Tips

We’ve put together a small selection of tips to help you lead a more sustainable life and protect our planet. The good thing is all these tips will save you money too!

Water is precious – even small actions can significantly reduce our water consumption. Fitting low-flow adapters on taps and making sure your showerhead is an efficient one can make a massive difference.

Don’t waste a drop – A dripping tap can typically waste around 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres per year. Fix any leaking toilets too!

Cut one minute off your shower time – for a typical shower with a flow of 10 litres per minute, you’ll save over 3,600 litres per year; this is equivalent to four years worth of drinking water for a single person!

If you like your water cold keep a jug of tap water in the fridge - waiting for the tap to run cold can waste more than 10 litres a day!

Collect rainwater in your garden to water your plants and flowers.

Turn off the tap when brushing teeth or washing dishes or you will literally be able to watch money go down the drain!

Eat sustainably – organic food does not use pesticides and it is better for the planet and your health; if you eat meat regularly, make one day a week ‘meatless’; buy in season, and ensure fish and seafood are always sustainably sourced.

Get informed about embedded water – did you know an apple has 70 litres of embedded water, whilst a hamburger needs 2,400 litres?

Avoid plastic bottles – take a reusable bottle with you instead, and for meetings provide filtered tap water.

Stretch your legs – if you can, leave the car at home and try public transport, walk or bike! More than 50% of car trips are for less than 5 kilometres.

Wash your clothes at cooler temperatures and avoid dryers to save energy and money. Only run machines when you have a full load, that goes for dishwashers too!

Change those bulbs – do you still have incandescent bulbs in your home? Its time to catch up and ensure all your lights use energy efficient bulbs, old style bulbs are being phased out in many countries.

E-cycle – Each year we throw away more and more electronic equipment, most of which goes to landfill. It is easy to dispose of this in the proper way so it can be recycled safely.

Unplug – be sure to switch off your computer and other appliances like televisions as they still cost you money when they are on standby mode.

Finally, remember the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!