5 Things You Can Do To Help The Earth
Comments Off on 5 Things You Can Do To Help The EarthThis article was written by a volunteer from a recent workshop held at the EVI. Community members volunteered themselves to create content focusing on environmental issues. During these video and blogging workshops they were taught the skills to create their own online content. This was all made possible with funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme. Check out the related articles at the bottom of the page.
There are many ways to help the Earth. Some are efficient, and some are not. This blog will show you the most efficient ways to help the Earth along with the reasons why they are efficient.
1. Getting serious about water
We use water everyday in our lives, some people use it more than others but that doesn’t matter. If there are any noticeable leaks in your home then make sure to fix them as soon as possible to prevent any water loss and to improve your local environment.
Another essential thing you could do with the water in your household is to turn off any taps that are being unused. For example, some people leave the tap on while they are brushing their teeth – wasting water that could otherwise be put to good use.
Tips to save water from the Energy Saving Trust.
2. Installing smart technology
Installing a smart meter in your home will let you keep track of the energy you’re using and it’s cost. Seeing how much energy your actually using might encourage you to make changes and cut down on your energy use. A smart meter connects through your Wi-Fi connection and sends your energy usage to your supplier meaning you don’t have to submit energy readings yourself. This gives you a more accurate bill based on the energy you’re using rather than a guesstimate.
Installing a smart thermostat can also help you cut down on your energy costs. This allows you to control the heating in your home through an app on your phone; you can be at work and connect to your smart thermostat to turn the heating down at home.
Further information about smart meters and technology – Energy Saving Trust
3. Energy efficient light bulbs
We all use light bulbs- we couldn’t see inside many internal rooms without them. A way to help the environment is to use LED light bulbs instead of the old tungsten bulbs. LED light bulbs are more efficient, can be easily replaced, last longer and they shine brighter too!
The lighting at the EVI has been replaced with LED thanks to funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme. Find out more here.
4. Installing solar panels
Another way we can get energy is from the sun via solar panels. Solar panels take heat and light from the sun and convert it to energy for our everyday usage. Solar panels don’t produce energy at night due to there being no sun but energy that isn’t used during the day can be stored in batteries to be used during the night, or if there isn’t enough you can get still get your energy from the grid if you need it. Any solar energy you don’t use can be sold to the grid, which can make you a little money.
Check out this How Solar Power Works in the UK information from uSwitch.
5. Recycle and reuse
Recycling is a must if we want to save the Earth. Recycling itself uses energy, so re-using is better where possible. There are two simple things you can do to start – reuse bottles to drink out of and ask your local council to add more recycling bins around town so that the oceans and local wildlife habitats can stay safe and clean.
You might find some ideas to reuse everyday items from this list on Recycling Guide – like using old clothes to create cushions or donating old egg cartons to schools.
