Wollondilly Shire Council

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• Buy renewable electricity

  Every time you use electricity in your home greenhouse gases are belched out on your behalf. So buy the clean stuff!
  
  By purchasing 100 per cent Federal Government accredited GreenPower renewable electricity you are instantly switching your electricity dollar from a traditional coal-burning power plant to one of a combination of renewable sources of electricity generation (e.g. wind, hydro, biomass and solar) and stopping approximately 10 tonnes of CO2 / year (for an average home) from being rel…

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• Cultivate water saving habits

  Water saving habits are those easy-to-learn daily behaviours that can save us thousands of litres (and dollars) during the course of our lives.
  
  Thousands of litres of pure fresh water are wasted every day by bad habits we have all developed. While the water we use at home may seem trivial (only 7 per cent of all water used in Australia) its conservation is a step toward increasing our knowledge and respect for this precious, life-giving resource - a resource all the living systems around us als…

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• DIY environmental checklist

  Time to grab the clipboard and run the environmental ruler over your home. Identify the low hanging fruit and big bang actions that will quickly and easily reduce your homes impact on the environment.
  
  The journey to reduce your home's energy and water use is one of many small steps. Tips and actions from changing leaking taps to installing ceiling insulation can be easily done by anyone. More sophisticated actions like installing solar hot water will require a tradesperson. However, the ke…

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• Install efficient appliances and fixtures

  When investing in large household appliances and fixtures, use the government's Energy and Water Ratings (stars) to guide you to the most efficient products to save money.
  
  The cost of energy and water is rising and the effect is increasing. Large household appliances (including fridges, clothes dryers and dishwashing machines) and toilets, taps and showers consume the bulk of our household energy and water.
  
  The Federal Government's Water Rating site notes that replacing a single-flus…

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• Install solar hot water

   Sunlight converts cold water into hot water. No gases are emitted and no one gets hurt. Life is rarely this simple!
  
  The cost of energy is rising and the effect of pollution increasing. Water heating accounts for approximately 30 per cent of an average household's total greenhouse gas emissions and about the same proportion of total household energy use. Visit Climate Change for more information.
  
  Solar hot water systems are highly efficient in their use of solar energy (sunlight) to heat…

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• Reduce your stormwater pollution

  By managing your domestic stormwater, you can reduce polluting the waterways we love to swim in, fish and simply enjoy.
  
  The catchment area of our local rivers and waterways includes our houses, gardens, driveways and lawns. The stormwater system uses the gutters, drains, pipes and rivers to quickly remove water from residential and business areas so as to avoid flooding and the resultant damage this incurs.
  
  When the stormwater system is in use (i.e. during a storm), any litter, debris and othe…

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• Reuse your greywater

  Reusing greywater to water lawns and gardens could save up to 50,000 litres of drinking water per home each year.
  
  Greywater is recycled water from domestic use in the home. It includes water from baths, showers, hand basins and washing machines and can be used on the garden or treated and reused in your washing machine, toilet or garden. Greywater from the kitchen (including dishwashers) should not be used because the concentration of food wastes and soil organisms do not readily break down che…

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• Avoid Genetically Modified (GM) Food

  Avoid eating Genetically Modified (GM) Food and demand more thorough testing and mandatory labelling of genetic crops and foods.
  
  Scientists are altering and augmenting the genetic make up of our food crops to increase crop yields by making the plants pest resistant, herbicide tolerant, disease resistant, cold, drought, salinity tolerant, etc and to improve the nutrition of the crop and/or to provide pharmaceutical properties via the crop to the end consumer. These crops are producing what is no…

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• Avoid Eating Endangered Fish

  Avoid eating over-fished and threatened fish species.
  
  Increasing our awareness of which fish are being harvested to the brink of extinction, can help us modify our fish eating and buying habits and cease plundering an invisible ecosystem that is in a state of stress and serious decline. Becoming aware of the impact of caged fisheries on our estuaries, bays, oceans, pond systems and wetlands will help us make informed choices next time we are at the fishmongers.
  
  How to do it now!
  Eat sustainabl…

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• Purchase Recycled Products

  From toilet paper to chairs, jackets to dog leads, there are many recycled products that are excellent quality, so consider buying recycled when you buy.
  
  While putting out the recycling rubbish gives us a modest glow of goodness, the often neglected part of the recycling loop is the purchase of products made of recycled material. By actively supporting the reuse of recycled plastics, paper and other materials through purchasing these products we are truly recycling. This way we encourage the gr…

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• Buy Fair-trade Food and Products

  To stop the degradation of the global environment we have to deal with the failings of global trade, namely its tendency to increase poverty and its exploitation of the weak. Buying products labelled 'Fairtrade' is a good start.
  
  The Fairtrade collection of organisations has developed a Fairtrade Certification Mark. When you find a product that bears this mark, you know that it has been procured through a process that has helped deliver better trading conditions to marginalised produce…

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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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