10 simple ways to go green

10 Simple Ways to go Green

Our planet is not feeling well. It's choking from pollution, caused by exhaust fumes and burning of fossil fuels.

Unregulated deforestation is stripping off layers of soil, increasing the incidence of floods.

Pesticides and industrial waste get into waterways, killing marine life.

Global warming is turning weather patterns against us.

We may not see the effects of environmental damage in our immediate surroundings, but the whole planet is intricately linked, and the damage is already causing problems.

The detrimental effects are felt most by the world's poorest people.

Small changes to our lifestyle can have a tremendous accumulative effect on the environment. Here are 10 simple, inexpensive ways to go green.

1. Recycle, recycle, recycle

Perhaps the simplest act to save the environment. Simply dump your cans, bottles, cartons and wastepaper in recycling bins. Easy!

2. Ditch the Styrofoam coffee cups

Next time you buy a Cappuccino, bring your ceramic mug and ask them to use that instead. Your coffee will taste better, and you'll be saving the environment.

3. Turn the heating down by one degree

Save money and save the environment. Turning your thermostat down by one tiny degree, won't make much difference to the temperature, but it'll cut 15% off your heating bill.

4. Plant a tree for your friend's birthday

It's a unique gift idea for friends of all ages. Every tree you plant will provide oxygen for two people for the rest of their lives. Ask your local council. Most of them give away free native seeds.

5. Use both sides of the paper and recycle printer cartridges

Only 11% of office paper is recycled in Australia… so much for being a paper-less society. Use both sides, whether for writing, printing or photocopying. When printer cartridges run out, recycle them. Don't add to the 18 million cartridges that are thrown into landfill in Australia every year.

6. Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth

Leaving the tap running while you're brushing your teeth, can add up to quite a few litres of wasted water a day. Families in some developing countries struggle to survive on just that amount each day. Remember also to use the half-flush on the toilet.

7. Decline plastic bags whenever possible

One plastic bag can take up to 500 years to decay. Each year, Australians use almost 7 billion new plastic bags - we are practically suffocating the planet. Always use a green shopping bag instead. Leave it in your car in case you forget.

8. Choose green, clean power

Clean, green power is available to everybody. It can be supplied to your home in the normal way through the existing electricity grid. You don't have to change your connections or appliances. If all of us switched to green power, we would bring down Australia's greenhouse gas emission by 30%.

9. Don't overfill your kettle

Why fill up the kettle when you only need a cup of water? Fill the kettle with only the amount you need. If everybody did so, we could save enough electricity to run all the streetlights in the whole country!

10. Send these tips to a friend or family member

The more people taking these simple steps, the bigger the difference we can make to save the environment. You're already halfway there by reading this… now tell someone else.

Get involved:

Aim to do two of the things listed above

Simply enter your postcode and find out what can be recycled in your area.

Discover the simple changes you can make in your own life that have a positive impact on poverty.

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Environmental degradation
Eleven ways to save the planet
One million trees in Ethiopia

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