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Focus On All of us want to do our part to be eco-friendly and keep the Earth clean and green. The good thing is that there is a lot we can do to contribute, and we can start right at home! The following are small, simple steps that if adopted by many, can make a huge difference. Most of these are about reducing consumption, ‘reduce’ being one of the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. Turn off that phantom power It is not supernatural, but phantom power can result in scary electricity bills. You may have heard advice to turn off your appliances at the plug (or to disconnect the plug) when not in use, but surely turning off the device should be enough, right? The truth is that many appliances, from TVs to mobile phone chargers, consume power even when not in use. True, they use only a fraction of the power that they do when they are actually running, but that small fraction adds up. Phantom power can account for 10% of an electricity bill, which is roughly like paying for an extra month of electricity every year! So turn off your appliances at the plug when they are not in use and see how much you save. Keep your cool without the aircon Air-conditioners consume huge amounts of electricity. You can cut your electricity bills substantially by cutting down on use of the aircon at home. Most of the time, a table or ceiling fan is more than enough to keep you and the family cool. 04 • THE GRASSROOTS CLUB Going Green At Home Small steps to a big change If you do use your air-conditioner, you can reduce the power consumed by: - Keeping doors to adjacent rooms closed. The lower the volume of air the air-conditioner has to cool, the less energy it uses. - Adding insulation in gaps, such as those below the door. Insulating strips can be bought at hardware stores. They are usually mounted with double-sided tape, making them very easy to use. - Not setting the temperature too low. The lower the temperature you set on the control, the more energy is used. Do not ‘browse’ at the fridge Every time you open the fridge door some cold air escapes and warm air from outside replaces it. When you close the door, the cooling mechanism in the fridge has to work harder to cool this warm air. Reduce the amount of time the fridge is left open by thinking about what items you need before you open the door. Take out all the items you need at one go, then shut the door. Use energy efficient appliances From washing machines to refrigerators, today’s appliances come with energy label ratings. So when the time comes to replace an appliance, look out for these ratings and do your part for the earth by choosing more efficient appliances. Replace old lights and bulbs with more efficient Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
It is not necessary to junk old, but properly functioning appliances when newer, more efficient devices come on the market – that would be very wasteful. Just replace them as you normally would. And if you replace an appliance that still works well, consider donating it to the Salvation Army or other charities that may be able to use or refurbish it. Saving at the wash Washing with cold rather than hot water can save lots of energy – more than half the energy consumed by a washer using hot water is used to heat the water. Front-loading machines generally use less water than top loaders too. Dryers use lots of electricity, so if the weather is good, consider conventional line-drying, and let the power of the sun and wind do the job. Water-saving habits Avoid washing your dishes or brushing your teeth with running water from a faucet. Fix leaky faucets promptly. That drip, drip drip is not just annoying, it is also very wasteful. Reuse those bags and bottles Discarded plastic, especially in the form of plastic bags and bottles, can be huge burdens on the environment. You can reduce your environmental footprint by going shopping with a reusable cloth bag, and using a reusable bottle for water (do be aware that most plastic drink bottles are not meant to be reused, and especially not for hot drinks, or in the fridge). Reduce your paper trail Many companies, from banks to utility companies, can email you an online bill instead of mailing a printed version. Ask if your suppliers, banks etc offer this service. Apart from saving paper, this also saves on the energy involved in moving your mail around, from machinery at the post office to the fuel used by postal vehicles. Focus On Leave the car at home We pay so much for our cars that it is tempting to use them as much as possible. But for shorter trips, it is often more efficient, more convenient and more pleasant to take public transport, ride a bicycle, or even walk if your destination is really close. At popular locations, the time you save not needing to look for (or queue) for a parking space is worth the effort. These are just some ideas on how you can help save energy and reduce consumption. There are many other things you can do as well. If you are interested in learning more, you might want to check out the National Environment Agency’s website (www.nea.gov.sg), which has articles and publications on Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. ------------------------------------------------------------------ * Note: If your meters are not read every month, you might not notice the difference energy saving makes to your bill right away. You will see the difference in a few months though! THE GRASSROOTS CLUB • 05
Page 1: Issue No 84 Oct - Nov 2012 GRASSROO
Page 6 and 7: GRASSROOTS TOASTMASTERS CLUB An Int
Page 8 and 9: Been & Seen 20th Annual General Mee
Page 10 and 11: Been & Seen The Mystifying Imran wa
Page 12 and 13: What’s Up Members’ Night - ASEA
Page 14 and 15: Award Received: THE PUBLIC SERVICE
Page 16: GrassrootAugSep.pdf 1 6/27/11 6:34

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