Eco Tips
As you know, Aberdeen College is committed to sustainability and aims to be environmentally friendly in its operations. However there are also loads of things that we can all do at home to improve our green credentials and save money at the same time. Below are a few that we have come up with, but we would like to hear from you with your eco-suggestions and tips - e-mail them to environment@abcol.ac.uk and we will publish them so that we can all benefit and help the environment. We aim to publish a new set of tips on a regular basis, so keep checking this space for ongoing inspiration.
Some Interesting Facts
Did you know that...
- Recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for 3 hours
- Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in dustbins could be recycled
- Each tonne of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 KW of energy and 7000 gallons of water
- On average every person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every 7 weeks
- Incinerating 10,000 tonnes of waste creates one job, land-filling the same amount of waste creates 6 jobs, but recycling this much waste creates 36 jobs
Tips to help you reduce, recycle and reuse
- Keep your recycling bin or bags next to your dustbin - that way it is just as easy to recycle as it is to throw it away
- Switch off your mobile phone charger when it is finished charging. If you don't it will keep drawing almost as much energy as when charging and you will generate 35-70 kg of avoidable CO2 each year (as well as costing you). In fact 95% of the energy used by mobile phone chargers in the UK is wasted energy.
Have you ever considered reusing coffee grounds - there are loads of potential uses for this waste product, such as:
- Mixing them with olive oil and applying to skin to reduce cellulite
- Rubbing into wet hair to soften and add shine
- Fertilising plants
- Repelling slugs and snails
- Keeping cats off your garden
- Deodorising a freezer
- Rubbing into pets' coats to repel fleas
- Growing mushrooms
Fridges & Freezers
Use old newspaper to fill gaps in the freezer when you are not storing much food - this improves efficiency
Did you know that door seals on fridges and freezers should be able to grip a piece of paper tightly
Water
Turn off taps if you do not need them, for example when cleaning your teeth
Keep cool water in the fridge so that you won't have to run a tap continually to get cold water
Shopping
Plan your shopping in advance so that you throw away less surplus food
Remember to take your own reusable bag with you when you go to the supermarket
Cooking
Only heat the amount of water you need
Ensure that you use well-fitting lids on pans
Stop wasting energy in the kitchen
Always use the right sized pan for the job
Cutting food into smaller pieces often speeds up the cooking time
Make sure the glass on your oven door is clean so that you can see what is going on - every time you open the door you lose heat
Stop wasting energy in the bedroom
Draw curtains at dusk to keep the heat in for when you go to bed
Wear socks to bed in cold weather to keep toasty
Use a hot water bottle to warn up your bed rather than an electric blanket
Stop wasting energy in your living room
Don't leave electrical appliances on standby
Clear a space around your plug sockets to make it easy to turn items off at the mains
If you are using your television to access digital radio, it's more energy efficient to opt for a blank screen
Stop wasting energy in the hallway
Fit draught excluders around the front door and over the letter box and key holes
Putting a curtain over the front door helps keep the draughts out
In the Garden
If possible grow your own food and plant native flowers and trees in your garden
Buy locally grown and produced food