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13 April 2011 
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If we don’t start putting into practice a cleaner, greener lifestyle for all we can queue the ‘mad-max’ era of waste lands and pseudo post- apocalypse life.
Drive South Africa has put together a list of 50 ways we can help keep the planet green.
Photo By Players for the Planet
1. Turn off unneeded lights, even when only vacating the room for a short period of time.
2. When using an oven, minimize the times you open the oven door as it each time the door is opened, it reduces the oven temperature by 25 to 30 percent.
3. Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
4. Unplug infrequently used appliances.
5. Make use a microwave oven whenever possible, instead of a conventional oven or stove.
6. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
7. Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when they are not in use.
8. Only use electric appliances when you need to use them.
Photo By Impala74
9. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save on money as well as energy.
10. Insulate your home as best as you can.
11. Plant trees to shade your home.
12. Shade outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.
13. Use cold water instead of warm or hot water whenever possible.
14. Connect your outdoor lights to a timer.
15. Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an appropriate drop-off facility when necessary (e.g. old thermometers).
16. Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous and toxic chemicals.
17. If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead.
If you have lead-based paint, be sure to cover the paint with wall paper or other such material instead of sanding it or burning it off.
18. Use traps instead of rat/mouse poisons and insect killers.
19. Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs.
20. Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.
21. Use an electric lawnmower instead of a gas-powered one.
22. Leave grass clippings on the yard, they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
23. Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.
24. Use only the required amount of fertilizer.
25. Minimize pesticide use.
Photo By Barabara Chandler
26. Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.
27. Water grass early in the morning.
28. Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party decorations and others that are rarely used.
29. Take actions that use non hazardous components to ward off pests (e.g. plant marigolds in the garden instead of using pesticide).
30. Check and fix any water leaks.
31. Install water-saving devices on all faucets and toilets.
32. Don’t wash dishes with the water running continuously.
33. Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
34. Install a low-flow shower head.
35. Turn off the washing machine’s water supply to prevent leaks.
36. Revegetate or mulch disturbed soil as soon as possible.
37. Never dump anything down a storm drain.
38. Have your septic tank pumped and your system inspected regularly.
39. Buy items in bulk whenever possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
40. Buy products that one can reuse.
41. Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
42. Reuse items the likes of bags and containers whenever possible.
43. Use cloth serviettes instead of paper ones.
44. Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
45. Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminium foil or cling-wrap.
46. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper or plastic bags.
47. Buy rechargeable batteries for those devices you use often.
48. Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials.
Old newspapers make great packaging material
Photo By 350.org
49. Compost your vegetable scraps.
50. Buy used furniture – there is a surplus of it!
Photo By Riverbend Timber Framing
51. When traveling, rent a car that is CO2 conscience.
The next ‘going green’ instalment highlights the best way to economise and greenify your office.
Be the change!
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