What you can do

Green Hints for your home

• Visit www.mykyoto.org.au, started by a Samford local! Sign your own protocol, and hang your certificate in your home.

• Switch to Green Power. Visit www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au to compare Greenpower products, and find out which is best for the environment and best value for money too.

• How many energy guzzling incandescent light bulbs have you replaced with efficient new fluoros? Doing this can save up to 75% of your lighting costs!

• Let the sunshine and breeze dry your washing instead of using the dryer.

• Insulate & draft-proof your house! This limits the flow of heat through the roof, walls, windows & gaps. You will be more comfortable in summer & winter, as well as saving on cooling & heating costs.

• Switch appliances off at the wall. Standby power wastes electricity when appliances are not in use.

• Check the seals on your fridge and ensure there is adequate ventilation around the coils at the back. This helps it to run most efficiently.

• Cut down your family’s food miles by starting your own veggie garden. This also reduces waste from packaging and saves on refrigeration costs when your veggies go straight from the garden to your dinner plate. Check out www.diggers.com.au for great advice and products on home gardening.


Green Hints for the Office

• Walk, cycle or carpool to get to work, even if it is just once a week or fortnight. Check around your office or put a notice up to see who else will share your ride. See also www.thecarpool.com.au or similar sites.

• Use commercially produced recycled copy paper in the photocopier, printer and fax.

• Shredded paper waste is always welcomed by pet stores for puppy & kitten bedding, & also by gardeners for compost. Take a boxful home today & give it a useful second life if you don’t have paper recycling facilities at work.

• Why don’t you have paper recycling facilities at work? Use the other side of used paper for notes or messages.

• Switch lights off in areas of the workplace that are automated or not being used, and lower the brightness of your computer monitor to lower running costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

• Letterheads or printed envelopes out of date? Donate them to your local childcare centre or school who can use them for drawing paper & craft activities.

• Turn off the aircon for an hour a day. And clean the filter of your airconditioner to improve efficiency.

• Take your own cup if you go out to buy a coffee.

• Encourage your workplace to conduct a formal energy and waste audit.


Green Hints for School

• Ask your teacher if the school uses recycled copy paper in the photocopier, printer & fax machines. If not, why not?

• Start a school veggie garden to help others learn about the importance of water and sustainability.

• Make sure there are separate bins for recycling and general waste.

• Food scraps can go into a worm farm that makes lovely fertiliser for the school’s gardens, or you could sell your “worm water” to families with gardens at home.

• Schools can switch to Green Power too! Ask your Principal to check it out at www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au

• Start a “Walking School Bus” for children who live in the same neighbourhood to walk to school together safely. Visit www.travelsmart.gov.au to see how to set this up.

• Organise a “Swap Shop” where you bring in items you no longer want or use and swap with each other for other items. This extends the life of the items simply by allowing others to reuse them.

• Check out www.planetpatrol.info/main.html for other great ideas for kids.



Green Hints for Travel

FACT: Every litre of petrol saved cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8 kilograms, saving you at least $1 plus vehicle wear & tear.

• Consider hybrids like the Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid when you are purchasing your next car. All new cars sold in Australia must display fuel consumption labels, so do your homework before you buy.

• Think ahead about trips you have to make. Try to combine several tasks so that you only have to go out once, as several short trips use more petrol and make your car work harder.

• Don’t drive with unnecessary items in your boot. Extra weight, unused roof racks and flat tyres, create extra drag and reduce fuel efficiency.

• Fly less wherever possible. One seat BNE-MELB return emits 1 tonne of CO2. Avoiding one domestic flight per year makes a big difference.

• Give a friend or neighbour a lift to work, school or do your shopping together. Carpooling is an effective way to cut rising petrol costs and curb greenhouse gas emissions. See www.thecarpool.com.au or similar.

• Give your car a break and use public transport, cycle, walk to work or work from home occasionally. You will reduce fuel and parking costs, get fit, lower driving stress and reduce traffic on our roads. A win for everyone!


For more tips for your home and lifestyle see www.acfonline.org.au/greenhome.