Earth Day 2016
22 April 2016
What is Earth Day 2016
We are so lucky to live in clean, green, New Zealand right? If the world’s carbon footprint doesn’t decrease, it might not always be this way. Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 by over 193 countries and it is a day dedicated to celebrating planet Earth, raising awareness of environmental issues and serves as a useful reminder for us that every small change can help protect Mother Nature.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Peace activist John McConnell proposed Earth Day as a way of commemorating not only peace on our beautiful planet but also to raise a continued awareness of the impact of consumption of fossil fuels, growing amounts of non-recyclable waste and the use of excess energy. 2000 college and universities, thousands of schools and many groups and communities across the United States partook in the first Earth Day 46 years ago. What started out as a day of commemoration has evolved into a day of action, where we are urged as people to change our behaviours whether in a big or small way, to help save the Earth and encourage environmental awareness and changes from the big guys – because every little bit counts.
Earth Day in New Zealand is observed all day Friday April 22 2016. There are plenty of ways you can get involved and do your part to save power, save the planet, and maybe even save a little bit on your energy bills.
How do I be a part of Earth Day this year?
Earth Day is for everyone to be a part of, whether you’re a greenie, a not-so greenie, big or small, this is a day for you to think about what you’re doing to save energy. There are lots of ways you can be eco-friendly around your home – you’ll notice the difference in your conscience and in your wallet.
By adding insulation to your home, you will have to spend less on heating over winter, which we all know can be a huge expense. Try using eco insulation for a sustainable way to warm your home. For a more budget-friendly version, try using thermal curtains and draft guards on your door.
You can use a daylighting system for your home, or use eco-friendly lightbulbs, start using plant-based cleaning products, try keeping plastic bags and plastic wrap to a minimum, and use reusable shopping bags – there are so many small changes you can make that are easy once you’re in the habit.
All these changes at once might be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’ve never considered making any before. An easy way to ease yourself and the family into environmentally friendliness is to start implementing a change every one or two weeks. You could start by getting your recycling system down pat and making sure that everyone knows what gets recycled and what doesn’t, or even just change all of your lightbulbs to LED lighting.
Get the kids involved and turn being eco-friendly into a little game. Make recycling fun by starting up a reward system – whoever recycles the most bottles or cans gets a treat!
Being environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be a chore and once you start making smaller changes, you won’t want to stop. Make Earth Day your day to make your home greener. Here are some extra tips.
Lighting
Upgrade to tubular daylighting device.
Daylighting systems are a brilliant way of reducing your power bill. They use natural sunlight to brighten your home so you use less electricity. A system like Solatube uses technology where sunlight is collected from small domes on your rooftop during the day, redirecting sunlight to act like lightbulbs in your home, while avoiding overbearing rays of sun. The Solatube is lined with Spectralight ®, one of the world’s most reflective materials, so that light is channelled from the sky and into any of the rooms in your household. You can even change the colour of the light and the intensity of it for your preference. Lots of homes in New Zealand are converting to tubular daylighting devices to cut down on energy use, make the most of our natural sunlight and save on their power bills.
Change light bulbs
One of the number one causes of energy waste in homes is through lighting. Leaving the lights on one of the main culprits, so make a habit this Earth Day of reminding everyone in your home to turn the light off if it’s not in use. There are other ways you can save on energy too, and that’s by using different types of lightbulbs. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are available at your supermarket, are up to 80% more efficient than standard lightbulbs, and last 6-10 times longer. Another great option is LED lighting.
Like CFLs, LED lighting is up to 80% more energy efficient than a standard bulb, but lasts 15 times longer. You can also combine LED lighting with a tubular daylighting system so that your home is extra energy efficient.
Water use
Take shorter showers: As much as we all love a long shower, the shorter your shower, the more you’ll save. The average shower uses 8 Litres of water per minute. Instead of 10 minutes, try reducing it to 5 and halve how much water you use.
Don’t run the water: That goes for other taps too. Don’t let the water run while you’re brushing your teeth, and fix those dripping taps. Rinse your dishes with a sink of water rather than leave the tap going. These are all easy ways of saving energy that you can do every day.
Dial back the water heater: By turning down the thermostat on your water cylinder, you could be saving heaps. As long as it’s still at a safe temperature, you can save on your power bill. Also try investing in a cylinder wrap – these keep the heat in the cylinder rather than leaking out into the open.
Adjust the washing machine: Wash your clothes in cold water rather than hot, and when you can, use a shorter cycle and adjust the water level. This will save water in the long run and your clothes will still be perfectly clean.
Ventilation: A ventilation system is an excellent way of keeping your house dry and warm, helping you save on energy costs. A ventilation system let’s your home breathe, drawing moisture from throughout your house outside, making it a cleaner and healthier home to live in.
Electronics
Adjust the T.V: Simple things such as changing the settings on your TV can make a huge difference in the long run. TVs are one of the biggest uses of energy in our homes. Reducing the screen brightness, using an LED/LCD screen and turning your TV off when it’s not in use are great ways of reducing energy usage.
Change CPU settings: By changing your computer settings, you could be saving power. Changing your computer’s standby mode and turning it off at the wall are easy ways of reducing its energy use. Many computers these days have an eco-mode, that automatically takes care of these settings for you.
Replace old appliances: A good excuse for buying new appliances is that they tend to be far more energy efficient. Replace your old TV, washing machine, dishwasher and refrigerator with newer, more energy efficient models and watch your power bills go down.
Heating
Use solar where possible: As solar energy uses the light of the sun, solar heating and cooling systems benefit you and your home by saving massive amounts of power. Solar roof fans extract heat and moisture from your home, replacing it with cooler air. Likewise, solar heating systems use the sun to heat your water, again saving power.
Adding insulation: Insulation is key to keeping a warm, dry home, and saving power. There are many different insulation options, and there are payment plans and government subsidies available so that everyone can enjoy a safe and insulated home. Excess moisture can lead to respiratory illnesses and mould. Adequate ventilation is necessary for keeping our homes safe for New Zealand families.
Earth day 2016 outside the house
Walk or bus to work: One of the best ways your household can reduce its carbon footprint is to walk, cycle, bus or carpool to work. By using these options, you cut down using your car excessively, and you’ll notice the difference on your wallet too. You can use Earth Day this year to get yourself into the habit. Walking and cycling are not only the best ways of reducing your CO2 emissions, but are great exercise as well. Public transport is a great option, and can be rather fun. Get yourself familiar with the city bus timetable online, purchase a preloaded bus card and get going. If you must use your car, try carpooling with others in your workplace. Fitting just 3 extra people in your car means three extra cars off the road. Imagine if a 20 people carpooled, with 3 extra people – that’s 60 less cars every morning. A brilliant way to reduce environmental damage and maybe even ease those early morning traffic jams. Explain how walking or taking the bus to work can help reduce damage to the environment.
Reuse shopping bags: Plastic bags, even ones that are biodegradable, are really bad for the environment. Plastic bags are one of the number one causes of environmental harm – in our oceans and in our land. It is estimated that by the year 2025 the annual input of plastic in our oceans will increase to 100 bags of plastic per foot of coastline in the world. Be part of the change this Earth Day 2016, and make it your mission to use reusable shopping bags instead of single use plastic bags.
Change outdoor lighting: Like indoor lighting, outdoor lighting can be a hidden drain on your power bill. By swapping your outdoor lights for solar powered ones, you will reduce how much power your house is using. You can also switch your outdoor lights to timed or motion activated ones, so that they are only being used when necessary.
Happy Earth Day from HomeTech.
