A bi-monthly publication of The Grassroots' Club
A bi-monthly publication of The Grassroots' Club
A bi-monthly publication of The Grassroots' Club
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It is not necessary to junk old, but properly functioning<br />
appliances when newer, more efficient devices come on<br />
the market – that would be very wasteful. Just replace<br />
them as you normally would. And if you replace an<br />
appliance that still works well, consider donating it to the<br />
Salvation Army or other charities that may be able to use<br />
or refur<strong>bi</strong>sh it.<br />
Saving at the wash<br />
Washing with cold rather than hot water can save lots <strong>of</strong><br />
energy – more than half the energy consumed by a washer<br />
using hot water is used to heat the water.<br />
Front-loading machines<br />
generally use less water<br />
than top loaders too.<br />
Dryers use lots <strong>of</strong><br />
electricity, so if the<br />
weather is good,<br />
consider conventional<br />
line-drying, and let the<br />
power <strong>of</strong> the sun and<br />
wind do the job.<br />
Water-saving ha<strong>bi</strong>ts<br />
Avoid washing your dishes or brushing your teeth with<br />
running water from a faucet.<br />
Fix leaky faucets promptly. That drip, drip drip is not just<br />
annoying, it is also very wasteful.<br />
Reuse those bags and bottles<br />
Discarded plastic,<br />
especially in the form <strong>of</strong><br />
plastic bags and bottles,<br />
can be huge burdens<br />
on the environment.<br />
You can reduce your<br />
environmental footprint<br />
by going shopping with a<br />
reusable cloth bag, and<br />
using a reusable bottle<br />
for water (do be aware<br />
that most plastic drink<br />
bottles are not meant to<br />
be reused, and especially<br />
not for hot drinks, or in the<br />
fridge).<br />
Reduce your paper trail<br />
Many companies, from banks to utility companies, can<br />
email you an online <strong>bi</strong>ll instead <strong>of</strong> mailing a printed version.<br />
Ask if your suppliers, banks etc <strong>of</strong>fer this service. Apart<br />
from saving paper, this also saves on the energy involved<br />
in moving your mail around, from machinery at the post<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice to the fuel used by postal vehicles.<br />
Focus On<br />
Leave the car at home<br />
We pay so much for our cars that it is tempting to use<br />
them as much as possible. But for shorter trips, it is <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
more efficient, more convenient and more pleasant to<br />
take public transport, ride a <strong>bi</strong>cycle, or even walk if your<br />
destination is really close.<br />
At popular<br />
locations, the<br />
time you save<br />
not needing<br />
to look for (or<br />
queue) for a<br />
parking space<br />
is worth the<br />
effort.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are just some ideas on how you can help save<br />
energy and reduce consumption. <strong>The</strong>re are many other<br />
things you can do as well.<br />
If you are interested<br />
in learning more,<br />
you might want<br />
to check out the<br />
National Environment<br />
Agency’s website<br />
(www.nea.gov.sg),<br />
which has articles<br />
and <strong>publication</strong>s on<br />
Reducing, Reusing<br />
and Recycling.<br />
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* Note: If your meters are not read every month, you<br />
might not notice the difference energy saving makes to<br />
your <strong>bi</strong>ll right away. You will see the difference in a few<br />
months though!<br />
THE GRASSROOTS CLUB • 05