33 Ways To Save The World

From a friend after she read the post about saving the earth.

You don’t need to be a mung bean-eating, tree-hugging hippy to do your bit for the planet. Even small actions can make a big difference, and you may just have some fun and save some cash along the way! By Joanna Barry

1. When you stub out your ciggie, don’t be a tosser – dispose of your butts responsibly! Cigarette butts account for up to 50% of all our rubbish.

2. Turn the tap off while you clean your teeth – and save 23 litres of water. Have a shower instead of a bath – and save another 45 litres of water.

3. Check the energy rating of major appliances you purchase. Look out for five star ratings and only buy the most-energy-efficient models.

4. The plastic bag effect – each plastic bag you get from the supermarket takes approximately 100 years to decompose. Do your bit and take your ‘green-friendly’ cloth bag with you instead.

5. Store food in re-usable containers instead of using plastic wrap. Plastic may seem the cheaper option, but the price tag doesn’t include the health and environmental debts incurred during it’s production and disposal.

6. Get down and dirty and plant a tree! It’ll reduce your carbon footprint and look pretty!

7. Don’t ditch those cartridges! We throw away soooo many computer cartridges which will eventually end up in a landfill and not decompose properly. Either buy refills or recycle them.

8. Limit the toxic chemicals in your house. Try using natural cleaning products such as bicarb of soda, vinegar and lemon juice.

9. Be prepared to pay a little more for clothes made by workers who receive fair pay and safe working conditions. Check out tradeaid for some fab purchases.

10. Always switch off the TV, VCR, microwave and stereo at the power point. A computer alone left on standby produces more than 1000 kilograms of harmful greenhouse gas emissions per year – the same amount a car makes when it travels over 3000kms!

11. Fluorescent light globes use 75% less energy than a standard incandescent and last 10 times as long.

12. Switch your home to renewable energy sourced from solar and wind. Also good on your pocket long-term.

13. Set photocopiers and printers to print on both sides by default.

14. Remember back in the day when collecting and recycling cans was cool? Why not make it the latest retro-revival? The energy you save recycling just one aluminium can could keep your TV running for three hours!

15. Join the paperless society. Subscribe to electronic versions of newsletters, pay bills online and say no to junk mail. It’s that easy!

16. Stop disposable batteries landing in landfills (and save some coin in the process) by buying rechargeable batteries.

17. Use a laundry powder that has minimal impact on the environment. ‘EcoStore” laundry powders are made without phosphates or petrochemicals, so your clothes will be clean and the environment green!

18. Sell your clothes online or pass them on to friends.

19. Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need. This reduces the amount of energy needed for it to boil.

20. We’re great recyclers, but often it’s the wrong things! Make sure you’re only recycling what can be taken away in your area.

21. Recycle your magazines. Doctor’s surgeries and primary schools love to reuse them.

22. Carpooling is the new laundrette when it comes to finding Mr Right. So pop a sign up at work to find some locals to travel with – you never know who you’ll meet!

23. Try making at least one weekly shopping trip on foot or bicycle. It’s good for the environment, good for your health and good for your local community.

24. It may sound kinda rude, but a low-flow Faucet Aerator can reduce your home water flow by 50%, whilst strengthening the water flow!

25. Don’t buy products from endangered animals. Yes, this may seem obvious but you would be surprised at how many people don’t get the message! Avoid tuna brands that aren’t dolphin safe also check out http://www.gefree.org.nz for a list of Non-Genetically Engineered food.

26. Give blood – one donation means three saved lives! For more information, head to http://www.nzblood.co.nz.

27. Never release helium balloons into the air as they cause the death of countless numbers of sea turtles and whales.

28. When you are out enjoying nature, no matter how tempting it may be, DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS! Feeding wild animals makes them dependent upon human food, which will ultimately lead them to starve when humans are not around (usually during winter).

29. Buy organic cotton products whenever you can. Cotton is the world’s most sprayed crop, containing a quarter of all insecticides used each year, and it’s estimated that 20,000 people die per year in the developing world as a result.

30. Skip your Monday-Friday coffee and use the money to sponsor a child instead. Head to http://www.worldvision.org.nz.

31. Picking up rubbish isn’t just for the naughty kids on the playground! If everyone picked up one piece of rubbish per week, New Zealand would be even more beautiful in no time!

32. When possible, opt for natural beauty products. Visit http://www.healthy.co.nz for some great brands.

Some of the ways are only applicable to NZers. Others-I think is applicable to everyone 🙂

Releasing children from poverty

Its heart wrenching to see the faces in these two sites: http://www.worldvision.com and http://www.compassion.com.au. There are so many in need, way outnumber Brunei’s population. I am touched to know that a lot of people are sponsoring kids from different parts of the world. I have made my first step to do so too. How grateful the child will be to know that there is this someone who cares for him/her. Each and every one of our care and contribution will be a BIG help to them.

Similarly, do you feel any impact after watching the catastrophe in The Day after Tomorrow? Feel any bit scary to see the unprecedented flood scenes in Brunei during these recent downpours? Well, I do :p. Quite a number of people have shared with me their mindsets that the degrading earth stems from the industrial waste from the “BIG” countries and that our tiny help will be of negligible contribution. BUT come to think about the child sponsorship programme, take each child as another tree whereby a small contribution can be a progress in saving the tree’s life. I started to reduce paper wastage yeeeaaarrss ago. I don’t know how many trees I’ve saved haha, but I just do what is within my ability. My next step is to bring a shopping bag with me hehe. Next Next step is to bring my own spoon and fork. Easy and small changes that WILL make a difference. Why don’t YOU try it too?