Action Earth

Solar Power

Go Solar! Hot water systems account for 30-40%of household electricity bill - so installing a solar system could save you hundreds of dollars, and reduce greenhouse emissions more significantly than turning off lights/using car less/changing light bulbs every will!
Solar energy can be harnessed in two ways: Solar thermal collectors, which produce hot water and warm air for homes and industrial applications. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power, which generates electricity directly from sunlight.
If an extra 260,000 Australian households installed solar hot water systems, a coal-fired power station like Munmorrah could shut down permanently.(according to Rheem's marketing Mgr Gareth Jennings)

Bathroom

Indoor plants remove pollutants from house hold air. Where there is sufficient light, plant pots with madonna lily, spider plant, Boston fern and English ivy. All perfect for the Bathroom.
Place a bottle filled with sand in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used with each flush or replace your toilet with a low-flush or dual-flush option - reducing water use by up to 8litres for every flush.
Use greywater to flush your toilet.
Don't leave the water running while you brush you teeth, or shave. Leave the tap on for just 3minute and you'll waste more than 19lotres of water - more than someone in Kenya uses in a whole day!
What do you clean your bathroom with? Chances are you've got a nice little cocktail of acids, phenols, oils, corrosives and chlorine going on. Why? Grandma did fine with much less harmful products - old-school is new wave! Wash your mirrors, and remove limescale from shower-screens and tiles with white vinegar.
A tap dripping at a rate of one drop a second loses15litres of water a day. A leaking toilet can lose 45litres a day. Buy a new washer, call a plumber!
Don't use disposable razers - waste of materials and non-recyclable.
Don't use chemicals to unblock drains or pipes - ditch the sulphuric acid for a mixture of boiling water and baking soda and get hold of a good sink plunger.

Wind Power

The best thing your household can do is switch to government-accredited GreenPower.Making the switch is easy. Your wiring and meter stay the same and most electricity companies sell accredited GreenPower so you won't necessarily need to change suppliers (shop around for the best price at www.greenpowerpricewatch.com.au). There are now more than 381,000 GreenPower customers around Australia.
Renewable energy sources such as solar power do not produce greenhouse gases and their reserves are inexhaustible - so why not heat your house, and your water with power from the sun

Heating

Shut curtains, shutters, doors and windows when heating or cooling your home.
Use door sausages or self-adhesive draught excluders
The ideal living room temperature is 20degrees, and bedrooms 16degrees. Every degree you turn it up means a 7-11% increase in energy consumption (depending on how well insulated your home is).
Seal out draughts by sealing cracks and gaps around doors, windows and skirting boards, fitting dampers to fireplaces and open exhaust fans, and blocking unnecessary vents
Place rugs or carpets on timber or elevated slab floors
Only heat rooms you are using and close doors between the heater and unoccupied rooms
Fully insulating your home can halve heating and cooling greenhouse gas emissions and costs and dramatically improve comfort all year.

Furniture

Use all materials sparingly, particularly non-renewable resources. Old growth timbers, metals and precious stone are finite resources, for which better alternatives exist.
Select materials from renewable resources or recycled sources. Recycled materials are now more available, as are renewable materials like straw based particle boards.
Consider the offgassing properties of some materials. Formaldehydes in boards/textiles, benzene and toluene in paints can increase indoor air pollution.
Strive for a 'look' which isn't only a fashion statement. Appropriate design will ensure that materials and products will have long years of use.
Consider increasing the amount of natural light into spaces to reduce need for artificial lighting. Correct placement of windows, internal partitions and colours of walls/surfaces improve lighting.
Specify timbers which they have ensured come from a long term renewable source. Timbers recognised by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) are certified as sustainably harvested.

Laundry

Re–use your water in a grey water system
Use phosphate–free products whenever you can
Wash in cold water wherever possible – 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine goes towards heating the water. So the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use the coolest water temp possible.
When buying a new washing machine use the Energy Rating Labels to compare the energy efficiency – one star is minimum efficiency and six stars is maximum efficiency.
The best way to conserve water when washing your laundry is to do less of it. Only wash clothes that are really dirty.
A washing machine uses 190litres of water per cycle – so only use it when you have a full load. Automatic washing machines use the same amount of electricity for a full load as they do for a single item. Wait until you have enough for a full load before using and adjust the clothes washing cycle to match the load size.
Phosphates are added to washing powders and tablets to counteract the effects of hard water. But they're bad for the environment (if they get into waterways, they cause algae blooms and choke rivers),
Front–loading machines use 40% less electricity than top–loading machines.
More than 3kg of greenhouse gas is emitted every Washing Dryer load

BTS Live Earth

Live Earth will be a Carbon Neutral event! It's hoped Live Earth will become a model for ALL future live events.
The toilets used at Live Earth were portable toilets made from recycled material. They are waterless and create a high grade compost, with the end product eventually sold to olive farms! That's right! Olive farms!!!
Generators were used for Live Earth, as they can run off biodiesel.

Farmers Market

Ditch plastic bags for re–usable – Australians have enthusiastically adopted the green bag concept.
Grown your own or Buy local – Farmers Markets, support local beers!
Grow some of your own organic food
Don't buy out–of–season produce – it's either been transported, or energy has gone into growing it in its non–growing season.
Get into the habit of using the water gauge on your kettle – nothing's more wasteful than boiling a whole kettleful of water when you only need one or two cuppas!
Reducing your meat and dairy intake by just one serve a week saves about 425kg of Greenhouse gas each year
Eating out can actually work out better for the environment due to restaurant's lower food wastage, and the economics of cooking many meals at the same time.

Kitchen

The fridge accounts for about 1/3 of a household's electricity use – 20%freezer, 12%fridge.
Choosing the right size pan for cooking, and keeping the lid on for most of the cooking process, can reduce the energy needed to cook food by 90%
Treat water with respect–remember for most of the world, water is not on tap – the average African woman walks over 5km a day to get water for her family.
Switch off the power a few minutes before cooking is complete – and use the remaining heat to finish the job.
Rather than using power to defrost in the microwave – use brain power and remember to get it out earlier and defrost at room temperature!
Only boil the water you need. If you're having one cup of tea, boil the minimum possible water – no need to half fill the kettle!
Avoid pouring oil down the sink – from frying, or even from salad dressings, or foods stored in oil. Instead they should go in the bin.
Always be conscious of waste – these days we produce three times as much waste as we did 20years ago – why mop up a spill with a paper towel, when you can use a sponge?
Gas is better than electricity – a gas cooker uses, on average, half the energy of an electric one. But make sure you clean the burners! A clogged burner will use up to 10% more energy than a clean one.
Use biodegradable cleaning products.

Green Gadgets

At present, ¼ of the world's population hogs ¾ of the energy produced on the planet, while 1/3 of the world does not even have electricity. Part of the industrialised countries' energy consumption is due to gadgets and leisure equipment.
Many devices – especially TVs – use almost as much energy in standby mode as when they're in use.
Flat–screen plasma TVs use four–times as much power as a normal telly
The average microwave oven uses more energy powering its digital clock than it does cooking food.
95% of the total energy consumption of mobile phones & MP3 players is accounted for by their chargers – that are often plugged in and working even after the device is fully charged. Get into the habit of unplugging devices when charge and switching their chargers off at the wall.

Lightbulbs

Choose natural light where possible.
Switch off unnecessary lights.
Choose suitable wattage : a powerful 100W lightbulb is a waste of energy in a bedroom, or a room that is naturally bright.
Rather than halogen lights as spotlights, use energy–saving bulbs. Over a year, a halogen lamp uses as much energy as two washing machines.
Fit stairs and passageways with timed or motion–sensor lights.
Cleaner bulbs are brighter bulbs! Dust can decrease the amount of light that gets through by 40–50% so cleaning them can improve your lighting at no extra cost!
Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs cost more initially, but over their lifetime will use (66%) less energy and last 10 times as long – savings that will soon add up for your and the planet!
Redirect wall lights to light the white ceiling where the light will be bounced back down – and learn from that! Light colours reflect light – so use lighter–coloured paints, not stronger lightbulbs!
Energy–efficient compact fluro bulbs cut energy waste by over 75%, and last ten times as long.
Over its life, a typical compact fluorescent lamp saves around a third of a tonne of greenhouse gas and $45 and avoids the cost of 6 or more incandescent globes. And you don't have to change the bulbs as often.

Clothes

On average, the manufacture of 1000 items of clothing produces about 225kg of waste cloth, paper and packaging
Organic cotton represents an estimated 1 percent of cotton grown in the world. Nike plans to blend a minimum of 5 percent organic cotton into all its cotton merchandise by 2010, while expanding the number of 100 percent organic cotton products available.
Every year, 100,000 pairs of prescription eye glasses find new eyes. In developing countries, millions of people suffer from poor eyesight with no means of correcting it. If you're updating your prescription, or just your look, give your old pair to your optician for collection and redistribution.

Composting

In 2002 around 22.45 million tonnes of waste went to landfill across the country. In 2002–2003 approximately 6.34 million tonnes were dumped in NSW landfills, making us one of the highest waste producers in the world.
The Eastern Creek site is the biggest landfill site in the Southern hemisphere. It receives 60% of Sydney's waste. It has been open since 1986. When it closes in 2015, it will contain 12million tonnes of garbage.
On average over 80% of what we throw away can be recycled and/or reused.

Green Homes

You can be paid for the excess power your solar panels create – talk to your electricity supplier for details!
The higher the "R" level on your insulating bats, the more the insulation they provide
You don't need to rebuild to go green – renovations can make a huge improvement. Glenda's house was built in the 1800s and look at what she's been able to achieve with her reovation/extension! Take any chance you can get!

Veggie Patch

Not all veggies are really veggies: we all know tomatoes are really fruit, but did you know peas and beans are seeds and cauliflower and broccoli are actually flowers?!
The distance travelled by the food we put on our plate is thought to have roughly doubled (check Aust stats) in the last two decades, as we import more food from cheaper markets, fly in foods out of season in our own country.
Reducing your meat and dairy intake by just one serve a week saves about 425kg of Greenhouse gas each year
A serve of red meat generates more than 40times more greenhouse gas than a serve of vegetables
Man–made fertilizers are highly energy–intensive to make – so organic food is naturally more climate–friendly

Cars

Downsize: What size do you really need for day–to–day life – hire when you need a bigger vehicle occasionally?
Shop around ‐ fuel efficiency varies by up to 45%even within same–size models
Motorbikes: small motorbikes & mopeds are relatively green. But bigger engines obviously release more CO2 – though only the most powerful high performance bike would emit as much as a family car …
Petrol v Diesel: Standard diesel is more poisonous to the environment in terms of emissions than petrol, but is more efficient and hence better in terms of global warming.
Even if you car's a gas–guzzler, you can cut its fuel usage by tweaking your driving practises:
Avoid sudden stop/starts
Lighten your load – because for every 50kg you lug around, you'll lose 1–2% of efficiency
Drive slower! Most cars achieve maximum fuel efficiency when travelling at speeds of around 50–80kmph. Above 90kmph, fuel consumption goes up by as much as 15% for every additional 2kmph. So staying under the speed limit will not just save you in speeding fines, it saves you money at the bowser!

Glenda's Garden!

Members of the Onion Family, like Chives and Spring Onions, are said to have natural pesticide properties in the garden – grow them to keep bugs away from their neighbours!
If you use your Greywater on your garden, you'll need to switch to a low–phosphorus detergent. If you have native plants, you'll need to switch to a no phosphorus detergent.
Never use a Pine Mulch (like Pine Bark) – it stops anything growing. That's why there's never any plants growing under a Christmas tree!
For a waterwise garden, look for natives, for plants with silver leaves or pointy leaves – they generally need less water!
To help new plants settle in, you should water them in their pots, water the hole you've dug for them, and water them once they're in their new home.
Rainwater Tanks come in every shape and size possible – even flat to fit under decks! – so there'll be one to fit whatever space you've got.
To be truly effective, your mulch should be at least 75mm thick, leaving a space around the plant's stem to catch water and allow airflow to prevent the stem rotting.
According to the stats, many Aussies spend at least 36hours a year weeding, mowing and tending their lawns.
Lawns account for nearly 80% of water use in the garden.

Recycling – Get It Right!

Australia makes 1million tonnes of glass a year – but only a third of that comes back to be recycled – what a waste! (Switzerland kicks butt – they lead the world, recycling 91% of their glass).
Recycled glass uses 40%less energy than glass made from scratch. (Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a110Wbulb for 4 hours).
Glass can be recycled indefinitely– with no loss of quality.
Recycled aluminium uses 95%less energy to make than aluminium from new materials (recycling an aluminium can saves enough energy to power a TV for 3hours).
Aluminium can be recycled indefinitely – with no loss of quality.
It takes 1.346 million litres of water to make 1tonne of aluminium.
Recycled steel uses 80% less energy to make than new steel, and can be recycled indefinitely.

Making Your Office More Climate–Friendly

CH2's design and systems are based on natural design and systems of a termite mound.
Every tonne of recycled office paper saves about 380gallons (over 1700litres) of oil form being used in manufacture.
Paper: use 30–50% less energy and 55% less water making recycled paper, than making new paper from trees.
For every tonne of paper recycled, you're saving around 13 trees, 30,000 litres of water, and 4tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon Footprint

The average Aussie (individual) is responsible for about four metric tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each and every year! Australian households generate almost one–fifth of Australia's greenhouse gases – about 14 tonnes per household each year – through everyday activities such as transport, household energy use and the decay of household waste in landfills.
Measure your carbon footprint with our online calculator or there are a number of organisations that, for a small fee ($200, $50 Gov refund) will come out, assess your home and your carbon footprint and provide you with energy and water saving recommendations. Contact your local council for details.