The prominent conservation group, WWF International, predicts that we will need five planets to sustain the eco-unfriendly way middle-class people live today. The implication is that Mail & Guardian readers should try to reduce their carbon footprint.
I adapted my lifestyle to South African conditions, using universally accepted ‘living green†principles, and drew up 15 green house rules.
Electricity
The little light that tells you your telly is on standby consumes a lot more power than you think. I cut my electricity bill by switching appliances off at the plug point, which saves energy and dramatically improves the energy efficiency of electrical goods. In the United Kingdom, the output of two power stations are wasted by equipment left on standby each year.
In Europe, gadgets that bypass standby mode are popular. European legislation will soon ban all products with a standby, reverting to on/off settings.
Invest in energy efficient appliances. Many appliances these days come with an eco-rating and with research you can help the planet and save money.
And if you thought washing those dishes the old-fashioned way was more economical and eco-friendly, think again. Research has shown that a dishwasher, especially when set to an eco function, uses less water and energy.
Eskom recommends that you switch off your geyser at regular intervals. Eskom’s Andrew Etzinger claims that the power utility has already saved between 280 to 500MW through its geyser campaign. Setting your geyser to a lower temperature, like we did, will also bring savings.
Another appliance to watch is the air conditioner. At the recent climate- change conference in Bali, where I spent two weeks, air conditioners were, ironically, humming away. But when I am in Johannesburg, I try to avoid air conditioners and get as much fresh air as possible. I won’t buy an air conditioner for my house at any cost.
Ditch the gas-guzzler
Lift clubs and public transport are the way to go, but Gauteng is not exactly geared for efficient travelling without a car. I live 40km from the office and the nearest train station is 20km from my house.
Johannesburg boasts that it will have a more efficient bus system before 2010 and, if the Gautrain is coming to a station near you, things are looking up. But, for now, my only option for getting around is my gas-guzzling SUV (it was rated as one of the world’s most fuel-efficient).
Cycling to the shops also did not work out. The first time I got on to my bicycle, I had to navigate through a field. With a host of shifty characters eyeing me, I quickly did a U-turn and vowed never to try that again.
Shopping till the planet drops
Shop green, and the first thing to do is take your own bag. This will mean more savings in the long term — and fewer Soweto roses blowing in the wind.
At the supermarket, I decided to examine the labelling more carefully to see whether the products I bought were sustainably farmed, especially those that were labelled ‘greenâ€. This means, for example, that when buying coffee I can be sure that a whole indigenous forest wasn’t eradicated for a coffee plantation and I can avoide produce that uses pesticides that kill off, for example, a whole bee population. Organic products and free-range beef are a good bet.
Even alcohol can be greener. I discovered a whole new world of viticulture with brands such as the Ladybird from Laibach and Bon Cap winery, although buying organic is, of course, more expensive.
Advertisements induce us to buy stuff we don’t really need. One of my house rules was to be less consumer-driven — a challenge, given my addiction to shopping.
I had to ask myself five times whether I really needed a certain garment and whether I needed to replace my perfectly workable kettle with the latest shining model. But I also discovered a new world — that of the second-hand shopper. You can pick up almost brand-new furniture for next to nothing, without using up more resources.
Where I really failed was with baby’s nappies. Environmentalists everywhere urge the use of reusable nappies, but washing poo with my hands did not appeal to me at all. Disposable nappies are my big eco-failure.
Waste not, want not
House rule number six is recycle, recycle, recycle. A few years back that would have been impossible, and separating organic from non-organic waste was about as far as my recycling habits went. That was until a Gauteng company called Resolution Recycling made its appearance.
For R30 a month Resolution takes away your recyclables through a twice-monthly collection service, after you’ve sorted your waste according to a list supplied by the company. The list includes plastic bottles and bags, food containers, cosmetic containers, office paper, cardboard, magazines, newspapers, phone books, cans, tins, aluminum cans and foil, bottles and jars, ink cartridges, toners and batteries, which you just put into the special bin Resolution provides.
Things that cannot go in the bin include hard plastic, sticky tape, chip packets, toilet paper, tissues, waxed cardboard, petrol cans, light bulbs, ceramic dishes, mirrors and leaking batteries.
Eat green
True greenies are vegetarians, which is a bridge too far for my husband and I. But what we have tried to do is to eat less red meat and more veggies — which is also a healthier option.
A shocking revelation,which helped us stick to our new eating plan, was a United Nations report, which showed that the global livestock industry is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than the world’s entire transport sector. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation says that to offset climate change, the world’s carnivores must cut their meat consumption by about 10%.
Seafood is not necessarily a better option. The world’s oceans have been overfished down to 5% of their original pre-exploitation levels (see: www.panda.org.za/sassi/glossary.html) and by-catch kills millions of other creatures, including endangered albatrosses, every year.
Before you dive in to a tasty seafood meal, SMS the name of the seafood you are planning to buy to 079 499 8795 and the Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative will send you its status — green, which includes fish from relatively healthy and well-managed populations; orange or red.
Luxury living
If seeing the world is your passion, as it is for me, you burn a lot of aviation fuel. Luckily, you’ll soon be able offset the fallout from your travels through a mandatory 2% carbon levy, which is on the cards for all airline passengers.
Another luxury is the hot bath I love to soak in after a long day at the office. With South Africa’s water crisis set to soar because of climate change, it is an extravagance — unless you recycle the water for use in your garden, or make bathtime a family affair. Showering is the best option. And you should consider whether you really need to flush the toilet every time … ?
More water affairs
Gardens consume much of the water households use and the worst water-guzzlers are alien plants.
We designed our garden for hardy indigenous plants to lessen our water usage. And as neither my husband nor I have green fingers, and we often forget to water our garden, water-greedy exotics quickly withered away. Our garden is now truly water-efficient.
Homely tips
Though we wanted to design our home to be eco-friendly, as a start-up couple we found the costs far too high. Instead we improved the insulation of our house and tried to build it to face north to get the most out of the sun. We have considered installing solar panels to warm our water, but at the moment, they’re just too expensive.
Instead of using heaters or electric blankets in the winter, we try to dress warmly and snuggle with a blanket and a hot-water bottle. Our one big indulgence was under-floor heating, which we try to use sparingly.
The final score
When I added up everything I was doing to help our planet, I felt a little embarrassed — it’s really not much. But it’s a start. Some green-living tips were far more difficult to implement than I’d thought, while others turned out to be so simple that anyone can put them into practice. We’re still trying to improve in areas where we registered a low score.
Why don’t you take up the challenge and see how your household measures up on the M&G’s big green scorecard?