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Living Sustainably
Hot tip:
Set the work air-conditioners at 25-27°C in the summer and 18-20°C in the winter, or better still avoid using them where you can – put on a jumper or open the windows instead. (Did you know having your aircon just 1°C hotter or cooler than needed can add 10% to your electricity costs?)
What does it mean to live sustainably?
Breaking it down, living sustainably means we have enough for everyone forever. Enough water, enough clean air, enough minerals, enough fertile soil…everything for all living things (not just humans) to continue to survive.
At the moment we are consuming more of the Earth’s resources than is our fair share. Did you know that if every person on the planet were to live the average Australian lifestyle, we’d actually need the resources of four Earths just to make that happen?
What we can do at home
Some ideas are:
- Turn electrical appliances off at the wall as many appliances use energy even when you are not using them. (Did you know over a whole year a microwave oven can use more energy to run the clock than it uses to cook food?)
- Take shorter showers as this reduces the amount of water you use and reduces the amount of energy needed to heat the water, bonus! (Did you know you can save half a kilogram of greenhouse gases for every minute you save?)
- Use the recycling bin so less of our waste ends up in landfills, or better, buy products with less packaging, e.g. avoid individually wrapped items.
- Set up a compost bin or worm farm to use your food scraps (this also helps you give your garden a natural boost).
- Click here to view an outline of sustainability related grants and other assistance available for households in Queensland.
- Click here to use the attached template to plan your own sustainability action plan.
Making schools sustainable
The Queensland-Murray Darling Committee (QMDC) is helping students to make their schools more sustainable through the Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative (QESSI).
QMDC helps to support schools on the Darling Downs and across South West Queensland to:
- carry out an environmental audit of their schools covering their energy consumption, water use, waste generation and the biodiversity of the school grounds,
- develop plans to make their schools more sustainable, and
- carry out school sustainability actions.
- Click here to find out more about QESSI.
This can be as simple as:
- arranging a car pool for those on a school bus run,
- setting up a hen house or worm farm to use food scraps from the cafeteria,
- using recycled paper in the school printers,
- turning off lights and air-conditioners in classrooms when they are not in use,
- holding litter-less lunch days, or
- planting a native garden to encourage birds and insects to live on the grounds.
Sustainability at work
Can you see a way to help the environment in your workplace? There are actually many sustainable activities that will also save your employer money.
Some ideas might be:
- Separating used paper for recycling, (many companies collect paper free of charge) and reusing paper that’s only been printed on one side (obviously just for drafts and in-house material).
- Turning off your computer monitor if you are away from your desk for more than 15 minutes or shutting down your computer and turning it off at the wall if you are away for a long time – screen savers look pretty but do not save energy.
- Setting the work air-conditioners at 25-27°C in the summer and 18-20°C in the winter, or better still avoid using them where you can – put on a jumper or open the windows instead. (Did you know having your aircon just 1°C hotter or cooler than needed can add 10% to your electricity costs?)
- Installing a timer on the office hot water urn to make sure it is not heating water on weekends or at night when it is not needed.
- Trying rubbish free or minimal waste catering for meetings and events. (Did you know Styrofoam takes more than 500 years to break down?)
Places to find out more
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Have a look at the new Australian Government website, Living Greener for information across all areas of sustainable living. www.livinggreener.gov.au/
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For tips on how to green your office check out the ABC’s Going Green at Work – a DIY guide www.abc.net.au/greenatwork/GreenYourWork/
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On May 10, 2011 the Australian Government announced that it will no longer be providing rebates for rainwater tanks or greywater systems under the
National Rainwater and Greywater Initiative. Rainwater tanks or greywater systems purchased after May 10, 2011 will not be eligible for an Australian Government rebate. Householders may still apply for a rebate for rainwater tanks or greywater systems that were purchased on or before May 10, 2011. However, all applications must be received by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities by November 10, 2011.
Applications will not be accepted after this time. Details are available from www.environment.gov.au/water/programs/nrgi/index.html or by calling 1800 808 571. -
Do you have a tip to share with the QMDC community?
Email us a regcomms@qmdc.org.au and let us know!
QMDC and our partners are implementing sustainable actions as part of the Low Carbon Diet Community Funding Program, a ClimateSmart initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency.
