Helpful Tips

21 Simple Ways You Can Help The Environment AND Save Money

(Source) Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council

The following 21 examples are all ways in which your small actions can really make a difference to the planet. If you only take on board 5 or 6 of the items in the list of 21 and practice them on a regular basis, you may not think so, but you really will be making a difference. And with an ever-growing number of Transition Hemelites, little efforts really will go a long way!

WATER SAVING TIPS

1. Old toilet cisterns can use as much as 9 litres of clean water every flush. Reduce this by placing a ‘save-a-flush’ or ‘hippo’ in the cistern. (Source: Environment Agency)

2. Dripping taps can waste up to 4 litres of water a day. Replace worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water. (source: Environment Agency)

3. A full load in the washing machine uses less water than two half loads. (Source: Thames Water Website)

4. Try not to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands, as this can waste up to 5 litres of water per minute. (source: Environment Agency)

5. A 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But remember that power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes. (source: Environment Agency)

6. Use the minimum amount of water required when you boil water in saucepans and kettles; that way, you’ll save energy as well as water. Try to keep the lid on pans when cooking, if possible. (source: Environment Agency)

7. Collect rainwater in water-butts and use a watering can instead of a hose. If you prefer to use a hosepipe, fit a trigger nozzle to control the flow.

8. Wash your car with a bucket. Using a hose to wash your car wastes up to 300 litres or 33 buckets full of water. (Source: Southern Water)

ENERGY SAVING TIPS

9. Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and save you around £30 per year.

10. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn’t need to be set higher than 60ºC/140ºF.

11. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows, and look into having your loft and wall cavities insulated. You may even be eligible for grants which will help to pay for this. See here.

12. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.

13. Replace your light bulbs with energy saving recommended ones: just one can reduce your lighting costs by up to £78 over the lifetime of the bulb – and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. Government subsidies mean that energy saving light bulbs are only 10p in some shops at the moment! (including Robert Dyas Hardware stores)

13. TV sets and other appliances on standby still use nearly 20% of the energy they require for full operation. So remember to switch them off.

CAR USERS

14. When driving, avoid breaking too hard and accelerating too quickly and you can reduce your petrol consumption by up to 25%. (This will also ensure your passengers have a smoother ride!)

15. Use your car less and walk, cycle or use public transport. See the HiT Transport Tab at the top of the page for further info.

16. Car share as much as possible. This is made easy through sites such as Liftshare and the National Car Scheme.

GENERAL

17. Buy local and organic products that have been traded fairly. For a list of local suppliers, see the HiT Food Tab at the top of the page.

18. Recycle and reuse items. Try to reduce your household waste. We produce around 28 million tonnes of household waste in the UK every year. One way to reduce the amount of waste you end up with is to opt out of receiving junk mail at mpsonline.

19. When you grow out of old clothes, books, furniture take them to charity shops, put them on Freecycle or email the HiTSwapshop.

20. Where possible, use eco-friendly household cleaners and detergents.

21. Compost garden and household waste.