s the best strategy against global warming. The process, fundamentally involves a consideration of the following factors; The vicinity you live in, The type of house you have, material used, and the climate conditions in the area. Smart choices can increase your home efficiency. The challenge lies in coming up with newer ideas and optimizing alternative sources of energy. For instance, smart meters installed to keep track of your household electricity can save real dollars on the utility bill. Even simple savings can make a difference, such as:
- Using low energy bulbs
- Switching off lights when not required
- Using solar lights for garden
- Using energy efficient appliances
- Recycling the garden waste to minimize the impact on environment
- Here are a few other tips that you can follow at home…
Give a second life to products
If you are building a shed outside for your lawnmower and patio furniture, why not put in a used door or a used window? When you are in the process of buying furniture or lamps, why not look for antiques and rummage through yard sales? You would be surprised to land something really eye-catching!
Just in case purchases
Ever bought something just in case, only to realize that you have three of the same products, lying unused at home? If you are unsure, don’t go in for that kind of a buy.
Bargain
This may surprise you but avoid all kind of bargain hunts. Buy what you need, not what happens to be the cheapest stuff in the marketplace. That way you’d only collect more junk.
Ecological logs
Ecological logs are made from various wood residue and coffee grounds that are compacted very densely. They do not attract insects, they burn longer and they generate more heat.
Recycled packaging
If you have to choose between two similar products, choose the one that respects the environment the most even in its packaging.
Office supplies
Buy adhesive notes made out of recycled paper and 30% post consumer content. If possible, replace your marker with a solvent base and ink with chalk, wax pens or simply color pencils.
Always use binders more than once. Every year, see which ones are still good, which ones need a little repair and then try to find binders made with recycled materials. Further, buy only scissors made with recycled stainless steel in the blades and 30 % post consumption plastic.
Toilet paper and tissues
Buy those made with 100% with recycled material. Increasingly, these products are now being made without whitening agents such as Chlorine, which is of course a good sign.
Have you heard of green toilet paper that is approx. 60 % sugar cane fiber (also called “bagasse”) – a residual by-product of sugar production. It is bleached by using an elemental chlorine free (ECF) process, which involves the use of chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Both are natural bleaches that are internationally recognized for being environmentally-friendly.
The remainder of the product consists of approx. 40 % wood pulp obtained from sustainable forestation. The pulp is CoC Certified – which indicates that no indigenous forest, wildlife, plants or soil was harmed during its processing.
(You can log on to www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Green-Your-Toilet-Paper-62899015, for a video on how to green/recycle your toilet paper.)
Also, did you know that Greenpeace does an audit of all the well-known toilet paper brands and gives a thumps up to those that aren’t eliminating ancient forests in their processing.
The audit is based on three main criteria:
- The brand should use 100% recycled content
- At least 50% post consumer recycled content; and
- Bleached without toxic chlorine content
Cash register receipts
The obvious thing to do when you empty your pockets or purse and find cash register receipts is to recycle them. But you can also give a second life to them by using them as draft paper for grocery lists or to-do-lists. Keep a stack close to the phone in case you need to note down a phone number.
Cleaning products
Did you know that almost every stain commonly found can be taken off with vinegar and or baking soda? So why buy 35 different products to do the same job?
