Green Tips for April

1. Make your own Soap. Learn to make your own soap, chemical residues from non-natural soap go down our drains and impact the environment. Making an all natural soap can be fun and will be better for the environment. Check out TeachSoap.com to learn how to make homemade soap.  

2. Reduce your use of Styrofoam cups and take out-containers. Some studies show that Styrofoam will take thousands of years to break down. Instead of using it, try using paper cups and plates. These are recyclable.

3. Eat what you buy, buy what you need. Many people buy more than what they will eat and waste money and food. Plan out meals a head of time and only buy what you are planning on serving/eating. If you have leftovers use them for tomorrow's lunch or freeze them for another day.

4. Turn down your stove element. When the water starts boiling turn down the element. The water that is roaring boiling is the same temperature as light boiling water. It only requires a small amount of energy to keep water boiling.

5. Switch to digtial music. Not only is it easier to download digital music, but it also saves on plastics, packaging and transport costs, materials and Green House Gas emissions.

6. Reuse office materials. Keep bubble wrap and Styrofoam "peanuts" that can be reused. They may be helpful if you are moving, or doing arts and crafts with kids!

7. Steam clean the microwave. Instead of using chemical cleaners place a mug of water in the microwave and boil on high for three to four minutes. The steam will soften stuck on food, then it will be easy to wipe up with a reusable cloth.

8. Practice green financial planning. When it comes to planning future spending, use your money to buy into green energy investments.

9. Bookworms - try reading e-books! Book-sized digital readers are becoming more affordable, these are easy to carry around and contain dozens of books. This reduces the use of paper, packaging and transport of traditional book publishing.

10. Plan a low carbon wedding. If you are planning on tying the knot, plan for a low-carbon or carbon neutral wedding. For ideas on how to do that, Google "low-carbon wedding".

11. Visit your local recycling centre. Even if you have curbside recycling, visit your local centre and see if they take additional materials such as solvents and paints or reusable building supplies.

12. Wash bottles, cans and jars before recycling. Leaving food remnants in recyclables risks contaminating the rest of the recycling. This could force the entire lot to be thrown out. 

Green Tips for February

1. While brushing your teeth turn off the water. You can save approximately 95 L of water a month just by following this simple task.

2. Suggest sustainability ideas to implement at work. Suggest some ideas at work to make your workplace more sustainable, ways to save energy, water, recycle, re-use, save office supplies! This could also save money. Check out these tips to make your office go green, how to make your businesses greener, how to inspire change at your office and making a more sustainable office (see list on the right-hand side).

3. Reduce amount of water in each flush. If you have a toilet that was installed before the early 90's then there is probably more water being used than needed. Look into putting a water displacement device in the tank.

4. Wash dark clothes and colours in cold water. This saves both energy and money, it also keeps the clothes' colours more vibrant.

5. Get rid of unused 'electronic gizmo'. Clocks that have digital timers, power chargers or standby modes are sucking energy (called 'phantom electricity') when it is not being used. When devices are not being used, unplug them.

6. Winter heating: allow sunlight in during the day for passive solar heating then close the blinds at night!

7. Buy energy saving appliances. These are often rated 'Energy Star'. Compare the energy savings when shopping for appliances. Some dishwashers and washing machines will also save litres of water per load!

8. Find out where your energy comes from. Check with your electric company, more energy is generated from coal - the fossil fuel that is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world!

Stay tuned for more green tips next week, until then stay green!