Help The World Shall We

REDUCE YOUR IMPACT

From Home

Save energy

• Turn off equipment like televisions and stereos when you're not using them. That little red standby light means they're still using power - and that means a contribution to global warming.
• Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs
• Let clothes dry naturally rather than using a tumble drier.

Save water:

• turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• collect the water used to wash vegetables and salad to water your houseplants.
• Fix dripping taps - they can waste up to 13 litres of water a day.
• Take a shower instead of a bath.

Save wood and paper

• Always use both sides of a sheet of paper.
• Re-use envelopes.

Reduce, Reuse and recycle

• Help reduce the world's rubbish dumps - don't use "throw-away" products like paper plates and napkins, and plastic knives, forks, and cups.
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Use a solar-powered calculator instead of one with a battery.
• Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than alumunium/plastic foil and plastic wrap.

IN The Garden

Save water

• Avoid using a hose wherever possible - use a watering can for the garden and buckets of water for washing the car.
• Try to water plants at sunset, rather than in the heat of the day - this will enable the water to soak through to the roots, rather than simply evaporate.
• Let your grass grow a little longer - it will require less water.
• Collect rainwater to water your flowers.

Reduce your waste, reduce your pollution

• Avoid burning rubbish - this can produce toxic chemicals, as well as releasing carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.
• Try to use organic and environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides - organic gardening reduces pollution and is better for wildlife. Chemicals will eventually end up in the sea and can upset the delicate balance of lifecycles.
• Use disease-resistant and pest-resistant plants.
• Use organic compost and mulch to improve soil health and reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
• Use plants that repel insects. Some herbs and flowers - including basil, chives, mint, marigolds, and chrysanthemums - mixed in with other plants, help keep pests away.

Respect nature

• Plant native wild flower seeds in your garden.
• Take time out to sit out in your backyard with friends and family, and appreciate the beauty of nature!
• Encourage wildlife in your garden - put up nest boxes, build a pond and plant a wide range of native flowers and plants.
• Plant local species of trees.
• Never take plants or pick flowers from anywhere in the wild.

Out Shopping

• Buy organic produce. The cultivation of non-organic produce involves the use of damaging chemicals such as pesticides, which can pollute waterways and the rest of the environment
• Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce enormous transport costs resulting from importing produce and, where possible, choose locally produced food

Reduce waste and pollution, save energy

• Don't buy products with excessive amounts of packaging and, where possible, choose products with re-useable containers
• Buy recycled or recyclable products such as toilet tissue and stationery
  If you are going to the supermarket by car, take a friend with you - one car journey is better than two
• Take your own bag or re-use plastic carriers when shopping
• Buy in bulk wherever possible - it saves packaging and money
• Don't buy bottled water if you know your tap water is safe - transporting water from its source to the supermarket shelves is an expensive waste of energy. And the plastic and glass bottles add to the already-high mountains of rubbish that we produce.
Buy the most energy-efficient household appliances you can afford.

Avoid harmful chemicals

• Don't buy head lice shampoos that contain pesticides.
• Choose biodegradable cleaning products so that the chemicals have fewer negative impacts on the soil and water system.

On Holiday

Save energy, reduce waste and pollution

• Don't travel by air if you can avoid it - air travel uses up large amounts of fossil fuels and creates greenhouse gases.
• Dispose of any rubbish responsibly - it can be hazardous to wildlife.
• Turn off all lights, taps and air conditioning when you leave hotel rooms
• Re-use towels and participate in any green schemes run by hotels
• Dispose of sanitary waste properly. Don't flush cotton buds, condoms, tampons and plastics down the toilet - or you might just find them on the beach next time you visit
• Take all rubbish home from the beach - turtles are often killed by plastic bags they've mistaken for jellyfish and many items take years to degrade as well as being dangerous.

Respect nature

• Don't participate in hunting or fishing unless it can be shown to be part of an effective management plan.
• Don't be tempted to touch wildlife and disturb habitats whether on land, at the coast or under water.
• Don't eat shark's fin soup or any dishes you suspect of containing endangered species
• Be careful what you choose to bring home as a holiday souvenir. Many species from coral and conch shells to elephants and alligators are endangered because they are killed for curios or souvenirs.
• Boats and jet-skis create noise and chemical pollution which is disturbing to wildlife - don't keep the engine running unnecessarily
• If you are sailing, surfing or windsurfing keep a distance of at least 100m from seal resting and bird nesting sites to avoid disturbing them

At Work

Getting to work

• Use public transport, cycle or walk rather than using a car to get to work.
• If you drive to work, try to share your journey with colleagues who live near you or on your route.

Personal Policy

• Set your printer to print on both sides of the paper.
• Use e-mail where appropriate, rather than faxing or writing.
• Re-use envelopes.
• Recycle paper after use.
• Switch off lights in meeting rooms and turn off computers and electrical appliances when they are not being used.