Green up your life5 May 2010
What you buy, how you live - you can reduce your environmental impact in every part of your life. Just click on the links below to find some simple tips.
Bedroom
Kitchen
Living Room
Out & About
Bedroom
Computer crazy
1,500kg of waste is made to produce one PC. If you need a new one, find a PC that upgrades easily, or buy second-hand. Get rid of an old one with www.donateapc.org.uk
Monitor your use
Computer monitors use 60% of the energy needed for the whole computer. So don't just switch off the computer when you're finished. Turn off the monitor even if you only leave it for 5 minutes.
Paper magic
The demand for paper is putting immense pressure on the world's forests. Use recycled paper, send e-cards or recycle old ones. Have fun making recycled paper .
Use rechargeable batteries
They will save you money in the long-term. Buy a solar powered battery charger to reduce your environmental impact even further.
Kitchen
Pack it in
Snacks with their own little wrapper use too much packaging. For your packed lunch, open larger packs and take what you need for the day.
Recycle cans
Recycling aluminium cans saves resources and energy. You can even make money from collecting them. Check out www.thinkcans.com
Shut it
Avoid leaving fridge doors open. Each minute the door is open uses three minutes of energy to cool down again.
Water
Did you know that each time we overfill the kettle we waste enough energy to run a TV for over 24 hours? Check the water level in the kettle and only use as much as you need.
Living Room
Light the way
Open the curtains - natural light is free. Otherwise, low-energy bulbs only use 20% of the energy of ordinary ones and can last 12 times as long. Saving energy and the electricity bill.
Heating up
Think twice before turning the heating up. Will you be warmer putting on a jumper or grabbing a blanket? Talk to your parents about ways you can keep the heat in your house better.
Switch off
Be the green monitor at home. Switch off lights and electrical items that aren't in use. Did you know it takes more energy to run the microwave's clock display than it does to use it's oven?
Out & About
Feet first
Walk, cycle, or organise a lift-share to school, or a friend's house. Reducing how much you are driven around saves carbon dioxide. And it's great exercise!
Liberate your library
Buying new uses up the world's natural resources. Libraries let you borrow books for free. You can also rent CDs, DVDs and games console games for a small charge.
Mobile matters
You can often save money by keeping your old phone instead of upgrading. If you do get a new one, recycle old handsets with www.recyclingappeal.com - the money made from this goes to charity.
Smart school
Can your school be more eco-friendly?
Find out where your school wastes energy with www.carbondetectives.org.uk. Or take part in Friends of the Earth's Shout about activity week (2-6 March 2009) and discover how you, your school and your community can make a difference.
What else?
Our new book 'How Can I Stop Climate Change?' is packed with more tips for greener living.
