Top Tips for Low Impact Living

May 4, 2023
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Our lifestyles have a profound impact on our planet. Our choices matter.

From the way we travel, to the energy we use, the food we eat, the things we buy, and having our voice heard, everyone can help limit climate change. We can make a difference.

There are many ways that you can take action on climate change and live a more sustainable life.  Whatever action you choose to take, we’re here to help.

1. Walk, cycle or use public transport

Our roads are clogged with vehicles, most of them burning petrol or diesel. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving will reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and help your health and fitness. For longer distances, consider taking a train or bus. If you find yourself driving solo most of the time, try carpooling. Living car-free can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year compared to a lifestyle using a car1.

Other tips for low impact travel
  • Consider your plane travel – Airplanes burn large amounts of fossil fuels, producing significant greenhouse gas emissions. That makes taking fewer flights one of the fastest ways to reduce your environmental impact. When you can, meet virtually, take a train, or skip that long-distance trip altogether. Taking one less long-haul return flight can reduce your carbon footprint by up to almost 2 tons of CO2e1.
  • Switch to an electric vehicle – If you plan to buy a car, consider going electric. There are more and cheaper models coming on the market. Electric cars help reduce air pollution and cause significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than petrol or diesel-powered vehicles. Switching from a petrol or diesel-powered car to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year1. A hybrid vehicle can save you up to 700 kilograms of CO2e per year1.

2. Save energy at home

Much of our energy is produced by polluting fossil fuels – coal and gas. Use less energy by lowering your heating and cooling, switching to LED light bulbs and energy-efficient electric appliances, washing your laundry with cold water, or hanging things to dry instead of using a dryer. Improving your home’s energy efficiency, through better insulation for instance, or replacing your gas appliances with efficient electric ones can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 900 kilograms of CO2e per year1.

Other tips for a low impact home

  • Change your home’s source of energy – Ask your energy retailer if your home energy comes from coal or gas. See if you can switch to GreenPower sourced from renewables such as wind or solar -or alternatively, install solar panels on your roof to generate your own energy. Switching your home from coal and gas-powered energy to renewable sources of energy, such as wind or solar, can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of CO2e per year1.
  • Get off gas – Many Victorian homes use gas for winter heating, hot water and cooking. Gas is a dirty polluting fossil fuel we now know is dangerous for our health, and the health of our planet2. Shifting to all electric appliances can save you around $1,250 a year and have a positive impact on your health and the environment3.
  • Sustainable Housing: Build, Buy, Renovate – Making your home more sustainable can reduce running costs, increase your comfort, and reduce environmental impact. Many factors contribute to making a Sustainable Home such as materials, orientation, thermal mass, insulation, and ventilation, energy efficiency, size and placement of rooms.
    • Our Sustainable House Day resources and seminar recordings can help if you are looking for practical knowledge and insights into building, buying, renovating or retrofitting a sustainable home.

3. Eat more vegetables

Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and less meat and dairy, can significantly lower your environmental impact. Producing plant-based foods generally results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less energy, land, and water. Switching from a mixed to a vegetarian diet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 500 kilograms of CO2e per year (or up to 900 kilograms for a vegan diet)1.

Other tips for low impact eating

  • Throw away less food – When you throw food away, you’re also wasting the resources and energy that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport it. And when food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So use what you buy and compost any leftovers. Cutting your food waste can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 300 kilograms of CO2e per year1.

4. Make your money count

Everything we spend money on affects the planet. You have the power to choose which goods and services you support. To reduce your environmental impact, choose products from companies who use resources responsibly and are committed to cutting their gas emissions and waste. If you have money that is being invested for you, through superannuation for instance, it may be supporting fossil fuels or deforestation. Making sure your savings are invested in environmentally sustainable businesses can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.

5. Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle

Electronics, clothes, and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market. To protect our climate, refuse products that harm the environment, buy fewer things, shop second-hand, repurpose and repair what you can, and recycle. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO2e1. Buying fewer new clothes – and other consumer goods – can reduce your carbon footprint and also cut down on waste.

6. Speak up for climate action

Speak up and get others to join in taking action. It’s one of the quickest and most effective ways to make a difference. Talk to your neighbours, colleagues, friends, and family. Let business owners know you support bold changes. Appeal to local and world leaders to act now. Climate action is a task for all of us. And it concerns all of us. No one can do it all alone – but we can do it together. 

  • Ways you can speak up for climate action

We can be part of the solution and influence change. ACT NOW. It all starts with taking one action. You don’t need to do it all at once, just make a start. One action will lead to another and before you realise it you are on track to become a climate action superhero! 

No matter where you begin or what stage you are at, we are here to help – Join Us in taking action, Get Involved in our initiatives, attend our Events or make use of our many resources and Services.

References:

Page created using content from the 2023 United Nations ActNow campaign – Ten Actions.

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