A-Z Guide to Cutting Down Your Consumption
We all consume too much. Read this guide to help think about your consumption and how it burdens you, society and our environment. From A to Z, there are many things that each of us can change in our own lives to better the world that we share. Much of the comment in this page is just common sense, but it helps to be reminded of what we can do.
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Air travel
Demand for quick and convenient long distance travel is so high that the skies are becoming overcrowded with air traffic. It is said that the pollution (per passenger) from one trip in an aircraft of a moderate distance has a more destructive impact on the environment as using a car regularly over a whole year. Before using an aircraft, ask yourself if you really need to make the journey. Some journies can even be made instead by other means, such as by train!
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Bleach
Many people never use this and they're still alive! We don't all need to have surgically clean bathrooms and kitchens. If you need to use it, remember that less bleach, left for longer will do the same job!
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CarsMost people in our country have access to a car and to many people they are at times genuinely essential, given that we live in a society where cars, to a large extent, drive us! For most people though, especially suburban people who are in good health, it is not realised that a car is actually a luxury.
We must not mistake convenience with necessity, and popular with acceptable. The environmental price of this contraption is high; it emits poisonous gasses, promotes congestion and global warming. They also kill and maim. All for a trip to the shops.
What can YOU do? Do you really need a car? Be carless not careless. You will never have to worry about tax, MOT, petrol, insurance, ..., and you'll gain a healthy conscience (and body!).
 Use your car only if it's absolutely necessary. Where you are going, can you walk, cycle, catch a bus/train? You just need to rearrange your routine. Get a bike and some pannier bags, and your health will improve at the same time. Show others that it's great to be free of the car burden.
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Disposable GoodsWe live in a 'throw away' society, but you don't have to join in. Don't buy disposable goods if you can possibly help it, then there will be demand instead for reusable products. Even nappies are disposable these days! Do you really want the world to be one big land-fill site. If you yourself don't mind as long as it's not in your own backyard, change your behavior as though it is. |
ElectricityThere is so much that we can do to cut down on electricity use. You can also save your money in the long run too. Your consumption can be cut down using little more than common sense. Turn lights and other appliances off when you're not using them. Use energy efficient bulbs where possible - they take 1/5th of the power of an incandescent bulb. Don't keep appliances on standby (it is said that they could also be a fire risk) - turn them off instead. For kettles, boil only as much water as you need. At work, turn your monitor off when unused for long periods. Buy a sava-plug for your fridge and freezer (also a full fridge is more efficient than an empty one). Don't you find it sad to know that the expected increase in electricity demand due to each household acquiring a 'digital box' for their TV is measured in POWER STATIONS!? On a positive note, some suppliers offer the choice of 'green electricity'. Although you pay a little more than for 'ordinary' electricity, your money is guaranteed to be invested in renewable electricity sources, such as wind and tidal power. |
Food
There are huge environmental issues associated with agriculture - from fertilizers and pesticides, through genetically modified organisms, to processing, transport and packaging. Here are some helpful hints to help you do your bit to make things better. Resist the temptation to buy prepackaged, processed, microwave ready food, or - even worse - fast food. Salty and fatty, they will not help your health either. These are outrageously wasteful especially in terms of overpackaging.
Isn't it daft that strawberries, e.g., are often transported from abroad when we can grow our own (the list of foods that come under this heading is endless)? Try to prepare most of your food yourself from pure basic ingredients, grown or manufactured locally. They say that cooking is fun too!
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GizmosWhy do you want that inflatable chair, or that singing fish? That's just silly. Simply don't buy them. They are a five minute wonder, and they will end up in landfill. |
HeatingWe need to keep warm in winter, but many of us overheat our homes and waste energy. Apart from improving the heat insulation properties of our homes (see below), there are other things that we can do to cut down our energy consumption. Most importantly, turn off heaters and radiators in rooms that are not in use. Plan your schedule and have the heating on only when you are around. Although modern central heating systems allow flexible control, the automatic timer doesn't know if you're not in and will heat the house regardless. Turn off the heating promptly when the seasons change and weather gets warm. |
InsulationInsulating your home properly is very important as it means that you need to use less energy for heating. Some types of insulation are cheap and effective (loft insulation, draft excluders, radiator reflectors, hot water tank jackets); others are a major investment (cavity wall insulation, double glazing). OK, you have to consume some products to insulate your home, but this is responsible consumption as it will reduce energy usage (and save you cash) in the long term - and make your life more comfortable! Those who rent a poorly insulated property can be in a difficult situation. It is usually not in the landlord's interest to invest in insulation (he doesn't pay the gas and electricity bills!). Unless the tenant is long-term, it is not in his interest to pay out either, as someone else will reap the benefits. Some forms of insulation are fairly cheap however so it might be worth discussing the issue with your landlord. |
Junk mailMany households get large amounts of junk mail. There are a number of things that you can do to minimize the amount that you get. The first is to prevent it where possible. Whenever you give a company your name and address, your details will probably be added to one or more mailing lists, and will often be sold to 'third-party' companies. Avoid giving away such details where possible, or insist that your details are not given to a third-party. For existing junk mail, write to the company to ask them to stop writing to you (you may want to use the pre-paid envelope that comes with the junk mail!). Explain that you object to them wasting the Earth's precious resources to market their goods and services. Don't forget to recycle the remaining waste paper (after removing non-recyclable parts like windows in envelopes, etc.)! |
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LobbyIf you see poor standards of environmental protection, lobby those responsible! Governments - local and national - are accountable to you. Companies want to have a responsible image, and for you to be a contented customer. Writing letters may not seem to have a very important impact, but how else would they know your views? Encourage others to write also. |
MeatFrom a production point of view, meat is an inefficient food. Of the food given to a pig, say, only one quarter becomes meat. The rest is effectively wasted. That food has to be planted, grown (probably with the aid of artificial fertilizers), and transported. Each one of those processes consumes fossil fuels. Even the animal manure is an environmental hazard. Instead of being ploughed back into the land, it is considered a waste product. The way in which is disposed of often pollutes water. It is a matter of personal choice whether we want to eat meat, but it is a good idea to cut down any excessive meat consumption. Crucially, we should be selective towards the source of the meat that we do eat. Not only is intensive factory-farmed meat bad for the environment, it is bad from an animal welfare point of view. |
NappiesPeople choose to have children, and with that choice comes a large responsibility. It is ironic that on the one hand people worry hugely about their child's future, but on the other, are quite happy to consume, amongst other things, vast numbers of disposable nappies. This adds greatly to the household waste problem that the UK has, and will only help to threaten the environment. What is wrong with the old style of washable and reusable nappies? Inconvenience is not really an acceptable answer. |
Organic produce |
Poisons |
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Recycling
Of course the best way to respect the environment is to cut consumption in the first place, but second best is to recycle. Over half of household rubbish can be recycled. Depending upon your local authority, you can easily deposit paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, cans and textiles for recycling. Even though recycling processes involve energy and chemical use, the consumption is less than that needed when making new materials. Furthermore, the more waste that is reused, the less has to be dumped (there is enough waste produced in the UK in just one week to fill Wembley Stadium!).
You can recycle many things yourself just by using them again. Carrier bags and office paper are prime examples. Think about everything that you throw away. Can you use it again? Repairing and buying second-hand are forms of recycling. Years ago, repairing was second nature. Now people throw appliances away and buy new.
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Shopping
Together, by demand, we decide what gets manufactured and how it is produced. Choose goods carefully when shopping. Take into account what the product is made from, whether it can be recycled, where and how it was made, and how it is packaged. You should try to boycott products that fall short of environmental and ethical standards. Above all, ask yourself before purchasing an item, "Do I really need this?".
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TissuesUse recycled, uncoloured and unbleached tissue paper. If recycled is not an option, make sure that the paper comes from responsibly managed sources. Use handkerchiefs to really cut down on your consumption. |
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VinegarVinegar can be used as a natural alternative to many 'cleaning' fluids found in the supermarket. |
WaterClean water from the tap is taken for granted. The water undergoes many stages of treatment before it is pumped to your house. Water is expensive - use it sparingly. Don't leave taps running. You need relatively little water to wash up. Filling a hot bath daily to wash yourself is a little too exuberant (especially with the fuel to heat it). Most of the time, take a shower or a shallow bath. Wait until you have a big pile of dirty clothes before using the washing machine - one full load uses less water (and detergent) than two half loads. Don't use a hose pipe or garden sprinkler - use a watering can instead. Even better, buy a water butt to capture rain water. Huge amounts of clean water are flushed down the lavatory. You don't need to flush the loo every time for all types of human waste. Remember: if its yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down! In addition (or if you can't do this for whatever reason), fit a hippo to your toilet cistern (a hippo is a plastic box that rests inside the cistern to reduce the amount of water released per flush - many water providers will give you one free of charge). Remember that the more water that you use, the more that is taken from rivers and reservoirs, the more chemical has to be used to treat it, the more electricity has to be used to pump it to you, and the more waste has to be treated at the other end. |
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Y should we bother?Mankind is different from other animals in the sense that we have learned to take vastly more from the Earth than we should and need. The Earth's resources are finite and some are dwindling. This in itself is a very good reason to cut down on our consumption. In addition our waste products poison and kill. We continue regardless because the short term benefits to our lifestyles appears to be so great. If we don't act now, we will kill ourselves.
Virtually everything that we do has some negative impact on the planet. This page does not go into many of the detailed reasons. Many people care about problems that have a visual impact - e.g. litter. Disposing of litter 'responsibly' cures the visual problem, but unfortunately, the consequences go far deeper than that. We are ignorant to many of the consequences because they are out of sight. Some impacts are subtle (viz. the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole).
We ALL require educating, and every one of us can improve our attitude and lifestyle. The links and references at the bottom of this page are recommended reading.
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Further infoFind out how much carbon dioxide you produce.National Centre for Alternative Technology, Llwyngwern Quarry, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ. Greenpeace, 36 Graham Street, London, N1 8LL. Friends of the Earth, 377 City Road, London, EC1V 1NA. Soil Association, 86 Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5BB. Compassion in World Farming, 20 Lavant Street, Petersfield, GU32 3EW. National Trust, 36 Queen Anne's Gate, London, SW1H 9AS. Where in the UK can I recycle? Rethink Centre, Environment Education Centre, Howick Cross Lane, Penwortham, Lancs PR1 0NS Recommended read: Blueprint for a Green Planet by John Seymour and Herbert Girardet, Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1987, ISBN 0-86318-364-6: A very readable book with lots of hard facts and solutions. Please link to this page from your own web site! |