Ascension : Conservation Weekly
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 05.06.2008 (Article Archived on 19.06.2008)

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY IS JUNE 5! Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are necessary for life on this planet.

However, human activity in the last two centuries has released more CO2 than our planet can handle. Too many gases are remaining trapped inside our atmosphere and these gases are causing our planet to warm up. The results of this global warming of our planet are becoming more dramatic every day. The United Nations Environment Programme is celebrating World Environment Day this Thursday, June 5.  The theme for this year is ‘Kick the CO² Habit’.  Here are some suggestions for how you can help the environment by lowering your carbon footprint:

AT HOME:

ü        Reduce the amount you drive.  Considering how small Ascension is, most people drive places when it would take less time to walk there!  Ditch the car for journeys of 2km or less. Walk, bike, and carpool.

ü        Don’t idle your vehicle.  If you’re going to idle for more than 10 seconds, turn the engine off. Keep you vehicle properly tuned and tires properly inflated.

ü        Buy energy efficient appliances, use energy saving light bulbs.

ü        Switch off idle electronics and appliances left on standby.

ü        Treat your hot water tank to an insulating jacket or turn it off when not in use.

ü        Shut off lights and equipment when not in use.

ü        Conserve water. Don’t leave the tap running when brushing your teeth or shaving.

ü        Don't overfill the kettle. Boil what you need: A 2.5kw kettle taking 2.5 minutes to boil when full and 45 seconds to boil with 1 cup water in.

ü        Hang laundry and don’t use a tumble dryer. Halve the number of washes you put on and lower your wash temperature to 40C rather than 60C/90C.

ü        Install a save-a-flush in your loo: Greenhouse gas emissions per litre of water treated and supplied to customers: 0.00029kg CO2 equivalent (Thames Water). Installing a save-a-flush saves 2000 litres of water a year.

ü        Compost food and garden waste: for every kilogram of waste you throw out, you produce 1 kg of CO2. An average household throwing out 1 dustbin's worth of waste every week emits 1400kg of CO2 a year. You can cut this figure by 20% if you compost all kitchen and garden waste. Source: Quaker Green Action, 2006.

ü        Be a smooth driver: avoid sharp braking or acceleration:  Smooth driving can save 30% on fuel consumption, reducing carbon emissions - this means reducing the amount of sharp braking and sharp accelerating while you drive. Source: Warwick University Climate Footprint Project.

AT WORK:

ü        Think twice about printing – do you really need to print or can you read and save on-screen?

ü        Re-use old envelopes by sticking a label over the previous address.

ü        Use both sides of the paper when printing or photocopying.

ü        If you cannot reuse paper, use the recycled kind.

ü        Buy energy-saving office appliances and equipment, such as EnergyStar-approved computers, LCD monitors, printers and photocopiers.

ü        Fix leaking taps right away.

ü        Monitor how much water your workplace uses and look at how you can reduce use.

ü        Install devices in taps and toilets that reduce the water volume.

ü        Turn lights on only when needed.

ü        Remind colleagues to switch off monitors when they’re away from the desk and to switch off all unneeded appliances at the end of the work day.

ü        Unplug idle computers at night and weekends.

ü        Encourage staff to commit to taking alternative modes of transportation for their daily commute. This can include options such as car-pooling, cycling, or walking. Reduce your staff's environmental impacts from air travel by using video-conferences for meetings.

ü        If you have a fleet of vehicles, try to use the most energy-efficient models possible.

ü        Keep windows and skylights clean and clear to make the most of daylight.

Sources:

http://www.unep.org/wed/2008/english/

http://www.naturecanada.ca/climate_change_reduce_ghg.asp

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article1679066.ece