You may think that going away means that
there is no need, or it will be impossible to continue being
environmentally friendly. This is not the case and there are many
things which you can do before you leave as well as while you are
away.
This article details a few ideas for you if
you are about to travel on your holidays but want to remain
environmentally aware.
Before you actually leave your home there are
a number of ways to conserve energy while you are away. The first
and most important way is to turn the thermostat down as well as
your hot water heater. Some heaters actually have a ‘vacation’
setting on them so that they can set the correct temperature when
no one is there. You should however bear in mind that if you have
house plants, you do not want to kill them by having a sudden
change in temperature. Also, make sure that you turn your outside
tap off. If there is a burst pipe while you are away, this will
ensure that damage is minimal. When you get back home after your
trip, turn the water on slowly so that you can see if there are any
leaks that might hav happened.
If you are going away for over a week, stop
your newspaper delivery and that will cut down on wastage – there
will be no one there to read the paper anyway! You could even see
if your paper (especially the daily papers) can be donated to a
school or non-profit organization.
If you own a waterbed, turn the temperature
down before you leave you house. The temperature can go as low as a
10 degree difference and will have a big impact on saving energy.
If your refrigerator can make its own ice cubes, make sure that you
urn this part off by lifting the wire; this will also reduce the
risk of flooding.
When you book your trip, you will find that
there are airlines that offer electronic ticketing (in fact this is
becoming more and more common). This service cuts back on the
amount of paper which is wasted from the production of tickets. If
you have a paper ticket, there is also the risk that you may lose
and thus have to pay a fee. Cut out this risk completely and go
electronic!
Before you leave your house, have a quick
reccie and unplug all of the items that you would normally be
plugged in but are not needed while you are away. These include the
TV, video, DVD player, computer, cable converter boxes, stereos,
and all beauty products such as hairdryers. If these are left
plugged in, they will still use electric – even as much as 40 watts
per hour. This will save you a lot of money on your bill and will
also help save conserve energy. This should be one of the
last things you do, but also one of the most important.
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