10 REASONS FOR WALKING INSTEAD OF DRIVING
1. It saves money on petrol. Lots of it.
2. It saves the planet. You’d be doing your bit to save the world.
3. It saves on parking. Don’t you just hate having to pay for parking?
4. It’s free. The pleasure of knowing you are getting something for nothing while other people have to pay is not the same as benefiting from saving money. It’s even better.
5. It’s good exercise. The benefits are obvious. Ask your doctor.
6. You’ll get more fresh air. It’s the best kind.
7. It might even be quicker than driving. People often underestimate the time they spend driving, thinking a 10-minute journey may only take two minutes. And they often don’t take into account the unavoidable extra time involved, either, when calculating journey times. Add up the time you spend looking for your keys, filling up with petrol, defrosting the car, walking from the car park, etc, and compare it with a simple walk from A to B. And even if it still takes longer to walk, remember that only the extra time spent walking is the issue, not the total time of the walk. It may only be costing you a few minutes extra per day to walk instead of drive.
8. If it takes longer to work after all, what the heck? You’re walking to work, so what’s the rush?
9. Walking improves your image. Have you noticed that everybody in the office admires the person who has the motivation to walk instead of drive? In a word, walking is cool.
10. Walking is fun
http://www.swindonweb.com/?m=862&s=867&ss=0&c=4963&t=save+money+by+walking
1 Wrap gifts in fabric and tie with ribbon; both are reusable and prettier than paper and sticky-tape.
2 Start a compost heap to reduce the waste you send to landfill sites.
3 Buy your own hive: without bees the planet would last for only 60 years (and honey is good for your health).
4 Use a nappy washing service: they use 32% less energy and 41% less water than home washing.
5 Slow down. Driving at 50mph uses 25% less fuel than 70mph.
6 Wash your clothes with your flatmates' instead of wasting water on half-empty loads.
7 Turn down your central heating and put on a jumper.
8 Take a brisk shower, not a leisurely bath, to save water.
9 Hold a Tupperware party. Airtight food containers can be reused; sandwich bags and plastic wrap cannot.
10 Choose energy-efficient appliances when you replace old ones.
11 Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last eight times as long and use a fraction of the energy.
12 Join a library instead of buying books.
13 Get to know your neighbours; they are more likely to keep your home safe than energy-guzzling security lamps.
14 Recycle your car oil at a recycling depot or petrol station; it contains lead, nickel and cadmium.
15 Get on your bike instead of driving.
16 Let them carry you off in a biodegradable cardboard coffin, saving trees.
17 Use low-phosphate washing-up liquid and washing powder. Phosphates stimulate algal growth when discharged into the water supply, lowering oxygen levels and killing plants and fish.
18 Buy local, or better still, grow your own food, so energy is not wasted on transportation.
19 Raise your glass to organic beer; conventionally grown hops are sprayed up to a dozen times a year.
20 Use recycling facilities. If there aren't any, ask your council for them.
21 Ditch the air-conditioner and buy an aspidistra; plants help cut pollution.
22 Take the plunge and move in with your partner so you light and heat one home rather than two.
23 Give a colleague a lift to work; if no one is going your way, join a carshare scheme to find a passenger.
24 Cook for friends. Large quantities of food use less packaging than the same quantity in individual portions (and take less energy to cook).
25 Copy ministers by holidaying in Britain (but unlike them, skip the follow-up trip to Tuscany).
26 Give your garden a good breakfast; coffee grounds and eggshells are ideal for composting.
27 Refuse plastic carrier bags, or at least reuse them. Cloth bags are better.
28 Donate your leftover paint to a community project; Britons fail to use 6.2m litres of the paint they buy each year.
29 Drink tap or filtered water, not bottled.
30 Invest in a washing line; tumble dryers devour electricity.
31 Buy chocolates from proper chocolate stores, so they are not individually wrapped.
32 Turn off TVs and stereos instead of switching them to standby.
33 Lighten up: paint your walls a pale colour, so you need less artificial light.
34 Only flush toilets if really needed; follow the Australian maxim: "If it's yellow that's mellow, if it's brown flush it down."
35 Improve the ambience and dine by candlelight, saving electricity.
36 Insulate your home. Cavity wall insulation can cut heat loss through the wall by up to 60%.
37 Buy from companies with eco-friendly policies; boycott those without.
38 Soak up the sun; even in Britain, solar panels can produce a surprising amount of energy.
39 Clean the back of your fridge. Dusty coils can increase energy consumption by 30%.
40 Avoid air travel; it produces three times more carbon dioxide per passenger than rail.
41 Pretend Christmas has come early; turkey is more likely than chicken to be produced in the UK, while British-grown brussel sprouts require less transport than Kenyan mangetout.
42 Grow plants to give to friends instead of cut flowers.
43 Choose a car with a 3-way catalytic converter, to reduce nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons emissions by 90%.
44 Ban blinds. Heavy curtains keep in more heat in winter.
45 Change materials as well as rooms; MDF and chipboard release formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Buy sustainably produced wood instead.
46 Cut up the plastic rings from packs of beer; they are invisible in water so wildlife can choke on them or trap themselves.
47 Bring a mug to the office instead of using polystyrene cups.
48 Snap up a 36-exposure film instead of 24, reducing waste from packaging and processing.
49 Cancel that expensive gym membership and walk to work instead.
50 Buy less. Save time and money as well as the planet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2002/aug/22/worldsummit2002.earth21
If every household in the United State replaced one regular lightbulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.
Don't like the color of light? Use these bulbs for closets, laundry rooms and other places where it won't irk you as much.
2. TURN OFF COMPUTERS AT NIGHT
By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. If you don't want to wait for your computer to start up, set it to turn on automatically a few minutes before you get to work, or boot up while you're pouring your morning cup 'o joe.
3. DON'T RINSE
Skip rinsing dishes before using your dishwasher and save up to 20 gallons of water each load. Plus, you're saving time and the energy used to heat the additional water.
4. DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE OVEN
Unless you are making bread or pastries of some sort, don't pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on when you put the dish in. Also, when checking on your food, look through the oven window instead of opening the door.
Unless you are making bread or pastries of some sort, don't pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on when you put the dish in. Also, when checking on your food, look through the oven window instead of opening the door.
5. RECYCLE GLASS
Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.
Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.
7. HANG DRY
Get a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by the air. Your wardrobe will maintain color and fit, and you'll save money.
Your favorite t-shirt will last longer too.9. WASH IN COLD OR WARM
If all the households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to warm-cold, we could save the energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.
Only launder when you have a full load.11. USE BOTH SIDES OF PAPER
American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, equal to 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). And when you're finished with your documents, don't forget to take them to the recycling bin.
Get a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by the air. Your wardrobe will maintain color and fit, and you'll save money.
Your favorite t-shirt will last longer too.9. WASH IN COLD OR WARM
If all the households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to warm-cold, we could save the energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.
Only launder when you have a full load.11. USE BOTH SIDES OF PAPER
American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, equal to 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). And when you're finished with your documents, don't forget to take them to the recycling bin.
14. RETHINK BOTTLED WATER
Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water.
Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water.
15. BAN BATHTIME!
Have a no-bath week, and take showers instead. Baths require almost twice as much water. Not only will you reduce water consumption, but the energy costs associated with heating the water.
Have a no-bath week, and take showers instead. Baths require almost twice as much water. Not only will you reduce water consumption, but the energy costs associated with heating the water.
16. BRUSH WITHOUT RUNNING
You've heard this one before, but maybe you still do it. You'll conserve up to five gallons per day if you stop. Daily savings in the U.S. alone could add up to 1.5 billion gallons--more water than folks use in the Big Apple.
You've heard this one before, but maybe you still do it. You'll conserve up to five gallons per day if you stop. Daily savings in the U.S. alone could add up to 1.5 billion gallons--more water than folks use in the Big Apple.
17. SHOWER WITH YOUR PARTNER
Sneak in a shower with your loved one to start the day with some zest that doesn't come in a bar. Not only have you made a wise choice for the environment, but you may notice some other added...um...benefits.
Sneak in a shower with your loved one to start the day with some zest that doesn't come in a bar. Not only have you made a wise choice for the environment, but you may notice some other added...um...benefits.
18. TAKE A SHORTER SHOWER
Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water. If everyone in the country saved just one gallon from their daily shower, over the course of the year it would equal twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn from the Great Lakes every day.
Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water. If everyone in the country saved just one gallon from their daily shower, over the course of the year it would equal twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn from the Great Lakes every day.
22. BUY LOCAL
Consider the amount of pollution created to get your food from the farm to your table. Whenever possible, buy from local farmers or farmers' markets, supporting your local economy and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas created when products are flown or trucked in.
Consider the amount of pollution created to get your food from the farm to your table. Whenever possible, buy from local farmers or farmers' markets, supporting your local economy and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas created when products are flown or trucked in.
23. ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT
Adjust your thermostat one degree higher in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter. Each degree celsius less will save about 10% on your energy use! In addition, invest in a programmable thermostat which allows you to regulate temperature based on the times you are at home or away.
Adjust your thermostat one degree higher in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter. Each degree celsius less will save about 10% on your energy use! In addition, invest in a programmable thermostat which allows you to regulate temperature based on the times you are at home or away.
26. TURN OFF LIGHTS
Always turn off incandescent bulbs when you leave a room. Fluorescent bulbs are more affected by the number of times it is switched on and off, so turn them off when you leave a room for 15 minutes or more. You'll save energy on the bulb itself, but also on cooling costs, as lights contribute heat to a room.
Always turn off incandescent bulbs when you leave a room. Fluorescent bulbs are more affected by the number of times it is switched on and off, so turn them off when you leave a room for 15 minutes or more. You'll save energy on the bulb itself, but also on cooling costs, as lights contribute heat to a room.
32. RECYCLE ALUMINUM AND GLASS
Twenty recycled aluminium cans can be made with the energy it takes to manufacture one brand new one.
Twenty recycled aluminium cans can be made with the energy it takes to manufacture one brand new one.
Every ton of glass recycled saves the equivalent of nine gallons of fuel oil needed to make glass from virgin materials.
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