Easy & Tasty
Eco-nutrition Challenge!
Save energy, which in turn can
save on your utility bills!
Make a ‘power checklist’ like the one below and see how many you can tick off by the end of the day.
- Turn your appliances off at the plug rather than leaving them on stand-by.
- While cooking, keep the lids on your pots and pans to save energy.
- Use one-third less water when cooking to reduce wastage.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
- Change your standard light bulbs to energy-saving ones.
Why?
And then there wasn’t light
The planet seriously needs to monitor and reinvest in its energy usage. Wasting energy is equally as bad for the environment as wasting food and across Europe we are guilty of leaving on lights unnecessarily and keeping televisions on stand-by all night, among other energy crimes – hardly good news for a world struggling to make the best use of its ever-scarcer fossil fuel resources.
Good intentions
The world’s natural fossil fuel supplies of oil, coal and gas are depleting rapidly and it’s up to us as consumers to not only watch our own usage of such precious natural resources, but also to ensure we buy products from companies that have thought carefully about their impact on the environment.
Renewable energy
Many food manufacturers are making the switch to renewable energy forms such as solar heating, wind power, combined heat and power, ground and air source heating, hydroelectric power, rainwater harvesting, wave and tidal power and waste water recycling, to reduce their carbon footprints and ensure a sustainable future for the planet. While installing solar heating panels in your own home may not be an option, simple acts such as only putting the dishwasher or washing machine on when full will make a difference not only to your energy usage, but also to your energy bills.
Flush it out
The increasing recognition of water as a precious resource has focused our minds on reducing both the amount of water we use and the amount that we waste. People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint, according to www.waterfootprint.org, is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.
Healthy you, Healthy Planet Facts
- Households account for 28.8 % of electricity used in Europe, with space-heating being still by far the largest household energy end-use in the EU (70 %).
- Every household in the EU creates around five tonnes of CO2 every year (European Environment Agency) – enough to fill a hot air balloon
- The production of 1kg of beef requires 15,500 litres of water (www.waterfootprint.org).
- To produce one cup of coffee, we need 140 litres of water (www.waterfootprint.org).
- Typically, about a third of household water is used for flushing the WC (www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk).
Healthy you, Healthy Planet Tips
- Leave the car on the driveway and either walk, cycle or catch the train to work
- Use the eco-friendly cycle on your washing machine – wash at 30°C instead of 60°C.
- Don’t put the dishwasher on until it’s actually full. If you don’t tend to fill it up, is it worth using it?
- Turn off your heating – it’s only September! Put on a jumper instead.
- Use the shower sparingly. Two minutes is recommended and you could invest in a shower timer. Alternatively, just make sure you don’t stand there longer than you really need to.
- Investigate whether your house is suitable for energy monitoring or voltage optimisation or if it can support solar panel technology.