"Every day, each choice we make has a significant, collective impact on the global environment. Yet Australians on average have one of the highest ecological footprints in the world," says author of A Lighter Footprint, Angela Crocombe.
The ecological footprint, she explains, is a measure of the resources you consume and the amount of waste that you produce.
Here are her top tips for lightening your load on the globe:
Transport
- Walk or ride a bike more frequently
- Drive efficiently and offset your car emissions
- Fly a lot less, and purchase carbon offsets when you do
- Buy a hybrid car or use biofuels
Energy
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Buy accredited Green-Power
An accredited GreenPower product will always carry the ‘tick' label, which tells you the amount of accredited GreenPower your energy retailer is purchasing on your behalf as a percentage (between 10–100 per cent) of your household's electricity consumption. For more info, visit: http://www.greenpower.gov.au
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Replace all your light bulbs with energy-efficient CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps)
Most homes could reduce the amount of energy they use for lighting by 50 per cent or more by making smarter lighting choices and moving to more efficient technologies.
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Turn appliances and electronics off at the wall
Water
- Have five-minute showers
- Buy a water-saving showerhead
- Install a rainwater tank
Food
- Buy local
- Buy organic
- Eat less meat and dairy products
Recycling
- Refuse plastic bags and excess packaging
- Reduce, re-use, recycle
- Compost all your vegetable matter
Appliances
- Purchase Energy Star appliances
- Use your appliances as efficiently as possible
Building
- Insulate your house to maximise heating and cooling
- Get off the grid - go for solar energy and hot water
- Make your house energy-efficient
Investment
- Switch your superannuation and investments to an ethical or SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) fund
At home
- Choose natural skin care and clothing
- Use cloth nappies for your baby
- Buy sustainably forested wood products
Office
- Use less paper (or print double-sided)
- Recycle at the office
- Turn your computer off every night
- Get public transport to work
Get involved
- Learn more about climate change
- Write to politicians
- Volunteer to help others
- Plant trees
Quick facts
- Seven billion cigarette butts are littered in Australia each year.
- Most plastic bags will be used for only a few minutes yet they will last up to 400 years in the environment.
- It takes up to four kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of sea-caged Atlantic salmon.
- One calorie of animal protein requires more than 10 times as much fossil fuel input and releases more than 10 times as much carbon dioxide into the environment as one calorie of plant protein.
- A water-efficient showerhead can save up to 45 litres of water per day.
- A microwave oven can generate more greenhouse gases running the electronic clock than it does heating food over the course of a year.
- Reducing your shower time by two minutes can save you more than 18 litres of water
- Airline travel represents the greatest release of greenhouse gas emissions in a short time that we as individuals can possibly make.
A Lighter Footprint
A Lighter Footprint is published by ABC Books, RRP $24.95, available here.
