Turn off the light when we don’t need it; sort garbage; shopping with a canvas bag instead of plastic bags – there are dozens of easy and accessible ways for each of us to reduce environmental damage. Here are just a few of them:
1. Replace incandescent bulbs with energy saving ones. They last several times longer, reducing the level of electricity consumption in your apartment by about half.
2. When leaving a room in which there is no one, turn off the light. Try not to use several light sources at the same time – for example, a chandelier, a lampshade and a table lamp.
3. Before going to bed, turn off electrical appliances that are in standby mode (TV, laptop or computer, DVD, music center, etc.) from the network.
4. Do not leave the mobile phone charger in the network after charging is completed.
5. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. In one minute, about 10 liters of water flows through an open tap, and in order to thoroughly rinse your mouth, one glass (200 ml) is enough.
6. Close the water tap tightly. If you find even a small leak, call a plumber.
7. Drink filtered tap water, not plastic bottles.
8. Use the 30°C wash cycle for lightly soiled items. Do not use the washing machine if you need to wash one or two things – partial loading of the drum leads to energy overruns.
9. Take a shower instead of a bath – this will save you 3 times more water.
10. Replace shower gel with soap.
11. Close windows and doors in the room where the air conditioner is running.
12. Install a water meter. Replace old radiators with more modern ones (with heat supply regulators) and maintain a constant temperature in the apartment at about 19 ° C.
- More about installing water meters
- About replacing batteries
13. Pour as much water into the kettle as you need at the moment.
14. Stop using plastic cups at work. Get your own personal cup/mug.
15. Use your printer less often. When possible, print on both sides of the paper.
16. At traffic lights, standing in traffic jams, turn off the car engine.
17. Turn on the air conditioner in the car only when it is really necessary.
18. Walk more. When possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
19. Use canvas bags or paper bags when shopping. Do not take plastic bags at the checkout.
20. Do not buy products in individual plastic packaging. Whenever possible, give preference to bulk products.
21. Try to buy locally produced and preferably seasonal products.
22. Defrost the refrigerator regularly – a large layer of ice impairs the quality of freezing, which ultimately leads to energy waste. Never put hot food in the refrigerator – let it cool down to room temperature first.
23. Sort garbage according to the type of household waste (glass, paper, plastic, aluminum, food waste) and throw it into special containers, hand it over for recycling.
24. Do not throw away fluorescent lamps, thermometers, batteries, accumulators, mobile phones in city garbage dumps. They must be taken to specialized waste collection points.
25. Take old newspapers, magazines, office paper, cardboard to waste paper collection points.
26. Give things you don’t need to those who might need them: hand them over to collection points, sell them on specialized websites, online auctions.
27. When cleaning the house, use a minimum of detergents.
28. Use cloth rags instead of disposable wipes for dusting.
29. Give preference to natural household chemicals.
30. Wash your car at a car wash (rather than in a river/at home/at the cottage, etc.).
31. Use public transport more often than personal.
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32. Always throw away wrappers, chewing gum, cigarette butts in the trash.
33. After a picnic, clean up (and take out) your trash.
34. For watering seedlings, flowers in the garden, use rainwater.
35. Choose environmentally friendly garden fertilizers. Chemicals pollute ground soils and adversely affect the fertility of the land.
36. Water the plants only after sunset – so the water evaporates more slowly.
37. Stop using paper handkerchiefs. Replace them with fabric ones.
38. When buying a car, give preference to small cars and cars with a hybrid engine.
39. Do not buy flowers listed in the Red Book – snowdrops, lilies of the valley.
We thank the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace Russia for their help in preparing this article.