CAIRO: If you’ve read Green in the Head and our articles about Climate Change, then you probably have an opinion about Climate Change. So what’s your reaction to all that’s been said about climate change? Do you think you’re immune to it or do you feel helpless? If you’re the latter, read on, if you’re in the former category, I admire your skepticism, but you might want to revise the available (and abundant) evidence. We can drastically change our behavior to curb climate change, or we can do it in small steps and keep it consistent to have similar results over a more sustainable (and comfortable) period of time. Patrick Gonzalez, a Nature Conservancy climate scientist who is on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the scientific body in charge of assessing climate change globally) said: “Each person can make a difference because one small positive act multiplied millions of times produces immense benefits.†This is the beginner’s guide to curbing climate change. 1 – Transportation: Reduce the use of your fossil-fuel burning car. - Why not video-conference or call instead of driving up to a meeting? - Why not order items for delivery to your house? They’ll be operating around your area anyway if they already deliver to it! - How about grouping your errands to areas and cover as many errands every time you’re in a specific area. - Inflate your tires for better mileage. Buy a car with good mileage - Empty streets give your car a better mileage, so try as much as possible to avoid traffic. (We know how Cairo is, but give us the benefit of the doubt and trust us when we say we’ve done this!-try having your shopping trips and catching coffee with friends on a Friday morning when streets are abandoned until prayers finish) - Cycle, walk, use public transportation or car-pool. - Minimize plane travel and opt for trains and buses whenever feasible. 2 – Energy: The key is to REDUCE using energy in the first place. Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) instead of incandescent ones. Use recycled products or recycle your own. - Raw materials are energy expensive to manufacture products from. Buy energy efficient home appliances. Turn off all energy consuming devices when not in use. - Even in sleep mode, devices use up energy, so install a switch with which you can turn off many appliances when not in use. Eat locally and eat organic. - If you eat locally you’ll reduce your food carbon footprint by reducing your food miles. - Organic food is made to cause the least amount of harm to the soil it’s grown on, and thus making it sustainable for many yields. You’re also protecting your health against heavy metals and other health hazards that are found in pesticide laden non organic food. Clean or replace filters in your heating and cooling systems, this will maximize their efficiency. Place fridges and freezers far away from heat emitting appliances and defrost them regularly. Insulate your home. Use pressure cookers and steamers (they save up to 70% of the energy used by open pans and pots). To decrease the amount of waste going to landfills: choose products that come with the least amount of packaging while ensuring the quality of the product is guaranteed. 3 – Water: Take a shower instead of a bath. Use less hot water. - Wash your clothes at 30oC. Modern detergents function just as well at this temperature. - Take showers at a time when the temperature is the hottest in the winter or adjust the tap so you’re using the least amount of hot water and avoid using a heater at all in the summer. Dry your clothes on a line instead of in a dryer. Use washing machines and dishwashers only when they’re full. If not, use the economy or half load setting. 4 – Other: Re-use your shopping bags, or buy cloth bags and keep them in your car or fold and put inside your hand bag. Although these steps may seem simple, you’ll have to muster a desire to change and most importantly an environmental consciousness. Over time, your eco-habits will become a normal part of your routine. Soon you might even want to integrate more eco-friendly options into your lifestyle. Stay tuned to our website for periodical green tips and advice. Eco Options Egypt
