Wollondilly Shire Council

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• Use Non-toxic Cleaners

  Common cleaning products, disinfectants and air fresheners are creating a toxic environment at home. Try natural alternatives for a healthier home and family.
  
  Toxic chemicals in the home impact our health, causing ailments that range from respiratory ailments to cancer. A US EPA study on indoor air quality found that the use of common cleaning products result in levels of several Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are on average two to five times higher indoors than outdoors. During (and fo…

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• Buy Secondhand Goods

  By purchasing second-hand goods from an opportunity shop, you are supporting a charity, getting a bargain and reducing the resources required to satisfy your consumption needs.
  
  From eBay to the trading post, garage sales to the local op shop, there are a host of ways to grab a second-hand bargain. The common adage that a new car loses 20 per cent of its value when you drive it off the lot applies even more so to most other goods. By getting into second-hand gear you'll save thousands of do…

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• Environmentally Friendly Mindset

  Become aware of the environmental implications of your consumption and purchase those goods that have the least impact on our future.
  
  Understanding the resources embedded in the products we buy and using this knowledge to guide our purchasing decisions is difficult. Advertising is a powerful influence on our purchasing decisions and there is often little information available about the energy, water and other environmental inputs required to produce the things we buy. If we are able to overcome…

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• Avoid Excessive Packaging

  Give priority to purchasing unpackaged products and save the earth's precious resources.
  
  The average Australian consumes 90 kilograms of resources in packaging each year. This is almost double the amount of many European nations. Along with this consumption comes the generation of huge amounts of waste - so it's not surprising that Australia is one of the worst waste generators in the developed world. Reducing the amount of packaging we purchase can help to significantly reduce our us…

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• Services

  The majority of the services we receive from our governments, health care providers, banks, etc. are configured for financial efficiency (saving money or making it). As such, the inclusion of sustainability obligations or awareness of the ecological footprint of the services they provide is a rare feature for Australia's service providers. How do we shift this?
  
  Service Actions
  
  Choose green service providers
  Wading through the ‘green wash’ to find service providers whose pro-environmental…

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• Choose Green Service Providers

  Wading through the ‘green wash’ to find service providers whose pro-environmental behaviour goes deeper than their marketing department can be a challenge.
  
  As services consume a greater portion of our dollars we want to identify and engage businesses that are making efforts to operate sustainably.
  
  How to do it now!
  The following criteria can be useful in informing your decisions, as to the merit or otherwise of a business with regard to their sustainability performance.
  
  They are an efficient…

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• Invest Ethically

  Your investments may fund activities that are not sustainable and may be contrary to your ethics. Money talks, what is yours saying?
  
  Investing ethically considers your investment's impact on society and the environment as well as its profitability. A study by AMP (June 2006) found that the median ethical investment manager has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index over one, two, three and five years to 31 March 2006 (Ethical Investment Association Australasia). So, you can now make money…

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• Promote Sustainable Living

  Help spread the word about actions we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment.
  
  It is easy to feel that you're the only one trying to live sustainably, but as you talk to more people, you’ll find that many of us are on the same path. We are all teachers and we are all learners, so share what you know with others and you might just be rewarded by discovering something new yourself!
  
  The more we promote sustainable living, the easier it will be to build sustainable communities.…

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• Join a Bushcare / Landcare Group

  Community groups are helping to rehabilitate weed choked native vegetation, enabling it to regenerate and thus, restoring native biodiversity. Find your local group and lend a hand.
  
  Years of neglect have stripped our urban creeks, parks and roadways of vibrant indigenous vegetation. It's time for us to remedy this erosion of our natural heritage. We can bring a diverse range of birds and creatures into our daily lives and would be creating a sustainable living space in step with Australian…

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• Eco Aid and Travel

  Travel and work with local communities to protect endangered species, enhance the local environment and support the social and economic wellbeing of the communities we visit.
  
  Often we pass through a country without ever sitting down with a local, understanding their life and lending a hand. Spending time to assist the local people in the developing world, to survive, rebuild or protect their natural wilderness is a precious gift and can be an unforgettable experience.
  
  How to do it now!
  Volunte…

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• Immerse Yourself in Nature

  Go hiking, bird watch, swim in the sea or simply enjoy nature and your connection to it. It's good for the body and great for the soul.
  
  We are blessed with a fantastic natural environment, with so many beautiful places for us to explore right on our doorstep. So organise a family picnic at a local park, pop down to the beach for a day or walk along a river or through a forest. Take a deep breath and be thankful for nature's wonders.
  
  How to do it now!
  There are over 3000 national and…

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• Waste

  The existence of waste is an indicator of inefficiency in the human economy. We extract from nature to create billions of tonnes of things which we use once, then bury or pump them out to sea & pay money for each of these stages! As individuals we can learn to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle, with the journey ending with zero waste... nature's finest.
  
  Recycle Technical Waste
  Replicating nature's nutrient cycle by creating closed loops for the recycling and reuse of those man-made…

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• Cultivate Waste Reduction Habits

  The average Australian household wastes more than $1,000 every year purchasing items they never use. So use what you buy, buy less and save.
  
  A 2005 paper by The Australia Institute (Wasteful Consumption in Australia) found that Australians waste over 10.5 billion dollars annually on goods and services that are "never or hardly ever used". The majority of this is food purchased and thrown out (over 5 billion dollars per annum). A follow-up study on food wastage in 2009 showed no change…

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• Cull Your 'Stuff'

  By passing your second-hand or unused goods on to someone who will use them, you are both reducing the environmental resources required to satisfy our consumption as well as helping others.
  
  These days, giving away or selling your unused stuff couldn't be easier. From online sites through to garage sales and local charity clothing bins, there are loads of ways to give your unwanted stuff a new life.
  
  From an environmental perspective, recycling your second-hand goods extends the life of the…

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• Recycle Organic Waste

  Nutrient recycling is the foundation of life. Today's organic waste is tomorrow's lunch, so look after those worms and compost piles.
  
  Much of the journey toward sustainability involves us learning how to replenish nature as effectively as we have plundered her. Hence, establishing and maintaining the "food waste to compost to soil to food to food waste" cycle is both an efficient practice and a glimpse of the cycles we must learn to respect all around us.
  
  How to do it now!…

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