Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.

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When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25° to 30° every time you open the door.

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Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.

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Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 50°.

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If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.

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Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.

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ON THE ROAD

Make maximum use of mass public transport

avoid travel by car.

Benefits - Reduces the emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates from road vehicles.

Maintain your car engine

keep your car engine properly tuned.

Benefits - Saves fuel, money and air pollution.

Switch off idling engines

switch off engine while waiting.

Benefits - Saves fuel, money and air pollution.

AT HOME

Switch off domestic appliances

turn off fans, air-conditioners, lights, etc. when not required. Set air-conditioned room temperature at 25.5oC.

Benefits - Saves energy, money and air pollution from power stations (reduces the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates).

Use energy efficient domestic appliances

use energy saving light bulbs, air-conditioners, refrigerators, etc. with energy efficiency labels.

Benefits - Saves energy, money and air pollution from power stations (reduces the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates).

Use non-aerosol consumer products

hair sprays, furniture polish, deodorants and pesticides often use hydrocarbons as their propellants. Non-aerosol consumer products, which contain no hydrocarbons, are usually manufactured in pump, solid or roll-on forms.

Benefits - Reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds which helps reduce the formation of ozone.

INDUSTRY

Use clean technology

compare and choose production technologies which use minimum electricity, fuel and solvents.

Benefits - Reduces the emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulates and volatile organic compounds.

Use water-based paints

use water-based paints in printing or lithographic processes, etc.

Benefits - Reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds which helps reduce the formation of ozone.

Use low solvent degreasers

use low solvent degreasers in the cleaning of oils, grease, or wax from metal during metal finishing process.

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Why do we need to save energy?

There are three main reasons why we should all do our best to reduce the amount of energy we consume in our day-to-day lives:

1. Nearly all of Hong Kong's electrical power, and our gas supplies, come from fossil fuels - coal and oil - which have to be imported. Once they've been burnt, these fossil fuels are gone forever. So the more energy we use each day, the less there is left for the future.

2. Burning fossil fuels creates pollution, and this in its turn is having a growing and adverse effect on the complex control mechanisms which regulate the earth's climate.

3. Consuming less energy, by being more efficient in the way you run your home, will naturally save you money. At the same time, you will be helping to protect the environment and safeguarding the future.

There is a worldwide need to reduce the amount of energy consumed, and everybody has their part to play, whether in industry, transport, business, construction - or at home.

These notes have been prepared to show you how to save energy in every aspect of running your own household. They include tips on what kind of items to look for when buying new equipment - and how to operate your electrical, gas and water appliances for maximum efficiency.

We are not suggesting that you reduce your standard of living in any way: simply that, with a little bit of thought, you can enjoy all the amenities and lifestyle that you do now, yet also be making your own, positive contribution towards the environment.

How to save energy in your home

There are three main types of energy which are consumed in the homes of Hong Kong:

~Electricity
~Towngas and LPG
~Energy related to the consumption of water

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Reduce

 Bring your own bags for shopping gifts to reduce the use of plastic bags
 Do not use excessive gift wrapping or use no wrapping at all
 Do not use excessive ornaments for decoration
 Switch on decoration lights only when there are people in the house
 Send electronic greeting cards instead of paper ones
 Use washable cutlery, cups, or other food utensils for party; and avoid using disposable ones

Re use

 Save reusable decoration e.g. plastic Christmas trees, ornaments, etc. for next year
 Donate unwanted gifts to needy

Recycle

 Source separate all recyclable items e.g. aluminium cans, plastic bottles, paper (e.g. greeting cards)
 Send recyclable items to local recyclers

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A. What are the objectives of a Waste Paper Recycling Programme in offices?

· The objectives are:
- to contribute towards an environmental cause by saving landfill space, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution; and

- to cultivate an environmental awareness among office workers who consume large amounts of paper daily.

B. What specific targets do we want to achieve?

· The targets are:
- to separate all recyclable paper waste from other wastes at source; and

- to supply the paper waste to waste dealers or paper mills for recycling.

C. What is the optimum scale of the programme?

· This is flexible. A programme can be organised on the basis of individual organisations or the building as a whole. The involvement of a greater number of organisations/buildings will, of course, make the programme more viable. Co-operate with neighbouring offices/organisations in these recycling programmes. Ideally the same cleaning contractor should be used by all offices participating.

D. What organisational set up is required?

· If the programme covers a large building or involves different organisations, you may need a steering committee with representatives from different departments/organisations to:

- plan and implement the programme;

- liaise with the cleaning contractor and the waste paper collector; and

- publicise the programme and solicit the support of all employees.

· The appointment of "Recycling Co-ordinators" or "Floor Captains" who are enthusiastic persons with organisational ability and good communication skill is essential particularly for multi-storey or multi-organisation operation. They will be responsible for:

- explaining the programme in detail to the employees of different organisations and staff accommodated on different floors;

- ensuring that the collection facilities mentioned below are readily provided and properly maintained; and

- addressing problem areas after the programme begins.

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DO YOU KNOW .....

• It takes 17 trees and 1500 litres of oil to make one tonne of paper.

• In Hong Kong, over 12,000 tonnes of municipal solid wastes are disposed of daily, or 4.4 million tonnes a year.

• About 20% of the domestic solid waste collected is paper.

• A pilot scheme in Tuen Mun indicated that an average household throws away 1 kg of newspaper every week. That's one tree a year.

• Producing recycling paper creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution than producing paper from virgin fibres.

It is a very simple operation. You can do it in any way that suits your situation most. The following are some guidelines to help you formulate a plan for the implementation and running of such a programme :

A. What are the objective of a Waste Paper Recycling Programme in residential buildings?

The objectives are :
- to contribute towards an environmental cause by saving landfill space, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution; and
- to cultivate an environmental awareness among residents.

B. What specific targets do we want to achieve?

The targets are :
- to separate all recyclable paper waste from other wastes at source; and
- to dispose of the paper waste to waste dealers or paper mills for recycling.

C. What is the optimum scale of the programme?

This is flexible. It could be organised on the basis of individual buildings or a number of buildings. The greater number of households/buildings participating will, of course, make the programme more viable. So, co-operate with residents of your neighbouring buildings in these recycling programmes.

D. What organisational set up is required?

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Imagine asking the dustman to cart off 480 double-decker buses jam packed with stinking, rotten rubbish. Sadly, that is the problem our environment faces every day. Twenty four thousand tonnes of waste is dumped daily and that includes a staggering 15 million plastic bags, enough to fill 25 buses. Some of the waste like sewage, finds its way into the harbour, polluting the waters and killing marine life. But the damage doesn't end there. Rotting waste releases harmful gases into the air which threaten everyone's health. Something has to be done. Everyone has a part to play, including you. The following "green tips" shows how you can save the environment and save money at the same time. Try your best to follow the advice listed below and encourage your friends and family to do the same. If everyone plays their part, we can all join together to save the environment and look forward to a happier, healthier and cleaner future.

CUT YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS
SAVE ON WATER BILLS
SAVE ON TRAVELLING COSTS
CUT DOWN ON UNNECESSARY WASTE
YOUR CHOICE WHEN SHOPPING
SEPARATION OF WASTE

CUT YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS

1. Make sure you turn off all lights and electrical appliances like air-conditioners and heaters when you are not using them.
2. Replace, where appropriate, electrical appliances with Grade 1 or Grade 2 Energy Labels, They are cheaper in the long run.
3. Use automatic timers to control appliances to avoid wasting energy.

Lighting
4. Use the minimum number of lights. Turn off lighting if it is not needed.
5. Use sunlight as far as possible.
6. Use energy-saving bulbs which are cooler, like halogen bulbs, fluorescent tubes and energy efficient compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs rather than the conventional incandescent bulbs. The CF bulbs give off a warm, bright light but use 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer than the conventional incandescent bulbs.

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The best way to clean clothes is to use a set of Eco Laundry Balls like these:

http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/eco-balls-wash-kit.html

You will not need to buy any detergent for about 10 years with these.

They clean clothes very well, by using oxygen.

There are no nasty chemicals on your clothes or pumped out as waste. Better for the environment and the people wearing them.

They work out MUCH cheaper than detergent and I also found that clothes dry quicker when washed with laundry balls !!

Will

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A leaky faucet that fills a coffee cup in ten minutes will waste an estimated 3,000 gallons of water a year. These little leaks not only waste water but add to the cost of your water bill.

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Dry cleaning is a hazardous process that uses toxic chemicals and poisons the environment, our clothing, and us? Eighty percent of the dry cleaners use a solvent called perchloroethylene, or perc. Many "dry clean only" garments can be can be hand-washed and air dried or machine-washed using the gentle cycle and a mild detergent. There are also new and non-toxic professional dry cleaning alternatives emerging.

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With clean water being one of the central issues of the century, we all need to do our part to use resources wisely. Saving water is simple, try to:

• Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, washing your hands and washing dishes.
• Taking shorter showers (5 minutes or less).
• Doing only full loads of laundry and dishes.
• Watering your lawn only in the morning or evening. (Water evaporates four to eight times faster during the heat of the day.)

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Adding insulation to your home, from heat and / or cold, may be the best way to improve your home's energy efficiency.

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Even when turned off, items such as hairdryers, cell phone chargers and TVs use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5% of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.

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Simply turning off TVs, DVD players, stereos and computers when not in use can save thousands of lbs of carbon dioxide a year.

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Using a clothesline instead of a dryer can save 700 lb. of carbon dioxide per 6 months.

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