Jenny Cottle
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker
It’s all too easy to think, “What difference will my one action make?” Each of us is one, but together we are many and that is our power.
Here are some simple things you can do to make a difference to the environment:
1. Recycle. Recycling reduces land fill and resources used to make many new materials. If you already recycle, check what you are putting in the red bin to see if some of that can be recycled too (for example, plastic packaging can go back to the supermarket bags and go in their recycle bins).
2. Avoid bottled water. It takes 3 times the volume of the bottle in water to manufacture the bottle, and plastic bottles are a major source of litter and unnecessary landfill. Get a reusable bottle and fill it from home, if you fill it and leave it opened in your fridge overnight any chlorine will evaporate off, and you’ll have chilled water to go.
3. Use reusable shopping bags. Apart from reusable grocery bags, carry a small one for other purchases. This can save a huge amount of plastic.
4. Avoid palm oil. You may know that palm oil is responsible for massive rainforest destruction and is in about half of all grocery items in the supermarket. The Good News is that there are alternatives. Where ever you can buy palm oil free. There are several sites and facebook pages dedicated to helping you with this but I have these particularly useful –
Products on Australian Shelves that contain Palm Oil www.facebook.com/palmoilproductsinAustralia Palm Oil Investigations www.palmoilinvestigations.org
5. Buy sustainably. For example avoid rainforest timber and buy sustainable timbers instead – ask before you buy.
6. Refuse junk mail. Save hundreds of trees by getting a no junk mail sign from a local hardware or office supply store. If you still want to read catalogues, most are available online.
7. Don’t waste electricity. Turn off unneeded lights and turn off TVs and computers at night at the power point. Less electricity means less greenhouse gas.
8. Don’t waste water. Turn the tap off while you’re brushing your teeth, fix any dripping taps and leaking toilets. A dripping tap can waste hundreds of litres of water over a year and a leaking toilet can waste up hundreds of litres of water a day. Put a bucket in the shower and catch the water while it is getting warm enough to get in. You can use the water later on the garden.
9. Repurpose or refurbish. Many household items can be used for a new purpose, there are hundreds of ideas online and many don’t require any handyman skills; search for “uses for old …”. Give furniture a new life with a coat of paint or by recovering.
10. Buy local or grow your own. Shop at your local farmers’ market or grow some fruit and vegetables. Even if you don’t have a garden you can grow things like spinach, tomatoes, lettuce and herbs in small pots on the smallest of balconies.
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