Volunteer Community Group
Melville City Climate Action Network Inc
Ideas for personal action to reduce carbon footprint
Household - Electrify everything and/or switch to Synergy Natural Power, solar panels (preferably with battery storage), LED lightbulbs, induction cooktops, heat pump hot water systems, ceiling fans, reverse cycle air-conditioning, disconnect from gas, wash in cold water, laundry air dry.
Food - use a shopping list to avoid food waste, create your own new recipes with surplus food or leftovers, reduce meat consumption for better health of planet and person, shop at local farmer’s markets.
Garden – replace verge and garden with native plants, use a wicking bed to grow plants or vegetables, consider a water tank, request a verge tree from Council.
Waste – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, Recover: Buy from bulk food/zero waste stores. Use reusable coffee cups or take-away containers. Join your local BuyNothing group. Shop at Op Shops. Recycle correctly, visit Recycle Right. Use the FOGO bin and recover organic waste.
Terracycle - Community Collection Hubs for toothbrushes and razor blades etc.
Officeworks - to recycle pens and markers, mobile phones and accessories, data storage (CD, DVD, USB keys), batteries, ink and toner cartridges, computers and accessories.
Containers for Change for eligible drink containers.
Transport – walk, ride a bike, catch public transport, buy an electric bike, scooter or electric car, lift share, turn off your car engine whilst parked (particularly at schools), offset air travel buying carbon credits.
Work - switch off artificial light and use natural light, choose energy efficient light bulbs, choose laptops over desktops, use hibernation features on all computers, use energy-saving features on all devices, buy energy efficient devices, do an energy audit, switch off equipment when not in use, print only when necessary, control your heating and cooling, segregate waste for recycling (paper and cardboard, printer cartridges, mobiles, batteries, etc.
Finance
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Switch to fossil fuel free superannuation. Click here to check your super fund.
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Buy shares in ethical companies.
Holidays
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Have local holidays
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Do Good holidays
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Volunteer to plant trees
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Offset air travel by buying carbon credits (e.g. through Carbon Positive Australia.
Personal
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Reduce clothes consumption,
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Repair and/or re-gift unwanted clothes,
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Make your own personal hygiene and/or household cleaning products.
Join a community group and volunteer
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Melville City Climate Action Network Inc please contact us.
Lobby
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Contact your local councillor, your state or federal MP about the urgency of reducing emissions.
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Join a group like Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
Useful Links to inspire change
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Click here for No Fossil Fuel Superannuation
Bulk food stores
Farmers markets
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Manning (Saturdays 7:15-12:15) Hedley Place, Bentley
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Fremantle (Sundays 8-12) Bruce Lee Oval Beaconsfield.
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Palmyra (Sunday 7.30 - 11.30) Palmyra Primary School, McKimmie Rd, Palmyra
HOW TO LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLY AT ZERO COST.
Not everyone has the means to create a more sustainable home, however this does not mean it is impossible to live more sustainably, here are some initiatives (in no specific order). With a little time and effort, you could try one or more of the following ideas to get you started.
1. Reduce your waste. Each year we throw away $billions worth of food and the average Australian disposes of some 50 items of clothing to landfill. Buy clothes made from natural materials, buy less, try repairing them and wearing them out.
2. Reduce your plastic use. All plastics (including Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene, Polystyrene etc.) are made from chemicals that are a byproduct of fossil fuels. Re-cycling is necessary, but the real answer, is to stop making plastic! Try to use alternative forms of packaging, like paper, glass, metal or compostable materials.
3. Eat less meat. Farming uses vast amounts of land, water and chemical fertilizers. Particularly those used to produce the grain to feed cattle and produce red meat. Farming produces more than 15% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Choose chicken and pork. It is always better to eat meat from animals responsibly grown and not raised using intensive farming methods. Try replacing one or more meals a week with a vegetable only option.
4. Being water-wise. Water is not a finite resource and will only become scarcer. Much of our fresh water is desalinated, which consumes large amounts of energy. It is easy to take less time in the shower, be water wise in the garden, reduce the run times on the reticulation, wash only full loads and at lower temperatures, the same applies for your dishwasher.
5. Your money. What is your super invested in? You could change to a fund that does not invest in fossil fuels, tobacco, weapons, slavery etc. What is your bank doing with your money? Choose a bank that invests your money to do good and not support fossil fuel companies?
If you don’t know, you could write to them and ask what their policy is on who they loan money too and where they invest.
6. Travel. In Australia we love to travel, so this is probably the largest contributor to our carbon footprint. Choosing to walk, cycle or use public transport are good options and if you drive, then next time you change your car (especially the one you use for commuting) plan to make it an electric vehicle.
