|
1
Refuse unnecessary packaging.
Always
have a shopping bag with you and when you buy something, refuse
additional packaging.
-
Plastic
bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, yet most are thrown away
after one use. -
Although
60% of plastic waste could be recycled, billions of tons are buried in landfill
sites every year.
2
Wash yourself with plain water.
Wash
your face and body with plain and simple water.It's
healthier, just as effective and will save you money. Soap is only necessary to
remove ingrained grime. If you don't believe me try it for 10 days. You'll pong
a bit for the first day or two while your body re-establishes its natural ecology,
then you'll smell sweet, have healthier skin and save yourself money for the rest
of your life. And how gratifying to know you're not unnecessarily using up resources
or contributing to pollution. -
Soap
harms the natural ecology of the skin by killing micro-organisms that live there
and deal with the skin's waste products. It is the continual removal of these
micro-organisms that makes you smell.
-
Deodorants
make things worse because they are powerful chemicals which suppress the body's
attempts to rectify the situation, leading to a vicious cycle of applying and
washing off unnecessary and harmful industrial products.
3
Use environmentally-friendly household products.
Whenever
possible choose biodegradable and recycled products. They’re dearer at the moment
but only because not enough people use them yet.
- Ordinary household
products contain a cocktail of harmful chemicals which disturb the natural balance
of rivers and lakes, cause algae blooms and lead to the death of water plants
and fish, and the birds and mammals that feed on them.
4
Wash dishes once daily.
Simply
stack dirty dishes in a bowl as you use them and only add hot water and half
the washing-up liquid you'd normally use when the bowl is full. Most of the cleansing
action is due to water. (Virtually none is due to lather!) The average sinkful
uses 4 gallons of water while washing up under hot running water can easily use
20. This method works just as well and saves time and money. Cutting out two dish-washing
sessions a day will reduce your water consumption by thousands of gallons a year.
5
Sort
and recycle your rubbish.
Keep
discarded glass, paper and cans in separate bags and take them to your local recycling
centre.
6
Replace
filament bulbs with low-energy halogens
or fluorescents.
Low-energy
halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs last ten times longer
than filament bulbs and use a fifth of the electricity so
although they’re dearer to buy initially they cost less
in the long run.
- Using
one of these high-efficiency bulbs instead of an equivalent filament bulb will
keep over half a tonne of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere during its normal
lifetime.
- Always
turn off unnecessary lights.
7
Use rechargeable batteries.
Although rechargeable batteries and a charger cost more
initially, you save money in the long run because they can be used again and again.
-
In
Britain alone, 400 million batteries are thrown away with household waste every
year. Most end up buried in tips where they corrode, break up and release dangerous
poisons, such as mercury or cadmium, into the soil.
-
Incinerated
batteries release their poisons directly into the air.
-
Although
rechargeable batteries also contain poisons (such as cadmium) the fact that they
can be re-used hundreds of times helps reduce our hazardous waste problem. 8
If you must use a car, have it tuned, and share it!
If
you really have no alternative to using a car, get it properly tuned, so that
it at least gives maximum travelling for the pollution it creates and offer empty
seats to others - especially if you make the same journey regularly. Or set up
a 'Shared Car-Ownership Scheme'. -
Air
pollution could be reduced by up to a third if all vehicles were properly tuned.
- Every
year 105 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 4.5 million tonnes of carbon monoxide,
100,000 tonnes of hydrocarbons, 2,500 tonnes of tetraethyl lead and huge quantities
of nitrogen oxide are dumped into our air by motor vehicles. These are the major
pollutants which cause acid rain, ozone-smog, global warming and are permanently
changing the climate of the whole planet.
-
50
times more energy is used manufacturing a car than the car itself will consume
in its lifetime. That's
why every new car on the road is bad news for the environment and there's no such
thing as a ‘green’ car. 9
Walk, cycle or bus!
Walk
trips of up to a mile and cycle those of up to 3 or 4 miles. Use public transport
for longer trips. You’ll save money, get good exercise and nurture your soul by
removing the major source of stress, bad temper and accidents that is driving.
- Every time you drive
a car you make your biggest contribution to damaging the environment.
- Every
time you use public transport you strengthen the case for better services and
more investment.
- A
bus can carry as many people as 80 and a train as many as 1000 private cars, each
spewing out its brew of toxic fumes.
10
Eat non-animal food!
No
one has the right to tell anyone else what to eat, but we should all be aware
of the consequences of our choices for the environment. 90% of primary crops produced
by intensive chemical farming are fed to animals - so everyone who cuts
out animal food helps reduce this assault on our countryside. Fresh fruit and
vegetables, salads, grains, seeds, nuts and pulses are recommended by nutritionists
as the healthiest diet there is. (Research shows vegetarians live up to 9 years
longer than meat-eaters!) For proof that a pure vegetarian diet can be a sensual
pleasure too, read The Vegan Cookbook, Alan Wakeman & Gordon Baskerville,
Faber & Faber, London 1986 & 1996. -
Over
60 vegans can be fed on the land needed for just one meat-eater.
- It
takes 100 times more water to produce a pound of meat than a pound of wheat.
-
Over
100,000 square kilometers of tropical rainforest in Brazil and half the forests
of Central America have been cleared for beef production. |
