Personal Calculator

Thank you if you have taken the time to calculate your Ecological Footprint and have considered ways to reduce your impact.

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Food	Travel	At Home	Stuff

 

Collectively, We can achieve more

Ecological Footprint shows us we need to reduce our consumption of resources. 

We have seen that the level of greenhouse gas we produce is a big part of our Footprint.

We need to revaluate how we design our communities, the way we get around, and power our homes.  We need to live smarter and consume less water and electricity through choosing goods and services that have a low impact

You can visit the Australian Conservation Foundation’s ‘Who Cares About Climate Change’ campaign online, to send a letter urging action on climate change to your local Member of Parliament.

What we can do in the long term

We can make a difference right now while we are at home, in the garden, at work, travelling, and even on holiday.

In the longer term we can take energy use and waste production into consideration when making big decisions such as purchasing vehicles, major appliances and living spaces.

There are many opportunities to save not only reduce our impact on the natural world but to save money as well. For example, switching to solar heating has been shown to be a cost effective way of supplying your hot water as well as reducing a major household source of greenhouse gases.

Further Information

Food

First steps – what you can do right now

Don’t waste food. Buy only what you will eat
The production of food uses water and energy and the food we don’t eat creates waste. In Australia $5.3 billion of food was thrown away in 2004 .

Buy food that is in season
If the fruit and vegetables that you want are not available choose those that are in season. If you eat fruit and vegetables that our out of season remember that it must have travelled vast distances from a place where it is.

Big opportunities – what you can do right now

Buy less processed food
Generally processed food uses more energy and water to produce. Buy fresh fruit and vegetables rather than canned or frozen.

Rethink your diet
Eating is a basic human need. Different food products require different amounts of resources to be produced. To learn more about how the different foods you eat impact on your footprint, visit: http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/score.html 

Travel

First steps – what you can do right now

Take public transport to get to work
In Sydney, commuting to work accounted for a quarter of travel in 2005 . Using public transport is a good option for most, with urban areas in Australia serviced by public rail, buses or ferries running routinely to the central business district.

Walk or cycle rather than driving
While cycling and the use of motor scooters and motorbikes is on the rise, the most popular way to get to work remains by car. Walking or cycling particularly for short trips can be a healthy and inexpensive alternative to driving. There are bicycle user groups in major cities, which provide useful information on cycling.

Big opportunities – what you can do right now

Reduce Air travel
Air travel is a large and rapidly growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. For business meetings, consider videoconferences in place of travel. For vacations, discover destinations closer to home. If you must fly, consider offsetting your emissions. You can do it online, in a matter of minutes with Climate friendly at http://climatefriendly.com/

Drive efficiently
If you must drive, consider carpooling which will reduce the number of cars on the road. Also make sure your car is good working order and tyres are properly inflated. By changing the way you use your car you can save money on fuel and maintenance, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At home

First steps – what you can do right now

Switch off unused lights.
Did you know that an average Australian home spends about $100 on lighting per year which emits about three quarters of a tonne of greenhouse gases? (AGO)

Switch off appliances on standby.
Appliances on standby can easily use up to 10% of your electricity when they are doing little or even nothing.

Most appliances use about 5 watts on standby.  If you switch off just one appliance at the wall you could save 45 kilograms of greenhouse gas being released into the atmosphere a year (AGO)

Big opportunities – what you can do right now

Reduce your heating and cooling energy use.

• Keep windows shaded
  
  
• Use awnings or blinds.
• Wash your clothes in cold water
  
  
• Electric hot water systems can produce up to 4 tonnes of greenhouse gases and account for half of your electric bill.(ACF).
  
  
• Washing your cloths in cold water can use up to 15 times less energy than a hot wash (SA-Gov)
• Take shorter showers. 
  
  
  • Showers are the biggest users of hot water in the home.  If you shortened the average shower by 1 minute you could save half a kilogram of greenhouse gas per shower. (AGO)
• Draught-proof your home. 
  
  
  • By sealing gaps and cracks you can save up to 15% of your heating and cooling energy bill (SA-gov)
• Set your thermostat 1 degree warmer in summer and 1 degree cooler in winter.
   
  
  • Heating and air conditioning are big contributors to energy use. You can save up to 10% on your bill by simply making minor adjustments to your thermostat. (AGO)

Switch to GreenPower
Switching to accredited green power schemes will allow you to significantly reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable energy to produce the electricity you use. If you switch to 100% accredited GreenPower you could cut your carbon footprint by about 70% . Purchasing GreenPower is good for the environment and helps support Australia’s fledgling renewable energy sector.Look out for this logo to assure you chose accredited GreenPower.

A ranking of electricity providers by Green Electricity Watch provides a simple guide to all the Green Power products available and which ones make a real difference in reducing global warming. Go to www.wwf.org.au/greenelectricitywatch for more information.

Stuff

First steps – what you can do right now

Avoid excess packaging

Refuse to purchase products using excessive packaging and materials.

Packaging accounts for 170kg of landfill a year and wastes valuable resources. (ACF) For example, buying bottled water instead of drinking tap water increases packaging waste and the transportation of water increases the level of greenhouse gas emissions.

Use your own shopping bags

Put your shopping in re-useable rather than plastic bags.

Big opportunities – what you can do right now

Avoid buying things you don’t need

Ask yourself whether you need this – do you have enough?  Will you use it?  Can you borrow it?  Is there a more environmentally friendly alternative?

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Recycle all material possible.  Check with your local council or state environmental authority to find what and where you can recycle paper, glass plastics and other waste. Recycling paper and containers reduces waste to landfill by up to 27%. (ACF)