What Can Be Done

What can an individual do to reduce harmful emissions and other pollutants.
Making the right choices in everyday life will help save our planet.
Reducing your Ecological Footprint can also have the added benefit of saving money.

Where To Start
Start from within the home, like below method :

1. Room Lighting
Change the standard incandescent tungsten light globes to the efficient (electronic ballast) compact fluorescent light (CFL).
The highest efficient domestic lighting is the electronic ballast tube (Fluorescent Tube). One 15 watt electronic ballast compact fluorescent light has the
same light output as one 60 watt incandescent (tungsten) light globe.

2. Rechargeable Batteries
Normal batteries only last a relatively short time and usually end up in land fill.
Use re-chargeable batteries and dispose of them after their useful life at a collection point that can usually be found by making an enquiry to the local city office.

3. Use Eco Friendly Cleaners
Use environmentally friendly cleaners and that will not put harmful chemicals down the drain and into the air.
Find out what cleaners to avoid and purchase "green" cleaners or make your own.

4. Insulate Your House
Install or increase your house insulation. Not just filling the roof with insulation but install double glazed windows and reduce drafts by sealing doors.

5. Efficient Air Conditioning
Do not use wood burning fires or fuel oil heaters. Change to gas if available or reverse cycle inverter air-conditioners that have a high efficiency star rating.
Maintain your air-conditioner, cleaning filters and checking for leaks. Adjust the thermostat to maintain temperatures higher in summer and lower in winter.

6. Waste and Recycling
Donate unwanted furniture, clothes and appliances to charity so it lasts longer before being sent to landfill. Purchase second hand for those items not regularly used, or hire equipment instead of purchasing items that are only occasionally used.

If household waste is put through single bin recycling then ensure you are placing waste correctly. Food scraps wrapped in paper, tins and bottles washed and loose, papers bundled. Check with your local government waste collection service on correct placement of waste.

If household waste is put in dual bins, recycle and non-recycle, then ensure you are putting waste in the correct bin.

If your household waste is not put through recycling plants then accumulate cans, bottles and paper/cardboard and locate a waste recycle location in your area for proper disposal.

7. Lower Water Use
Install a dual flush toilet. If you have one already, then adjust the cistern float to a lower level to use less water.
Check for water leaks. Turn off all water then read the water meter. Read the meter one hour later.
Install water saving shower heads and time showers to 3 minutes.
Do not flush the toilet for small items such as tissues.
Re-use the wash cycle water from automatic clothes washers, this will reduce detergent use by half.
Wash small quantities of dishes by hand, or wait until the dish-washer is full before using.

8. Pharmaceuticals
Dispose of un-used medication by returning to the pharmacy. Pouring drugs down the drain or disposing in a garbage bin will release chemicals into land fill, water ways and eventually the ocean. These may alter the biology of animals in nature much the same way livestock are fed antibiotics.

There is increasing evidence of pharmaceuticals being detected in drinking water.

9. Donate Discarded Mobile Phones
There are some charities that take working discarded mobile phones for use in third world countries. Do not keep updating to the latest and greatest gadgets, they usually end up in land fill.

10. Standby Power Usage
Turn off all lights and your refrigerator, air-conditioning, washers, electric water heater etc. Then read the electrical meter, and again 1 hour later. Then turn your refrigerator back on! The power usage is all your non-essential stand-by power appliances such as televisions, stereos and computers. Now multiply that by 24 (hours in a day) and then by 365 (days in a year).

11.00No Junk Mail Please
Reduce paper usage by refusing junk mail in your mail box. This lowers the demand for printed paper advertising material.

12. Using Solar
Install a solar water heater on the roof if that is practical for your type of climate.
Retro-fit your existing gas or electric storage water heater with a solar conversion kit. This consists of solar panels, valves, brackets, pump and pump controller. The controller monitors the difference between the panel water temperature and the gas storage water temperature. When the solar panel water is hot, the pump circulates it into the tank. Solar powered low voltage pumps and controllers can also be used instead of mains power.

Have a solar power generating system installed in your home. Any excess energy produced can be fed back into the power grid and you get credit for that power.

from Lonely Blue Planet