Even though we hope our actions can change other people's behaviour and the entire world for the better, we must also try to change the structures that continue to harm our common home. These structures involve government subsidies for the continued production and use of fossil fuels, a type and scale of agriculture that emits harmful amounts of methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere and land-use changes that results in deforestation, urbanisation, industrialisation and desertification. The poorest people of the world, who contributed the least to climate change and its destructive results end up paying most, with their lives, losing their livelihoods and by having to leave their homelands.
Insulate and draught-proof your home
Use CFL or LED light bulbs
Be sparing with water - don't waste it!
Turn off the TV, computer etc when not in use
Turn down the heating by 1°C
Compost your kitchen waste
Compost your garden waste
Use a water butt
Plant trees
Stop using a patio heater
Grow your own fruit and vegetables
Join a school run or car share to work
Cycle, walk or use public transport over using the car
Keep your tyres inflated and boot empty
Avoid disposables
Avoid heavy packaging
Buy local produce or as local as possible
Use secondhand: charity shops, textile banks, libraries
- Respect all as God's gift; the earth, all species, people, property.
- Reduce, reuse, repair & recycle.
- Ask "Do I really need this?" before buying it.
- Use recycled paper wherever possible eg kitchen & toilet rolls.
- Photocopy on both sides of a page.
- Reuse envelopes using reuse labels where possible.
- Donate used stamps to charities.
- Compost kitchen waste.
- Recycle glass, cans, plastics, cardboard, office paper, newspaper.
- Recycle paper to save the rainforests.
- Choose environmentally more friendly washing & cleaning products.
- Don't leave electrical appliances on standby.
- Switch off lights when they are no longer needed.
- Use only as much water in the kettle as you need.
- Take a shower instead of a bath.
- Use cooler washes, shorter cycles & fuller loads in washing machines.
- Avoid buying over-wrapped goods.
- Avoid plastic which is made from oils (oil is a limited resource).
- Shop locally and buy local produce.
- Buy organic fruit & vegetables.
- Buy 'Fair Trade' products.
- Grow your own vegetables organically or grow herbs in pots.
- Avoid the use of garden chemicals.
- Use alternatives to peat (Peat comes from peat bogs).
- Avoid buying tropical hardwoods like mahogany furniture or doors.
- When buying electrical appliances, choose the most energy efficient.
- Use mains electricity or rechargeable batteries.
- Recycle non-rechargeable batteries or dispose of them safely.
- Choose a fridge that is energy efficient with reduced CFC's.
- Walk, cycle or use public transport wherever possible.
- Use a fuel-efficient car with low CO2 emissions.
- Moderate car speeds cause less pollution than fast speeds.
- Dispose of polluting materials like oil carefully.
- Don't pour oil down the drain - Take it to a garage for recycling.
- Insulate your home to cut down on heat loss and reduce your costs.
- Consider installing renewable energy systems into your home.
- Donate old clothes, furniture, toys & books to charity shops.
- Plant native trees that attract more wildlife to your garden.
- Join a local naturalist field club or a bird watching group.
- Learn to identify the wildlife species around you.
- Learn how environmental issues are linked to poverty.
- Become active - walk daily & connect with nature around you.
Support the economy and the environment by buying locally-produced, Fair Trade and ethically produced products.
Buy Christmas cards from charities that use recycled paper.
Deck the halls with real holly and ivy rather than spending money on artificial decorations that won't bio-degrade.
Give charity-gifts or environmentally-friendly gifts or tokens for theatre, sporting events etc.
Give the gift of a young tree, shrub or flowering plant.
Purchase gifts from environmental organisations as a way of supporting the work of the organisations.
Choose products & gifts that don't have lots of packaging.
Give gifts of membership to organisations that support the environment like BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Wildlife Trust, Green Sod Ireland etc.
Purchase a real tree instead of an artificial Christmas tree which often uses up lots of energy and materials in the making.
After the festivities, recycle your tree, cards and wrapping paper.
Marshall, Natalia, Save the Planet 52 brilliant ideas for rescuing our world (Oxford, The Infinite Ideas Company Ltd, 2007)
- St. Francis