Kick the Carbon Habit

On June 5, 2008 NZ hosted World Environment Day in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The theme was climate change with a focus on moving towards a low carbon economy and lifestyle. "Kick the Habit" (the carbon habit) was the international slogan for the event.

I have since been prompted to think more seriously about decreasing my “carbon footprint” and about how good a steward I am of creation entrusted to us. Here are some of the many small ‘no regrets’ choices UNEP suggests will together reduce our daily emissions from say 38kg to 14kg!

*Wake up with a traditional wind-up alarm clock rather than the beep of an electronic one – save almost 48g of CO2 each day

*Choose to dry clothes on a washing line instead of in a tumbler dryer – a daily carbon diet of 2.3kg of CO2

*Replace a 45 minute workout on a treadmill with a jog in a nearby park – save nearly 1kg of the main greenhouse gas

*Opt for a non-electric toothbrush – avoid nearly 48g of CO2 emissions

*Leave your hair to dry naturally rather than blow drying it

*Heat bread rolls in a toaster versus an oven for 15 minutes – save nearly 170g of CO2

*Switch from regular 60W light bulbs to energy-saving ones – produce 4x less greenhouse gas emissions

*Take the train rather than the car for a daily commute - as little as 8km will save 1.7kg of CO2

*Shut down your computer and flat screen both during lunch break and after working hours – cut CO2 emissions by one third

*Invest in a water saving shower head – save 10L of water per minute and slash CO2 emissions resulting from a 3 minute hot shower by half

*Turn down the thermostat – lowering the temperature of a 90 sq m apartment by just a couple of degrees saves 6% in energy and energy bills

*Review your refrigerator - a 150L refrigerator with a freezer that is A++ rated emits over 130g less in CO2 than an A- rated one