100 Energy Saving & Environmental Tips - Centenary Challenge

In 2011 we are celebrating 100 hundred years of guiding in Ireland. As part of a programme of centenary challenges we got together to compile a list of our top 100 energy-saving and environmental tips and advice. We are publishing them here on our webpage to save on printing. We hope you find them useful.



Water:


1. Take a shower instead of a bath.
2. Reduce the time you spend in the shower.
3. Don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth or washing your hands.
4. Put a 1litre bottle of water in your cistern. This will save 1 litre of water for each flush.
5. Don’t overfill the kettle. When making hot drinks e.g. tea, coffee only fill the kettle with enough water for your needs. Make sure the element is covered.
6. Don’t leave the tap running to get a cold drink. Keep a jug of water in the fridge instead.
7. Use your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full.
8. Use a stopper in the sink when washing vegetables or fruit. Left over water could be used for watering houseplants.
9. Use a basin in the sink when washing the dishes.
10. Use a bucket of water and a sponge when washing your car or bicycle.
11. Use a water butt or bucket in the garden to collect rainwater for use in the garden or for car washing.
12. Only water the garden when it needs it.
13. Lawns don’t need to be hosed. Use good mulch on your flowerbeds to reduce watering.
14. Get leaking taps fixed as soon as you see them.
15. Phone and report water leakages from burst mains to your local authority.
16. Know how to turn off your water supply in the event of a burst pipe.
17. Be careful what you pour down the sink or toilet.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

Reduce:

18. Switch off equipment when you’re not using them, e.g. computers, televisions, radios or lights. Do not leave on standby.
19. Set your heating system to a timer and turn down by 1 degree.
20. Hang thick lined curtains around the house to help keep the heat in during the winter.
21. Make sure you have a good lagging jacket on your hot water cylinder.
22. Use CFL or LED light bulbs. They last much longer and save electricity in the long run.
23. Install safety sensor lights instead of leaving security lights on all night.
24. Avoid using a tumble dryer where possible as it uses a lot of electricity.
25. Bring your own reusable shopping bags with you when you go shopping.
26. When shopping for detergents use refills if possible.
27. Cut down on excess packaging when shopping.
28. Switch to using rechargeable batteries.
29. Buy fair-trade products. This gives the people who grow them a fair share of the profits.
30. Buy cards, stationery, wrapping paper and other paper products made from recycled material if possible.
31. Reuse old envelopes by putting a sticky label on them and re stamping them.
32. Collect scrap paper and staple it together to make a phone message pad.
33. When buying electrical goods as presents look for items that run on mains electricity rather than batteries. Buy toys that don’t use batteries or buy rechargeable batteries to go with new toys.
34. When buying gifts try to avoid gifts that are excessively packaged.
35. Use string to tie up presents so that the gift-wrap can be reused.
36. Give waste-free presents like leisure activities e.g. theatre tickets, beauty vouchers, hair salon vouchers or book /gift tokens.

Reuse:

37. Use reusable plastic bottles for drinks.
38. Use lunch boxes instead of tin foil or cling film.
39. Plastic ice cream tubs make great sandwich boxes or freezer boxes.
40. Use both sides of every sheet of paper.
41. Don’t throw out meat trays, vegetable trays or yoghurt cartons. They make excellent seed trays and also trays for under plant pots.
42. Jam jars can be used for making miniature greenhouses in spring by placing them over tender plants to protect them from frost. They can also be used for rooting plant cuttings, or for crafts e.g. glass painting, or turned into a pencil holder or a night light holder.
43. Use yoghurt tubs for mixing paints or glue.
44. Cut the top and bottom off plastic bottles and place the remaining centre part over newly planted cabbage or lettuce plants to protect them from slugs and snails.
45. Place potato peelings around spring bedding plants as an alternative to using slug pellets. With luck the slugs will eat the peelings and leave the plants alone. Garlic can also be used to deter insects.
46. Break open used teabags and scatter them on the soil in flower- beds or alternatively they can be put into the compost bin.
47. Banana skins can be put around flowers. The skin decomposes and acts as a fertilizer.
48. Instead of using insecticide to kill greenfly gather ladybirds and place them on infected plants and they will do the job of getting rid of greenfly.
49. Vegetable peelings and grass cuttings can also be used for composting in the far end of the garden or in a compost bin. Alternate the layers. After a few months you will have top quality compost for your plants, which won’t cost you any money. Compost is good for the garden and good for the environment.
50. Biscuit tins can be used for holding cakes and buns in the kitchen.
51. Take good old clothes to jumble sales or donate them to your local charity shop.
52. Cardboard egg cartons make great compost or they could be used for crafts or for growing seeds.
53. Cereal boxes are great for crafts and save on buying card.
54. Old t-shirts make great dusters.
55. Old towels make great floor cloths or could be given to an animal shelter for use when washing animals.
56. Old socks could be used to make hand puppets.
57. Mineral bottles make great terraniums.
58. You can make bird feeders from tetra milk cartons or juice cartons, also from coconut shells.
59. Old Christmas cards make great gift tags, bookmarkers, calendars or they can be used to make games or jigsaws. You can also use them for writing phone messages or shopping lists on the backs of them.
60. Newspapers make great litter for pets or alternatively you can use them for covering tables when painting or for craft making e.g. papier machie. They can also be composted. Old newspapers are also very good for cleaning windows and polishing them.
61. The net bag from washing - tablets are great for feeding the birds. Fill them with nuts and hang in a safe place. You could also keep soap in them. The bags stop the soap getting soggy and you can hang them on the tap.
62. Use old fertiliser bags as rucksack liners or for covering your sleeping bag when going to camp to keep it waterproof.
63. Make natural face masks or eye coolers with cucumber and natural yoghurt.
64. Recycle plastic sweet containers from your local sweet shop. They can be used to hold screws, nuts and bolts in the garage, or for holding bird seed and peanuts in the garden. They also make great containers for holding pencils, crayons etc. in the Brownie/ Guide box.
65. Old pieces of wood can be recycled too. They can be used to make birdhouses or nesting boxes.
66. Old tyres and chimney pots even a broken wheelbarrow can be recycled to make unusual flower containers.


Recycle:


67. Make a resolution that anything that is recyclable in your house will be recycled.
68. Sort out your rubbish.
69. Avoid plastic wherever you can, as it is very difficult to recycle.
70. Keep separate bins for recycling. Paper plastic bottles and tins go into the green bin. Garden cuttings, fruit and vegetable peel, and left over foods must be put into the brown bin .All other household waste goes into the black bin.
71. Glass bottles can be recycled at your local bottle banks. Separate the colours and remove any lids beforehand. Make sure they are rinsed out beforehand.
72. Recycle your old books and magazines. Pass them on to friends or bring them to your nearest charity shop. They will be sold to raise money for charity. Magazines are also great for crafts, for making collages.
73. Collect used stamps and send them to The Irish Peat Conservation, or to The Guide Dogs for the Blind or to the St. Martin Apostolate to raise money for their causes.
74. Unwanted gifts can be given to you local charity shops.
75. Recycle your old mobile phones by donating to a charity e.g. The Jack and Jill Foundation to raise badly needed funds.
76. Recycle your old spectacles. Many opticians collect them and send them to developing countries where the frames are invaluable.


Other Helpful Hints:

77. At Christmas switch to buying a real tree if possible. They are a renewable source of energy and create employment.
78. Leave your tree to a drop off point to be shredded and composted by your local council.
79. Use public transport instead of cars where possible.
80. Encourage your parents to switch off their car engine when they are parked or waiting for someone.
81. Plant a tree or trees to soak up greenhouse gases.
82. Buy organic vegetables if possible. It’s the only way to be sure your food is pesticide free.
83. Grow your own vegetables organically if you have a back garden.
84. Use unleaded petrol.
85. Never buy a spray with CFC’S. Use pump sprays instead of aerosols.
86. Never dump an old fridge. Return them to the shop where you buy your new one and they are obliged to dispose of them responsibly.
87. Don’t overheat buildings or leave windows open unnecessarily.
88. Clean up after your dog. Get a pooper scoop!
89. Organise local litter picks.
90. Choose energy labels A or B when buying a new washing machine, dryer, fridge freezer or dishwasher. You will save energy and money.
91. Try not to open the door of the fridge too often as it warms up the fridge and therefore uses more energy.
92. Use the right size ring for your saucepan on the cooker.
93. Cook at least two items at once in a hot oven.
94. A microwave cooker uses less energy than an ordinary one.
95. Install solar panels on the roof to collect the sun’s energy, to heat the water in the house. This saves electricity and fossil fuels.
96. Make sure the attic is well insulated, that water pipes are covered and that windows are double-glazed to conserve heat.
97. Keep saucepan lids on while cooking, this helps you to turn down the heat.
98. Only use enough water to cover the food in the saucepan when cooking.
99. Avoid buying disposable products e.g. cameras.
100. Install a timer on your immersion to save on heating costs.