Saturday, November 10, 2007

Reducing Your Carbon Footprints - Going Green At Home.

You don't have to take drastic measures to save planet Earth from the effects of global warming, neither does it requires massive changes to the way you live. Going green and leading an environmental friendly lifestyle does not have to be about grand gestures.

Simple changes to how you live, play and get around can make all the difference and you can even save money in the process. For example, choosing to take the trains or bus instead of driving your car can keep about 4,500kg of CO2 out of the environment a year and will also result in a bundle of savings for you. Replacing 3 incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs in your household will result in less electricity used by up to 4 times.

Here are some green tips for an area which anyone can easily adopt and reduce their carbon footprints - your home.

Electricity
- Switch off lights, fans, air-conditioners, televisions, computers and other appliances when not in use. Turn-off "standby" mode and pull out the plug as well.
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs and install dimers, timers and sensors.

Air-conditioning
- Do not overcool air-conditioned rooms. Set the temperature at between 25 to 26 deg C and remember to close all doors and windows when running the units.
- Check air-con filters once a month and clean or replace them if necessary. Dirty air filters impede air flow and result in more electricity being consumed.
- Do not place television sets, lamps or other heat-emitting appliances near the air-con thermostat as they will interfere with its ability to regulate the air-con operations, thus making it work harder than it needs to.

Refrigerator
- Decide what you want before you open the door. That way, it doesn't stay open too long and waste energy.
- Cool down hot food before you put it into the fridge so that it does not have to work harder to maintain the temperature.
-Avoid overcrowding the fridge as too many items obstruct air-flow and reduce cooling capabilities.
- Do not position fridge near to a oven or stove.

Washing Machine
- Wash clothes only when you have a full load and choose a cold water wash cycle.
- Use just enough detergent as this will cut the need to rinse again.

Appliances
- Opt for energy-efficient appliances as green tick energy-labelled appliances can result in massive energy savings.

Furniture
- "Green" your furniture. Buy furniture made from sustainable harvested woods and recycled, bio-based or non-toxic materials.
- Bamboo is an excellent option as it is versatile and grows fast. You can also buy second-hand or vintage furniture which does not require further resources to make.

Shopping, eating and drinking
- Where possible, buy in bulk. Buy household necessities like rice, juice and detergent in large sizes as small sizes use relatively more packaging materials and opt for refills instead of throwing bottles away.
- Cut back on consumption of meat. Not only will it do wonders for your health but will help greatly in cutting down emission of greenhouse gases. Estimates by the United Nations point to livestock as contributing to almost a fifth of the world's emissions with cattle being the biggest contributor. They emit methane and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gases that trap more heat than carbon dioxide.

Watch what you throw.
- Learn to compost. Even if you live in an apartment, food waste can be used as compost in your personal or community garden. You can learn more about composting at sites like Compost Guide.com.
- Use recycling bins for your trash like paper, bottles and other materials so that they can be recycled.

*Related posts :
- Calculating Your Carbon Footprint
- How To Make Your Home Environmental Friendly


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5 comments:

Fossfor said...

thanks for the info. I thought you might be interested in these tips also: http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/greentips-from-ucs-archive.html

Fossfor said...

whoops -bad link, sorry :)
www.ucsusa.org/publications/
greentips/
greentips-from-ucs-archive.html

My Den said...

fossfor,
Thanks for the tip and for dropping by. Take care.

Unknown said...

Hello, I stopped in to check out your green blog you posted on BC. Best wishes to you on your new blog venture here.

RecycleCindy
www.myrecycledbags.com

My Den said...

RecycleCindy,
Thanks for dropping by and really appreciated it. Take care.