Top Ten Eco Things You Can Do

September 2006

We've all seen the headlines, and most of us are starting to worry. Temperatures are rising, ice caps melting and more and more animals are becoming extinct.

There is some good news however, and it's that we can all make a contribution to making things better... and it's not all rocket science. So join us on our ten-point journey to a greener you.

Harmonious holidays

Our holiday habits can be ecologically very costly. How costly, exactly? Well, a return transatlantic flight will create roughly 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per passenger. To put this in perspective, an average home in the UK will use around five tonnes of CO2 all year. This is one of the reasons why lots of people are choosing to holiday at home. The message is, think before you fly.

By way of compensation

If you do struggle to limit your air miles, why not make a gesture of carbon compensation? British Airways, for example, offer their passengers the option of offsetting their carbon produce by sponsoring an energy efficiency programme.

Four wheels bad?

Our love affair with the car has got to stop... or at least change. Is public transport an option? How about walking or cycling? If not, how about sharing your journeys with others by carpooling? If you can't break it off completely with your wheels, why not investigate a hybrid, or even better an all-electric car?

Switch it off!

Did you know that the blinking red eye on television standby can use up to 50 per cent of the energy the TV uses when switched on? In fact, every electrical device you leave on consumes more energy that you would imagine, so turn them off and see your carbon production (and electricity bills) dip.

Think before you flush, swish or slosh

Water may be free out of the tap, but it is in fact one of the most precious commodities that we possess. How can you save water and do your bit? There are a number of things that you can do. For example, you could buy a water butt and save on tap water for sprinkling on the lawn. Even better, garden plants actually prefer rainwater to tap water, so there's no reason not to start collecting.

It's not all rubbish, you know

The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year, enough to fill the Albert Hall in London in less than two hours. The average person throws away seven times their body weight (about 500kg) in rubbish every year.

Think. How much of it did you really need in the first place, and is it really rubbish? What we may think of as being old and useless (last year's mobile phone, for example) is probably useful to someone else. Why not recycle and give it another life?

A feast of ecological facts

Food miles (the measurement of how far food travels from field to plate) accounts for nearly 30 per cent of all goods transportation by road in the UK.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced that food miles rose by 15 per cent between 1992 and 2002. Food miles, therefore, matter. Wherever possible, eat local produce.

Also, eat lots of raw fruit and as many raw vegetables as you can. Not only are there more minerals and vitamins in raw food, but 'going raw' means that you cut down dramatically on energy use by cutting back on the cooking.

House, home and hearth

A well designed and maintained home should be warm in winter and cool in summer without costing you or the earth. Make sure that you are properly insulated and that you use the best materials that you can in your home. Wood, for example, has a low level of conductivity and therefore loses little heat, making it perfect for window frames. Make sure, however, that it comes from a well-managed forest.

Be energy smart and fit

Energy saving light bulbs have been around for a while, but now domestic technology can provide an awful lot more besides. How about harnessing natural energy? Solar power (photovoltaic) cells are now available for use in the home, and they've never been easier to install or use. As there's all this natural energy floating about, it'd be a shame to see it go to waste.

Work smart

Considering how much time you probably spend at the office, have you ever considered how eco-friendly it is? No? Well maybe you should. Do you re-use paper effectively? Do make double-sided copies when whenever possible? No? Considering that copiers use more energy than any other piece of office equipment, maybe you should.

top ^