Climate change and the devastating impact it is predicted to have on life and society are in sharp focus. Humanity needs to act now to avert disaster, and none of us can ignore our responsibility to be a part of the solution. It may seem too big a task for any one of us to make a significant impact upon. But this is not true, many small acts can add up to providing a large part of the solution.
Recycle
Recycling is one of the easiest things all of us can engage with. Most city councils now operate curbside recycling as part of your refuse collection service. This makes participating in recycling as easy as putting the trash in the appropriate receptacle. For items that are not routinely collected, we can make an extra effort to recycle. Large appliances, such as fridges and stoves can be recycled if you take them to the right place. We can even turn trash into adorable craft projects with the kids, such as this DIY birdhouse.
Eliminate Singe-Use Plastics
Although much of our household waste is now able to be recycled, not everything can be. One of the biggest waste challenges we face is the over-reliance on single-use plastics. These are mostly packaging for food or other items. The sad fact is that these items are often only in our possession for a matter of minutes before being placed in the trash. We can try and only buy items such as loose fruit or veg, and where this is unavoidable, target food products in card or paper packaging. Even when we recycle plastics there is an environmental cost, the process uses energy and chemicals, not to mention the pollution caused by the original manufacturing process. It’s better to avoid all plastic use wherever possible.
Temperature Control
If we properly control the temperature in our home, we can cut down your fuel consumption. This has a twofold advantage, we cause less pollution, but also help reduce our household bills. The first course of action is to check if our heating or air conditioning system is timed to come on when we are not home? Changing this can make a considerable difference. Next, we should look at how efficient our systems are? If they are many years old, it might be time to replace them with newer and more efficient models. Even a new mobile home air conditioner can cut your energy use dramatically.
Energy Production
Can you produce your own electricity? It’s not uncommon these days to mount solar panels on the roof of the house, or have a wind turbine erected in the garden. Not only will this provide energy for the family, eliminating or reducing high bills, but you can also even make some money back by selling excess power to the grid. If it is impractical or unaffordable to do this, you can always switch energy providers to one that produces electricity via renewable technologies.
