How to reduce your Climate Costs(Carbon emissions & impact.)SimplyCUT ENERGY AND CUT WASTE
What to do at Home - Exterior Shade the exterior windows which face the sun in summer TO REDUCE COOLING COSTS. (a deciduous vine is best or cover the window with shade cloth halfway down. Roll up blinds are good, as are shutters.) Glass windows exposed to the sun cause extreme heat inside. It is amazing how much you can also reduce energy costs (BOTH heat and cooling costs) by installing insulation in the roof and walls.You want the sun to come inside in the winter to reduce heating and lighting costs, but you don't want the sun in summer. A verandah or patio is a great solution.TO REDUCE HEATING COSTS - You can create a heat bank - a brick wall- which will absorb heat and reflect it inside.(But no good in the summer). You can also install mirours outside to reflect heat and light inside, and remove them in the hottest months.Have a clothesline, or foldaway rack, near the back door or under the patio or verandah or even on a balcony. If you have a pool use only biodegradable products and reduce the use of the pool heater. Dry your pool towels when used. Hang them up on a pool towel rack. Re cycle water where possible in the garden and design your garden to be water wise and energy efficient.Sign up for renewable electricity- Green power.What to do at Home -Interior - In the Kitchen:Reduce oven use or cook several items at once. Turn off lights, Fans, heaters. Put in thermostats or use auto cut off switches. Wear an apron to reduce soiling clothes and re-washing. Re-dry hand towels for re-use. Avoid using kitchen paper because paper products are not climate friendly. Use cloth towels which can be re-used, then re-use in the garden.Keep the freezer defrosted regularly. Use only bio degradable detergent and buy bio degradable freezer bags, Re-use recycled carry bags. Clarify your fat from chicken etc. or place it on the garden NOT down the drain. Hand wash small number of dishes. Use dishwasher only when full.Use reusable crockery,cups and glasses.Not paper cups or plates. Avoid throwaway or disposable utensils. Re-use paper and plastic to re-wrap rubbish. Re-use paper in garden as mulch. (it keeps down weeds- cover with grass clippings to create compost (soil) and feeds the normal garden worms.- ) Put food scraps in a compost bin or buy a worm farm to recycle your food waste. The worm waste is used in the garden or in pot plants as mulch.Buy locally produced meats and produce. "Sounds like a good idea, but you don't know where to start? Just type in your zip code on Local Harvest's website (or in Australia go to yahoo and look for organic food suppliers.) to see a list of farms and farmers' markets close to home, as well as nearby restaurants committed to supporting their neighbors. Buying locally produced food cuts out the middlemen and the vast amounts of energy required to get your products onto store shelves. Most produce in U.S. supermarkets travels an average 1,500 miles before it is sold! Evaluate your food choices carefully"ref liveearth.com. Example Seafood: "Choose your seafood wisely. We can't afford to wait until 2008. The world's seafood will be entirely depleted by 2048, according to an early November report in the journal Science. That means the moment to shape up is now. By buying and eating certain types of seafood, you can discourage harmful fishing practices and avoid the more depleted or threatened species. Take a look at Seafood Choices Alliance or Seafood Watch to make smart choices." ref livearth.comYou should reduce meat consumption because meat production uses more energy than other food production. Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. In the Laundry: Only
wash clothes when there is a full load, and then ONLY in cold water.
Wash and rinse in cold water. (If everyone in the United States alone
switched to cold water with their washing machines, we could save about
30 million tons of carbon dioxide each year -- and more than $3 billion
in energy costs, collectively. And what's more? Cold water cleans your
laundry just as well as hot water. (ref
Liveearth.com.)
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