Climate Change
Myth or Real?

home
resource centre

the
impact and effects of climate change

what is climate change

what are greenhouse gases

what causes
climate change


what is
carbon footprint

what
action can we take

home
resource centre

what is climate change

what are greenhouse gases

what causes
climate change


what is
carbon footprint

what
action can we take

home
resource centre

what is climate change

what are greenhouse gases

what causes
climate change


what is
carbon footprint

what
action can we take

What Action Can We Take

Every single action in our daily life, no matter how big or small will help towards decreasing global warming and hence help save planet (and will also save us money!).

What can we do?

1. The Car
2. The Home
3. The Workplace
4. The Air travel
5. Reduce, reuse, recycle
6. Other actions

The car

Gas guzzling cars are one of the culprits of CO2 emission. There are many ways you could do to help reduce the CO2 emissions. You could replace your gas-guzzling car with a fuel-efficient one like a hybrid car, an electric car or a car that uses less fuel or more fuel efficient..

Drive less. Take public transport like the bus or train. Leaving your car at home two days a week will reduce your CO2 emissions enormously. Try accumulating multiple errands into one trip, walk or take the bicycle instead of driving the car.

Try carpooling. Imagine the amount of CO2 reduced when driving one car with 4 people as compared to driving four cars.

Maintain your car well. A simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency. A poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10-20 percent.

Keep your tyres properly inflated, this can help reduce 400-700 pounds of CO2 emissions per year.

Slow down, try keeping to the speed limit.. Driving at 80mph burns 10% more fuel than driving at 60mph.

Maintain a steady speed to reduce fuel consumption on the motorway. Constant braking and deceleration increases fuel consumption.

Don't rev up your car's engine or keep it idling. All of these will help to save on fuel and lower your CO2 emissions. It is a good idea to turn your engine off and restart it if you are stationary for more than 30 seconds. Please consider this especially when you are in traffic jams or at level crossings.


The home

There are many practical things you can do and a great place to start is at home. Here are some ways to reduce CO2, manage your carbon footprint, make your home more comfortable and save money.

Majority of our household energy costs goes towards heating and cooling. We can make a big difference by making small changes towards improving household fuel efficiency.

Turn off lights, appliances, televisions and computers when not in use .Don't leave appliances such as televisions and computers on standby or mobile phone chargers on unnecessarily.

Use energy saving light bulbs, they last 12 times longer and use 80 percent less energy than regular bulbs.

Maintain your central heating system well. This will help you save you up to 5 percent in energy costs.

Regulate your thermostat with different temperatures at different times of the day. Reducing the thermostat by a degree or two will dramatically help conserve energy usage and cut your heating bills by up to 10%.

Make sure that doors and windows are sealed to prevent draughts therefore a loss of energy. Improve fuel efficiency by ensuring you have adequate loft insulation, double glazing and cavity wall insulation.

Look out for energy-efficient brands when buying electrical goods. Thousands of branded products now carry the Energy Efficiency Recommended logo from the Energy Saving Trust. For example, an energy efficient washing machine uses a third less electricity.

Always try to accumulate your washing so you have a full load.

Ensure your dishwasher is full or wash by hand if you only have a few dishes.

Allow your clothes to air dry instead of using a tumble dryer.

Only boil the amount of water you need in your kettle.

Make sure taps are fully turned off and fix leaking taps. A dripping hot water tap wastes not only water but energy too.

The workplace

Only use the lights you need. Switch off lights in unoccupied rooms.

Turn equipment off like computers, photocopiers and coffee makers, particularly overnight and on weekends.

Use as little paper as possible, printing, photocopying and faxing uses energy. Communicating electronically through email and fax is less expensive, more productive and healthier for the environment.

Use recycled paper whenever possible.

Print on both sides. It saves energy and saves paper too.

Bring a packed lunch or walk to the eatery instead of driving.

Motivate employees to improve energy efficiency in their workplace.

 
The Air Travel

Flying creates a lot of CO2 however it would be a difficult task for many to go without it. There are ways in which you can reduce your CO2 emissions and still get to the destination you desire.

Before taking a trip, think about it. Can you defer or combine it with another? Could you take the train instead? If you have to fly, consider non stop flights rather stop offs. Make a conscious effort to reduce travel by air.
 

Reduce, reuse , recycle

There are many things in the home and at work that can be reused or recycled.

Keep containers, bags for future use.
Use cloth towels and napkins instead of paper napkins.
Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
Discourage junk mail by not subscribing into mailing lists.
Buy products with minimal packaging and try not to buy disposable products
Reuse plastic carrier bags. Keep one or two in your pocket for your next impromptu shop. Or better still use bags that be reused time after time.
Recycle all your cans and glass bottles. Ensure you fully participate in the local council recycle scheme.
Recycle your inkjet cartridges and mobile phones.
Recycle clothes or take them to a charity shop.
Compost your kitchen and garden waste.
Collect rain water for use in the garden.

Other actions
Reduce your food miles by buying your fruit and vegetables locally. Support your local farmer’s market and shops. Not only will you get fresh food, you will help to reduce your CO2 emissions by not buying produce from abroad, sometimes from across the other side of the world.
Plant more trees or preserve forestation to absorb the CO2 that is released in the atmosphere.