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April 25, 2006
Save the earth - we all can make a difference
The Live Science Magazine provides you with 10 tips that make a difference.
1.) Change light bulbs
- Use highly efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
- Turn off unneeded lights
- Dim lights when you can
- Bring natural sunlight into your home when it is feasible (how to sell this to Asians, i wonder?)
2.) Drive differently, or drive a different vehicle
- A car emits as much carbon dioxide as your entire house - wow, I didn't know that one!- Buy a fuel efficient car because replacing your gas-guzzling car with a fuel-efficient one is by far the best thing you can do
- Drive less - tought sell in Asia, because of the lack of workable public transport and our own comfort zone that doesn't want to get anywhere near an LRT, or a Public Bus
- Get your car tuned up. Just a simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency by half. If 100,000 of us went out and got a tune up, we save 124,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Isn't this an easy one?
- Slow down, don't race your car's engine, and watch your idling - tell this any Malaysian who is revving up the engine
- Horribly inefficient SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks now make up more than half of the cars on American roads (what about Malaysia?). The real tragedy is that automakers could double the current average fuel efficiency of SUVs if they wanted to, which would save 70 tons of carbon dioxide per car. The technology exists. Unfortunately, consumer demand does not.
3.) Control your temperature
- The bad news is that half of your household energy costs go towards just two things—heating and cooling. Well, Malaysians don't heat, but look at all those air-conditioned buildings with the door wide open!
- Add two degrees to the AC thermostat in summer, and two degrees in winter. If everyone did this, the cumulative impact is significant.
- Make sure windows and doors are sealed. Again, this will dramatically improve your household fuel efficiency.
- Of course, if you can stand it, by far the best approach is to avoid air conditioners at all. Ceiling fans, instead of AC, can reduce your cooling costs by more than half.
4.) Tame the refrigerator monster
- Did you know that your friendly refrigerator has a voracious energy appetite? It is, by far, the single biggest consumer of electricity in the average household, responsible for 10-15 percent of the electricity you use each month.
5.) Twist some knobs
- Either turn the hot water heater down a couple of degrees, or turn on the "energy conservation" setting.
- When possible, wash a few dishes by hand. Over time, that will save a few loads in the dishwasher, conserving energy - lucky we have maids in Malaysia, but do they save water, or let it run and run and run?
- Don't pre-rinse dishes. Today's detergents are powerful enough to do the job - this is something I didn't know. Have to tell my wife, who asks me to pre-rinse, when I wash the dishes (I am serious!)
- Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher.
- Wash clothes in warm water, not hot. The clothes will be just as clean, and you'll cut energy use by 50 percent.
- Don't over-dry your clothes. That will save 15 percent.
6.) Plant smartly
- While it is true that planting more trees will help in the short term because they essentially soak up carbon, they also release carbon dioxide when they die. This is important in Malaysia where the number of trees cut probably exceeds the number of trees planted, by far! If planting takes place anyway!
7.) Invest in green energy
- Imagine if we ran out of fossil fuels tomorrow, what would we do? Support solar panels, geothermal and wind power sources. Well, in Malaysia they go for biofuel - I hope this helps!
- Learn the truth about nuclear power and natural gas as viable "green" options. They aren't. Radioactive waste will be a problem for tens of thousands of years into the future, and natural gas kicks out almost as much carbon dioxide as coal and oil. Natural gas can help us make a transition, but it isn't the solution.
8.) Go organic
-Even with our vast reservoir of scientific knowledge about farming, most American farmers still spray a billion pounds of pesticides to protect crops each year. I guess not only the US, but also Asia.
- Eat locally grown food. If the food doesn't have to travel far, there's less carbon dioxide from the trucks that ship it.
- Eat fruits and vegetables in season. Again, that saves the enormous transportation costs.
- Plant your own vegetable garden. It's not as hard as you might think.
9.) Buy recycled
- It takes less energy to manufacture a recycled product than a brand new one.
I would say that we need to start recycling in Asia first!
10.) Be a minimalist
- Every time you buy something, energy has gone into getting that product to you. So the less you buy, the more you save energy-wise. It's a simple equation.
Isn't it time we change? Remember, we only have one earth at hand!
Posted by Andreas at April 25, 2006 09:09 AM
Comments
That's just great advice. I'm not much of a hardcore treehugger, but I do what I can to minimise all of that. Like I don't use plastic bags whenever possible when I go shopping, that in theory works well over here in Australia where they encourage you to bring your own shopping bags. Can't say the same for Malaysia.
I would think that going off the powergrid in Malaysia would be hardpressed if not impossible. Australia subsidises some costs for installing solar panels onto houses and...if you generate more power you're using, you can send it back into the powergrid...and get money in return. That's a great idea actually that Malaysia should adopt.
Too bad we complain about the little things...like insinificant fuel hike prices.
Posted by: Edrei at April 25, 2006 12:37 PM
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