10 More Ways To Reduce Your Environmental Footprint

Pencinta Alam April 2010
Green Living Column
10 More Ways To Reduce Your Environmental Footprint


1. EAT LESS BEEF, PORK AND LAMB
Beef's carbon footprint is 3 to 7 times larger than that of chicken. Producing 1 pound of beef uses up to 29 times more water than producing 1 pound of chicken and 50 times more water than 1 pound of soybeans. 3 litres of fuel are required to produce 1 pound of beef.

2. EAT OUT AT RESTAURANTS LESS
11-13% of food served on an average plate in a restaurant goes to waste. In the UK, up to 30-40% of food prepared by restaurants is never eaten. The lighting, cooling and operation of the restaurant, and the energy required to drive there, all cost the environment more than cooking the same meal at home.

3. EAT FEWER DAIRY PRODUCTS
Together with meat, dairy products are responsible for emissions such as CO2, nitrous oxide and methane -- all big factors in global warming.
Cheese production can be just as energy-intensive as some meats. 10 litres of milk are used to produce 1 kg of cheese.

4. DRINK FEWER CARBONATED DRINKS
Soft drinks are carbonated sugared water in a plastic bottle or aluminium can. 200 billion beverage containers were sold worldwide last year. Over 130 billion of those ended up in landfills or incinerators. If all the beverage containers discarded in 2009 had been recycled, 15.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases could have been avoided.

5. EAT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES THAT ARE IN SEASON AND EAT LOCALLY-GROWN PRODUCE WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Importing food by air has a carbon footprint 6 times larger than food transported by ground. A fruit's origin can have a significant impact on the environment. The energy used to transport dragonfruit from Vietnam is far greater than transporting them from Pulau Carey.

6. EAT FEWER PACKAGED SNACKS AND JUNK FOOD
The boxes, bags and packets used to hold our food accounts for 10-12% of the cost of our food products. More than half of all plastic packaging produced in the world is used to package food. 1/3 of the energy used in world food production is used for snacks, candy and carbonated drinks.

7. UPGRADE TO AN ENERGY EFFICIENT REFRIGERATOR
Your refrigerator is likely to be the biggest energy vampire in your home, using more than 5 times as much electricity as your television set. Using an Energy Star Certified refrigerator would reduce your energy bills and carbon emissions.

8. EAT ONLY WILD FISH THAT ARE NOT ENDANGERED
High-tech fishing practices such as the use of sonar and deep-sea trawlers are depleting fish stocks and damaging habitats. Fish populations such as the Chinese Pomfret and Dorab Wolf Herring (Ikan Parang) are now under severe threat. Some farmed fish have been found to contain high levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and dioxin. Look for fish farms that are sustainably managed or switch to freshwater fish.

9. DRINK LESS BOTTLED WATER
Producing plastic water bottles for US consumption for 1 year requires the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of petroleum. Bottling this water has resulted in the generation of more than 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. It takes 3 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled drinking water. Bring your own filtered/boiled drinking water from home instead whenever you leave the house.

10. USE POWER STRIPS TO REDUCE ELECTRICITY WASTAGE
Plugging electronics into power strips, which can then be turned off, will further increase savings, by decreasing "phantom loads." Even in the "off" position, electronic equipment often continues to draw small amounts of electricity.