WHAT CAN YOU DO?
For many years now humans have been damaging and polluting the Earth and its atmosphere. We are now coming to an understanding that, unless we reduce or reverse our harmful activities, we shall do irreparable damage, possibly even going as far as to make the Earth virtually uninhabitable.
We have a choice: to say, 'There's nothing we can do', and do nothing, which will, without doubt, lead to disaster, OR to say, 'We'll try', and do our best to mitigate the effects we have been causing.
Which will you say?
SUGGESTIONS TO LOWER YOUR IMPACT ON THE EARTH
Buy from jumble sales and car boot sales.
Get items from Freecycle, and put your own unwanted goods on it.
Share lesser-used items with friends and neighbours.
Choose one or two of the suggestions below every week (every day if you're very enthusiastic!) and really use them!
Tell others about what you're doing and get them to do the same.
HOME ENERGY
- Never use stand-by on computers etc.
- Turn off lights when you'll be out of the room for more than a short while.
- Lower the thermostat on your heating.
- Turn heating off when you don't need it!!!
- Replace your heating system with a more efficient combi-boiler.
- Install double glazing/loft insulation/cavity wall insulation/draft-proofing
- Lag hot water tanks and pipes.
- Use low-energy light bulbs.
- Put reflective material behind rads.
- Hang curtains at front and back doors.
- Line and interline all curtains.
- Pull them as soon as it starts to get dark.
- Wear an extra jumper – or, better still, thermal underwear!
- In summer (summer?) don't use electric fans – open windows to get a through draft.
- Only boil the amount of water you need.
- Use pans which are the right size for the burner.
- Use multi-layered steamers.
- Turn off electric hobs just before the food is cooked.
- Don't throw away water you used to cook vegetables - make gravy with it.
- Always cook as much food as possible at the same time in the oven.
CLOTHES SHOPPING
- Whenever possible do clothes swaps with friends or through local Clothes Swap events.
- Shop in Charity shops⁄jumble sales/car boots.
- Learn how to mend and darn.
- Learn how to make clothes by sewing⁄knitting⁄crochet (great hobbies, fun too!)Bear in mind the origin of the garment:
- is it from renewable sources (cotton, wool, linen, rayon) or man-made from non-renewable sources?
- how far might it have travelled?
- is it likely to have been heavily sprayed with chemicals?
- is it likely to have been made in sweat-shops/by children?
FOOD SHOPPING
- Never shop when hungry – you'll tend to buy far more!
- Make a list before you go out – and stick to it.
- Take cloth or reusable bags.
- If you must have plastic bags, make sure they are reused for rubbish/cat litter etc, instead of buying bin liners.
- Buy goods with the least amount of (or no) packaging.
- If goods are heavily packaged, remove the excess packaging at the checkout (if you have the nerve!) and leave for the store to dispose of – hopefully, they'll soon get the message.
- Buy goods which are in season where you live – they should be fresher (and cheaper).
- Always look for the country of origin – do you really need to buy fruit from the other side of the world?
- Buy locally-sourced food whenever possible – again, it's likely to be fresher, and its carbon-footprint lower.
HOUSEHOLD SHOPPING
- Buy second-hand if you can.
- Where possible buy hand-operated utensils rather than electrical.
- Make sure all wood is from sustainable sources.
- Check that furniture/curtaining etc has not been treated with harmful chemicals.
- Compare specifications before buying.
- Check origins of items, and buy those which are as local as possible.
- If buying online, choose items sourced from nearby firms, so as to limit travelling distances for delivery.
LAUNDRY
- When buying a new washer or dryer, always choose ones with an A rating.
- Wash small loads by hand.
- Always use a full load.
- Use the lowest temperature you can for washing.
- Use the shortest possible cycle.
- Rinse on 'cold'.
- Use eco-friendly detergent – or, better still, use Eco-balls.
- Use natural eco-friendly fabric conditioners.
- Deal with stains immediately, using natural methods – soap, or: lemon for fruit stains, salt for blood, baking soda for oil and grease. Then wash by hand or in washer.
- Use the tumble dryer for emergencies only!
- Line dry outdoors (in Wales?)
- Or place on an airer near a radiator, in a conservatory or other warm place.
- Often simply hanging up garments will prevent creasing.
- Iron as little as possible, on the lowest possible heat for the material.
Plenty of ideas to be getting on with! But if you have more read and reply to our blog at:-
www.transitionystradgynlais⁄blog⁄p=19
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