Why Go Green?

Let me show you some numbers I got off the internet and other print media. This will help you understand what the numbers mean.

1. 3 trillion is the number of gallons of water the USA would save if every household invested in water-saving appliances. This amounts to $18 billion US dollars saved a year.
2. 64 million tons of material was prevented from reaching the landfills by recycling and composting in 1999 in the USA alone.
3. 113,200 is the average number of aluminum cans recycled each minute of each day.
4. 137 is the number of  plants, animals or insect species lost every day due to deforestation.
5. 1.5 arces is the area of rainforest lost every second due to land development and deforestation.
6. 61 per cent is the percentage of women’s lipstick found to contain lead tested from a sample of 30 lipsticks by a campaign for safe cosmetics.
7. 60 per cent is the reduction of children with developmental problems born in China after a coal-burning powerplant was closed in 2006.
8. 40 per cent is the percentage of energy saved by recycling newsprint compared to using new materials.
9. 2.5 per cent is the percentage of carbon dioxide emissions produced by air travel, making it the largest transportation related producer of greenhouse gases.
10. 36 is the number of states in the USA anticipating local or statewide water shortage by 2013.

Just some figures to help you get started on going green. Choose to reduce, recycle and re-use rather than going for convenience. Going green is important!

The resorts that we have here are beautiful and provide world class amenities to their guests. So what are
they doing to promote conservation in the management of their resorts? Many hotels have lush vegetation on their premises, trees, creeper plants, scrubs, hedges, and well kept grass. It is a welcomed experience to stroll through a beautifully landscaped resort.

Are they doing enough?
Are any of our resorts certified eco-friendly? Is there even such a rating, and should it be just as important
as how many stars a resort rate? How stringent are the controls the management implement?

Next time you visit a resort, you can ask them about their green initiatives. If their guests ask them often
enough, it sends the message that Going Green matters, and leads to heightened awareness. It is not just a matter of how beautiful and comfortable the resort is, it’s about sustainability.

• Solid Waste Management
• Energy-efficiency
• Water Conservation and Preservation
• Employee Education
• Sewage Treatment Plant

Eco-tourism should be promoted along with eco-friendly hotels and resorts. Not just in resorts, every lodging house and motels should have a green initiative. Reduce, Recycle & Reuse. It matters to us, consumers, tourists and businesses. When consumers and businesses lead the way, the rest of the society will stop and take a look at how much waste they are generating. The environment is our universal responsibility. It starts with us.

Water conservation is the best way to make use of our water resources, which in turn helps to protect the environment.

Tips On Saving Water

1. Take a shower instead of a bath. What could be simpler? Taking a shower lowers your water and heating usage at the same time. Personally, I prefer a shower over a bath. With the many types of shower heads that delivers jets of water, while reduceing water usage.
2. Installed low-flow shower heads and aerated faucets. These do not cost a lot and can help you save up to 50% of your water usage. Consider also installing a low-flow, or dual flush toilet. This can reduce water usage by a further 30%.
3. Turn off the tap, while you are brushing your teeth or while you shave. Leaving the tap on for one minute can waste up to 7 litres of water. Wash fruits and vegetables in a half-filled sink instead of running water.
4. Check for leaks, in your taps and pipes. Imagine wasting up to 100 to 200 litres of water a month!
5. Minimal watering of plants. If you have a green thumb, consider cultivating plants in your garden that do not require as much watering. If you have to water your plants, use sprinklers. Water your plants in the morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
6. Cover up your swimming pool to prevent water loss from evaporation, or shade your pool area.
7. Install a rainwater tank. This water can be used to water your lawn and garden, or general cleaning.

Don’t flush your money down the toilet. There are many inexpensive ways to reduce our water usage – none of which will cause us any particular hardship. If we all do our part, it equals millions of litres saved per day, per city.

One of the great threat to the environment comes from the amount of things we throw away. The things that we throw away also causes environmental pollution by the leakage that occurs which can leak into our ground water. Many of the chemicals that makes it into our water supply isn’t easily removed, and will eventually find their way into our tap water. Crops and farm land in contaminated areas produces food that are unfit for human consumption, due to pollution in the soil, or use of polluted water.

Things such as household batteries and electronics often contain dangerous chemicals, and these chemicals can be released over time when the item is dumped into a landfill.  The pollution don’t just occur to our ground water and soil, landfills also gives off dangerous and harmful gases that causes air pollution.

The more we throw away, the more space we take up in our landfills. When a landfill is full, our tax dollars are spent to build a new one. As taxpayers, we are spending money to build a space to keep our rubbish! So the less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last.

Manufacturers have to step up and find ways to recycle the goods they produce, either the physical goods itself, or reduce the packaging used to house the goods.

Recycle & Re-use
Throwing things away is a waste of the resources used to produce the item. In today’s world, millions of cellphones and their batteries are thrown away. This is the modern lifestyle where we focus more on form rather than function. I am sure that most cellphones that are not in use are in perfect working condition. Why are we so fixated on the cool stuff or the latest gadget?

Of course, this isn’t just about cellphones. What about the clothes in your closet? I know people who can go for a month without the need to do their laundry, because of the amount of clothes they have. But the clothes are never worn. It may be that the style is out of fashion, or the color, or the brand.

For years, I have kept almost every magazine I have ever bought. Especially the magazines about photography using SLR cameras. I have not touched my SLR camera in years, and have since made the switch to digital cameras. In the end, I had to take all my magazines to a recycle center, and those magazines costs upwards of RM 30 per copy. My problem with my digital camera is this; it’s obsolete. But it is in perfect working condition, and I can still take nice photos with it. It costed me RM 1,200, and giving it away seems so …. hard to do. Besides, that would mean I have to buy a new one, and by the time I buy it, a newer and improved model will arrive in less than a year. What do I do then?

Everyone should try and re-use the things they have for as long as possible. When the time comes to throw it away, do it responsibly.

Reduce
The packaging on the things we buy, sometimes makes no sense. Buying a digital camera? The box it comes in is 5 times the size of the camera, plus the manuals that comes with it, all in different languages. My camera came with 2 tripods, and a camera bag. That means more boxes, plastic bags and paper. It was funny in a way, I went in to buy a small digital camera and came out with 2 handfuls of boxes and stuff.

Manufacturers have to reduce the amount of packaging on their goods, and use more environmentally friendly packaging. As a consumer, it is a pain to have to carry so much stuff. I appreciate the protection for the product, but it is just so much of it.

The production of the packaging uses additional energy and materials.

• The extra volume and weight adds to the transportation and shipping cost.
• The packaging will be thrown out anyway, and needs to be collected by large disposal trucks.
• The packaging takes up more space at the landfill.

Did you know:

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, 7,000 gallons of water is saved; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• The amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can, can run a TV for six hours.
• You save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours by recycling just one glass bottle.
• Throwing away things diminishes energy, water and natural resources that has to be used to produce some more the same items.

If you have watched, An Inconvenient Truth, then you will know that the exploding world population is a one of the factors that is putting such a strain on the earth. As the population grows, there will be fewer resources available, if we do nothing to change the way we consume things.

It used to be that when we first started talking about recycling materials, the cost to recycle, break down and clean up the materials, was higher than it is to produce the item from raw materials. Advancement in technologies and techniques have reduced this cost, and it is time we employed this knowledge in a wholesale and coordinated manner to recycle large portions of our waste.

Paper, plastic and metal can be recycled. Let’s make the effort today!

1. Ask about the hotel’s or company’s green initiatives.
Book your travels with hotels or tour agencies who supports eco-friendly or sustainable tourism and activities.

• Do they recycle?
• Are they energy efficient?
• Do they address water conservation and waste management?
• Do they use local materials in their building?
• Do they use local ingredients in their dining menu?

2. Offset greenhouse gas emissions
If you have a choice, take trains over flying. Or if you must fly, try to book a non-stop flight.

3. Never Litter
Even if you see locals disposing of their rubbish without a care for the environment, you should not follow suit.

4. Choose where you stay
Pick a local bed & breakfast, or locally owned accommodation. It will benefit the local community.

5. Purchase and use local products whenever possible
Purchasing locally made souvenirs provides memories of your trip and will aid the local industry. However, be careful of products made from endangered animals, or products that are risky and destroys the local animals, flora or environment.

6. Conserve water
Use water sparingly to help conserve the water resources. Water is a sparse resource in many parts of the world, and you can help conserve this precious resource without undue hardship on your part.

7. Conserve electricity
Turn off lights and air-conditioning when you leave your room or when you don’t need it.

8. Do not feed local wildlife
They may look hungry but your interference will cause more harm than good. This can cause them to depend on humans for food, instead of foraging for food. Processed food are not part of their diet and can be harmful to animals.

9. Leave nothing but footprints
If you are on a nature tour, or visiting a conservation area, take with you only what you bring in. Do not left your rubbish behind or take some of the local flora with you. When you visit our islands, do not take pieces of the corals with you. If you are camping, use only biodegradable products to wash in.

10. Be part of Going Green
Help spread the word on green living, and let people know how conservation and green living does not mean a life without comfort. It’s about helping the environment recover.

Most of us have been employees at one time or the other, and we have seen a lot of needless wastage at work. Sometimes it’s because we are not paying for it, or maybe because our boss doesn’t care either. But Knowing how to go green at work, or even better, leading the initiative to go green can help your career. We should all be doing it because it doesn’t take a lot of effort.

Here are 5 simple tips to start with.

1. The office printer is one appliance in the work place where you can start learning how to go green at work. Paper comes from trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, preventing it from accumulating in the atmosphere and adding to the global greenhouse effect. You can cut paper usage in half at a single stroke by simply printing on both sides of every sheet of paper. That’s one example of how to go green at work and save money too! Or better yet, only print when you have to. Used printer ink cartridges causes a strain on the environment too.

2. Business travel costs a huge fortune every year. Because time is often of the essence, we fly in aeroplanes or drive our cars to meetings. Business travel puts a enormous strain on the planet and your business expenses. The answer? Use video conferencing as much as possible. With a broadband Internet connection and a decent web cam, you can speak to anyone anywhere in the world. There’s a good choice of conferencing software available, and all at a mere fraction of jet travel.

3. Work from home. That answers the question of how to go green at work by cutting down on office expenses. You heat your home anyway, and as long as you have the necessary communications needed to do your job, then why not work from home! Many companies are introducing the concept of flexible hours, or contract work. Of course, jobs like this do not apply to all industries, but free-lancers have been working at home for ages. If you have the skill set, this is one option you can explore.

4. Invoice by email. This is one of the simplest ways of how to go green at work. As in tip number one, you save on paper, and a lot of paper too. Let your customers have the option to pay online of possible. The more you can do electronically that has traditionally been done with paper, the more the planet will benefit, and so will your bottom line.

5. Laptops are more energy efficient that desktop computers. It is the way they are designed to be. So, use laptops rather than desktop computers and monitors. A laptop will consume around 50 watts of energy while in use compared to a computer and monitor, which consumes around 270 watts of energy. Also, have all laptops set so that they go to sleep if not used for more than 15 minutes. Screensavers do not save money or power. On the contrary, the opposite happens, they use more! How to go green at work and save a lot of money? Switch off all desktop computers and laptops when not in use. If all businesses did this they would save enough to power the city of Chicago for one year!

So how about using these 7 simple tips to go green and save.

1. If you live in a cold climate, you can lower your winter heating by at least one degree. If you can stand to lower the temperature by two or three degrees, all the better. You use less energy and can still feel comfortable. You might think it’s easy for me to say so living in a warm climate, but I have spent years living in England, and all we did was to bundle up when it got cold. The water in our metal mugs would freeze overnight, that was how cold it was. If you live in a hot climate like I do, you can set the timer on your air-conditioning. That way the air-con shuts down just before dawn cool while your room is still cold. That’s a great start in how to go green.
2. Set your washing machine to wash clothes in cold water. Modern cleaning powders don’t need hot water, and heating the water is what consumes most of the energy that the washing machine uses. In Sabah, a hot and cold water washing machine is a luxury we don’t really need.
3. Don’t use the dryer to dry your clothes! Are you kidding, in a climate like Sabah, Malaysia. That’s not how to go green. It uses far too much energy and a dryer costs over RM 1,000. Hang your clothes out to dry. The sun and wind is great at drying clothes.
4. Energy Saving Bulbs or Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use 10% of the energy that a standard bulb needs, are brighter and they last 10 times longer. So, change your light bulbs. And if you want to know how to go green in a bigger way with lights, check out the new LED bulbs. They can be twice as efficient as the CFL bulbs.
5. Use less water. Check all faucets for leaks and fix any you find. Take a showers, instead of bath, and turn off the shower when you put on your shower cream. Consider getting a new toilet cistern that will use less than two gallons of water per flush. Standard cistern use some three and a half gallons. Saving water is also part of going green and saves you money too.
6. Walk rather than drive for very short trips or use a bicycle for moderate trips. Use the car only if you really have to. I know people who would drive to buy a soft drink when the store is only a block or two away. Besides, the price of gasoline or petrol has been going up. Hydrocarbon fuel is a none renewable source of energy, and you are doing the planet no favors by burning it. You can help cut down on air pollution. Do your part in creating a cleaner environment.
7. When you are driving, keep your speed down to you car’s optimal fuel consumption speed. Your car’s engine will be running at its most efficient at that speed burning the minimum amount of gas. Practice driving smoothly as well. Don’t accelerate fast from a standing start, and don’t brake hard. You save on fuel, engine maintenance and tyre wear. This is how to you can still go green even if you drive a car. Remember, regular maintenance helps your car run more efficiently, hence helping you save more.

Green Living makes sense if there are benefits to us. Cleaner air to breath, cutting down on electricity bills, better mileage from our car. This isn’t just a call to go green, it is a call to create a win-win situation for everyone. When you get right down to it, earth doesn’t need our help. We are doing this for ourselves, and for the countless generations yet to come. Choose to conserve our energy and resources today. Each of us have to stand up and say “We are not screwing this up, not on my watch, no way.”

There are many simple examples of going green. Start by saving energy.

Time to be unplugged
Did you know that cell phone charger that stays plugged in, the DVD player that waits for the occasional movie, and the TV that sits on standby all night, these are prime examples of how you are wasting electricity. For even if the items are not working, they are consuming energy! Going green can save you money – if you unplug them, that is.

Using A Water Filter
Another of the prime example of how going green saves you money is switching from bottled water to filtered tap water. The average family spends some RM2,400 a year on bottled water. And the worst part is that 90% of the plastic bottles are not recycled! For RM200 you could get a high quality staged water filter to make your tap water perfect and safe to drink.

Driving Smart
Here are some more examples of how green living saves you money. Reduce your driving speed to the engine’s optimum performance efficiency. That means, stop redlining your car engine, and you might want to forget about the turbo drive.  If you combine that with gentle driving on properly inflated tires, you will save money on petrol and tire wear, and help the planet too.

Use Pedal Power
You could always use a bicycle to travel short distances or you could simply walk for those short trips. You won’t be burning hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, warming the planet,  and you will get to exercise at the same time. Walking and cycling when you can are excellent examples of how going green saves you money.

Use Less Paper
I’m told some 65 million newspapers are printed every day in the US. Some 70% of them will not be recycled. In Sabah, it is a lot less than that. But still, what a waste of trees! You can do your bit to help, and read whatever news you want to read at the same time simply by either going online or sharing your newspapers.

Tips For Going Green

1. Conserve electricity by switching off or unplugging appliances when not in use.
2. Use filtered water from your own home.
3. Reduce your driving speed.
4. Walk to your destinations for those short trips.
5. Share your newspapers.

Do you want more example of how going green saves you money? They are all around you. Just look and you certainly will find them. People tend to follow leaders, so lead by your example.