The first choice has already been made. You have chosen to educate yourself on making a positive lifestyle changes to help protect the environment and live in more sustainable surroundings. There are simple, effortless basics that you can apply to everyday life.

It is so easy to begin with these green basics:

> Getting Started
> Green at Home
> Green at Work
> Fashion & Beauty
> Transportation
> Food & Drink

 

Getting started:

• Buy a reusable coffee cup and water bottle
• Read more online – cancel a paper or magazine subscription and utlilise the online version
• Switch to paperless bills and banking statements
• Get a recycle bin at home and learn more about the recycling programs in your area.  You'll be surprised the amount of items that can be recycled!
• Look and making your next purchase at a second-hand shop or buy used on Gumtree.com
• Turn your computer off when you leave work or your home for the day (make sure you turn the monitor off as well)

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Green at Home:

• Replace all of your light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs (HINT: when first turned on, energy efficient light bulbs often appear to be dimmer than their voltage equivalent non-efficient counterpart. Wait about one minute and you'll discover that the light will get brighter)
• Turn the heat down in your house by 1-2 degrees.  A decrease in one degree can reduce your heating bill by 10%

• Take fewer baths and limit your shower time to less than 5 minutes.  The average bath uses significantly more water than even a 10-minute shower!
• Wash your clothes with cold water.  Most of the energy used by a washing machine is used to heat the water so, by washing with cold water you'll significantly reduce the amount of energy used

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Green at Work:

• Consider walking, biking, car-pooling or training to work – leave the car at home!
• If you must drive to work and you're in the market for a new car, top emission standards and fuel efficiency should be your top priorities
• Get rid of the car.  There are many car-share programs available such as Zipcar (especially in major cities
• Encourage your employer to keep energy efficiency in mind with regards to office equipment (computers, fax machines, phones, printers and photocopiers)
• Ask to work from home one day per week
• Ensure there are recycle bins at or near every employees desk and that they use them
• Encourage co-workers not to print off documents unless absolutely necessary.  If you must print, print on both side of the paper
• Travelling for business purposes should be limited when possible.  We have an abundance of video conferencing technologies (Skype) that are cheaper better for the environment than hoping on a plane
• Shut your computer down at the end of the day.  This is something that's easy to do and if we all turned our computers off when we left work, the impact would be huge

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Green Fashion & Beauty:

• Buy fewer clothes. Focus on quality instead of quantity
• Buy fairtrade clothing.  Fairtrade clothing takes prices, working conditions, local sustainability and trading terms that are fair for farmers in developing countries
• Wash clothes when dirty with cold water and let them hang to dry.  This will extend the life of your clothing and while using less energy in the process
• Buy second hand clothing and donate the clothes you no longer wear
• Try not to buy clothes that require dry-cleaning.  Most dry cleaners use harmful chemical, which are linked to various negative health effects such as increased risks to certain cancers and reduced fertility
• Try alternative materials such as bamboo and hemp.  Significantly fewer CO2 emissions are produced in the production of these materials in comparison to more traditional fabrics that we wear
• When purchasing cosmetics and toiletries, understand what materials are used in them.  Here are some materials that your should try to avoid:
1. Parabens
2. Phthalates
3. Triclosan
4. Toluene
5. Xylene
6. Formaldehyde
7. Alkyphenol Ethoxylates
8. Acetone
• Buy organic skin and hair products.  Organic products will free you of harsh chemicals that are used in many products

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Green Transportation Considerations:

• Plain and simple, we need to fly less.  Planes produce a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions
• Carbon offset your flight.  The extra money you pay to offset the emission from your flight is used by the airline to buy carbon credits, which are used for funding renewable energy schemes
• Opt for a low emission, fuel-efficient car
• Consider alternative fuels if you vehicle engine permits
• Get your car services regularly and ensure your tyre pressure is regularly checked
• When driving:
1. Don't leave your car idling
2. Drive smoothly
3. Use air condition sparingly
4. Drive within the speed limits
• Use the bus, tube and overland train as much as possible.  Did you know that anyone 60 years of age or older can travel by bus for free on off-peak hours in England?
• It doesn't get much greener than biking
• There are many bike options to choose from, but ensure your consider safety first
• Always use a helmet
• Regularly get our bike tuned up
• Buy good cycling gear – reflective tops and lights are a must

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Greening your Food & Drink:

• Buy a reusable water bottle and coffee cup and use them
• Buy organic fruits and vegetables that are in season
• Buy local products when possible.  The further your food travels to get to you home, the more carbon is produced
• Eat less meat as livestock production produces almost 20% of the world's greenhouse gases.
• Plant a garden and grow some of your own food.  There will be no excuse for not knowing where your food came from!

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