ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Today there is a growing awareness of the need to tread lightly on our planet in order to protect + preserve - and a realization that signing petitions and recycling our newspapers may not be enough to achieve this. We need to examine our everyday choices and actions to have hope of making a difference. Treading lightly is about adapting life in a progessive way simply by modifying routines and habits.

Start as big or small as you like, bearing in mind that everything you do is a contribution to a larger transformation taking place all around you.

Here are a few tips to get started....

Recycle Each extra kilo of waste recycled prevents 0.55kg of CO₂ being emitted from the landfill where it would otherwise end up. Not only that, it also conserves resources and reduces the amount of space taken up in landfills. Compost and worm farms for the scraps. Reuse + Repurpose.We can all reuse stuff before we need to recycle.

Use energy efficient light bulbs  Each time we replace a standard bulb with an energy efficient bulb it is a saving of up to 40kg of CO₂ and a reduction on electricity bills each year. They consume 80% less energy than a comparable incandescent bulb and can last up to eight times longer.

Switch Sky box to standby  Set top boxes can’t turn off due to software downloads, however putting them on standby when they’re not in use can halve the amount of energy used.

Wise up to green energy  It all works the same, so why not switch  domestic electricity to renewable?

If it’s not in use – turn it off Turning an appliance off rather than leaving it on standby – will save money and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Put a lid on it  This allows you to cook at a lower heat which can significantly reduce the energy needed.

Make the most of a nice day Hang  washing outside instead of using a tumble dryer. Every time we use a tumble dryer you use enough electricity to emit over 1.5kg of CO₂. Saves wear and tear on clothing.

Turn down the heat Turning down the thermostat by 1°C could cut  heating bills by up to 10%. Also the hot water cylinder thermostat needn’t be set higher than 60°C/140°C.

Put a hat on the house As much as a third of  space heating costs could be escaping through the roof. Simply by insulating the loft can save wasted energy and money. You can even do it yourself.

Put a jacket on your hot water cylinder  Putting a lagging jacket around the hot water tank and insulating hot water pipes can cut heat loss by around 75%. Jackets can be found in any good DIY store and are cheap and easy to fit.

In the laundry  The everage person generates over a ton of dirty clothes every year. Wear clothes more than once. Do a full wash. Use the lowest temperature setting appropriate on your washing machine and dishwasher and always wash a full load. Wasted space = wasted energy and pointless CO₂ emissions. Front-loading automatic washing machines use considerably less energy and water than top-loading machines. Use the cold water setting on your clothes washer. Even switching your temperature seting from hot to warm can cut a load's energy use in half. Use alternative washing products. Make your own old-fashioned laundry aids.

Install double glazed windows By trapping air between two panes of glass, double-glazing creates an insulating barrier that reduces heat loss, noise and condensation.

Stop the drop  Fix dripping taps. Forty-five drops a minute is 10 baths of water. a year. 

Get some fresh air  Opening windows instead of using air conditioning units can significantly reduce your energy use. Consider using ceiling fans for cooling instead of air-conditioning.

Be smart about home heating  Check that no unused rooms are heated and keep radiators clear of furniture to ensure heat spreads effectively.

Only boil as much water for the cuppa  And you can reduce your energy use by about 30%.

Draught-proof the house Placing strips around windows and outside doors and putting a flap across your letter box can significantly reduce the amount of energy required to heat your home.

Replacing an old boiler could save around a third on heating bills Using a high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls could  money + significantly cut  CO₂ emissions.

Use the right size pan for the amount of food and the size of the cooker ring  If you can see the heat (either the electric ring or the gas flame) the cooker ring is too big. This is wasting energy and costing money.

Be a star-gazer  When appliances (washing machines, fridges, freezers) need replacing purchase Energy Star/ A rated ones. This can save up to 150kg of CO₂ a year and any extra outlay will generally be recouped through lower bills. You may also get a tax rebate.Since refrigeration operates day and night, energy costs(and so potential energy savings) are high. Refrigeration accounts for nearly 8% of the electricity consumption in a typical household.

Fridges and Freezers Cool food down before putting it in the fridge or freezer. Defrost the freezer regularly to keep it running efficiently.  Where possible, position your fridge and freezer away from cookers or heaters. Avoid leaving the fridge door open and check that the door seals are working properly. To check this, place a piece of paper where the door or lid closes. It the paper is held firmly, the seal is sound.

Get cavity wall insulation Up to 33% of heat produced in your home is lost through the walls. Cavity wall insulation is quick, clean and relatively inexpensive and will save on fuel bills.

Use curtains  Keep curtains as wide open as possible during the day to let the light in but make sure they are drawn at dusk to stop heat escaping through the window.

Turn off the tap when brushing  teeth We waste loads of water by leaving the tap running – 5 litres a minute in fact. If we all turned the tap off we would save enough water to supply 500,000 houses a day.

Take showers rather than baths  Did you know that one bath is enough for two 5-minute showers? A bath uses 80 litres of water compared to only 35 litres used by a shower.

Get some rays Reduce the amount of heat lost from a radiator attached to outside walls by placing heat reflectors behind it. Tin foil with the shiny side facing the radiator does the trick.

Be water wise Fit water-saving devices to toilet cisterns and use water saving taps.

Taking a dip in the Pool Make sure you've got the right size filter for your pool, and know how long it should operate daily to keep the pool water clean.

Switch off lights when you’re not in the room  It’s obvious, wasted light equals wasted energy.

Use the kettle to boil water for cooking  instead of heating a pan on the stove. Not only will this be more efficient, it generally takes less time too.

Clever shopping Join a co-op or buy from the local farmers' market for what you do not grow in your organic patch or pots, if space is limited.

Go Organic Most countries have official organic inspection bodies, look for their labels when buying organic products.

The biggest study ever of organic food in 2007 found that fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more antioxidants that conventional equivalents, and that the figure was 90% for organic milk. The 4-year study was funded by the European Union and was the largest of its kind ever undertaken.
 
From Earth Island Journal: Charles Benbrook, chief scientist at the Organic Center and former executive director of the Board on Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences, maintains a database of all the studies published since 1980 that compare the nutrient levels of organic and conventional foods. His analysis of food comparison studies shows that, on average, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have 30 percent fewer antioxidants than their organically grown counterparts. This makes enough of a difference, says Benbrook, that “consumption of organic produce will increase average daily antioxidant intake by about as much as an additional serving of most fruits and vegetables.”
 
The public health implications of farming methods that restore food nutrient density are tantalizing. Several studies released in 2007 suggest that moving US agriculture toward organic practices could help to reduce the incidence of some of our nation’s most debilitating and costly chronic diseases.
 
By defnition, Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.[1] Livestock are reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.

Grow and Preserve Until recently home preserving of home-grown and produced food was common and the careful housewife would have a pantry or store-room with a wide variety of goods lined up on the shelves. The positive aspects of keeping food include saving money, self-reliance, security, quality and an antidote to a monotonous diet. When you have a basic stock of food on hand, you have a hedge against inflation and a safeguard against any food supply crisis, caused by a breakdown in sources of supply or distribution. Some foods, like pumpkins, store well enough naturally.Tender,"short-lived" foods like peas, cucumber and asparagus should be bottled, frozen or pickled. Others are best dried. It's easy enough to see that preserving home-grown fruit and vegetables (or food bought from the local farmers market) makes sense and saves you money. Here's to a good growing summer, a happy preserving autumn and a well-fed winter! 
 

Say NO to plastic bags  Take reusable shopping bags with you to the supermarket and try to buy products with less packaging.

Buy what is already there Wait 24 hours befor purchasing an item, and ask yourself do you really need it and look at buying secondhand.

Go Natural Changing your lifestyle, firstly should be about changing the way you look after yourself. Going natural is not the same thing as going feral - cleansing and grooming are vital for both physical and mental wellbeing. The key is to make choices that allow you to cherish yourself and protect your surroundings simultaneously. Choose 100% organic or do-it-yourself holistic beauty recipes. Check out ecobites Holistic Beauty to start indulging yourself while keeping your principles intact.

Spring Cleaning  It comes as a shock to realize the nurturing space we have created at home is in fact a vessel for an array of chemical irritants, 'Anti-bacterial', 'extra-strength', 'power-blast' the labels of common household cleaners would have you think your home is a battlefield.  Water, plus a little baking soda, vinegar, and plant-based soap, will clean up almost every surface in your home. Check out ecobites easy recipes.

Whatever your level of commitment, and organic approach will offer you more choices about the way you live. But the first step is often the hardest to take.

Come join us and step up now, and spread the word!

One million people making one change is better than 100 people making 100 changes.