Living more sustainably

What you can do to reduce household energy use:

• Buy 6-star energy- efficient appliances.
• Switch off lights.
• Replace light globes with LED which last 50 x longer and save 80-90% on lighting costs.
• Turn off appliances at the power point.
• Turn down your heater. Every degree over 22 degrees increases your heating bill by 10%.
• Use a clothesline instead of the dryer.
• Keep lids on pans when cooking.
• Only use your washing machine and dishwasher when full.
• Install insulation in ceiling, floor and walls.
• Seal around doors and windows.
• Install external blinds and sun shades or plant deciduous.
• Insulate windows with heavy curtains and pelmets.
• Put a ‘NO JUNK MAIL’ sign on your letterbox.

Other ways to live more sustainably:

Consume less and eat locally. Buy only what you need. Make a shopping list. Use rechargeable batteries.

Walk or ride a bike for short trips. Bikes produce no emissions and are better for your health.

Stop using disposables. Previous generations didn’t dream of single-use razors, forks, cups, bags, and food storage containers, but these days, you can find a plastic version of almost any object

Try growing your own food or support local Farmers Markets.

Recycle your organic waste. Using a compost bin or wormfarm reduces methane emissions at landfill and great for your garden.

Re-sell and donate items. Items that you no longer need can get an extended life through resale and donation.

Drink from the tap. Bottled water adds more than a million tons of plastic to the waste stream every year.

Save water. An easy way to live more sustainably is to conserve household water use.

Purchase fair-trade products. When you purchase items that are imported from all over the world — particularly coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, chocolate, and fruit — look for the fair-trade certification.