Green living
Here are some ideas to get you thinking about the way you leave your mark on the environment, when you’re in the comfort of your own home. Joan Gill reports
1. Apply yourself
Appliances are responsible for up to 18 percent of a typical energy bill, and to reduce your consumption, you should unplug them when not in use. Replace any appliances over 10 years old, ideally with energy efficient ones. You can also try things the old-fashioned way: air-dry your clothes and only run the dishwasher when you have a full load.
2. Cool off on the AC
Local green group, Friends of the Earth cites that air conditioning accounts for 60 percent of Hong Kong’s total electricity consumption during the summer months. Try cross ventilating your apartment, draw the curtains in the day to keep the room cooler, or set up ceiling fans — they use ten times less energy than air conditioners. If AC is a must, set it at 25.5°C or above.
3. Preserve every last drop
In her book, Going Green in Hong Kong, Catherine Touzard says that a Hong Kong resident uses on average 140,000 litres of water a year — that’s more than double what a British family uses in the same amount of time. To help cut down on waste, buy low-flow showerheads and tap aerators, and install a low-flow toilet to save up to two gallons of water per flush.
4. Clean greener
Crossover to cleaning solutions that contain ecofriendly ingredients such as grain alcohol, or naturally disinfecting plant oils like eucalyptus, rosemary or sage. Avoid toxins such as butyl cellosolve, petroleum and triclosan. You can even make your own cleaning products from inexpensive everyday food stuffs, like white vinegar, salt, baking soda and lemon.
5. Grow it yourself
The only thing better than buying local is growing it yourself, whether on your balcony, windowsill or garden. Home-grown foods not only taste better, you can make sure no pesticides are used on your plants, and use compost instead of fertiliser. Note too that native plants are adapted to the climate and consume less water than imported ones.
6. Choose sustainable flooring
Instead of laying down expensive hardwood flooring, try an environmentally friendly alternative like bamboo. While the hardwood trees cut down to make flooring take 50 to 100 years to grow and mature, bamboo replenishes itself in just four to six years. Bamboo is a goodlooking wood, available in raw or smooth grain, so it makes a style statement too.
7. Paint healthy
Most paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxins that harm the atmosphere and increase pollution. Worryingly, these solvents continue to be released into the air even after the paint has dried. Next time you’re re-painting a room, go for zero- or low-VOC paint, and both the environment and your lungs will thank you.
8. Commit to the three ‘R’s
It’s essential to reduce, reuse and recycle when greening your home. Don’t stop with paper and plastics, you can recycle (or donate to charity) pretty much anything: mobile phones and computers, clothing, books, CDs and toys. Talk to the head of your apartment complex or your neighbourhood legislator if there are no recycling bins where you live.
9. Buy local
Not only will buying Hong Kong produce help support local farmers and in turn help the economy, it will also benefit the environment. By buying local you cut down on the countless emissions released from the packaging involved in export/import, and on the fossil fuels required for transportation.
10. See with a new light
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CLFs) give off less carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide than normal bulbs, and last up to 10 times longer. Switching just five lamps to CLF bulbs could save you over HK$4,000 a year. Alternatively, halogen energy-saving bulbs use up to 30 percent less energy than ordinary bulbs and are made from eco-friendly materials. But here’s the clincher: they last anywhere from two to 5,000 hours.
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