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Cool Tips from Amy
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Untitled Document
100,000 Native Plants @ South West
Just a few weeks ago, I participated in the 100,000 Native Plants @ South West – Corporate Planting Programme with Abacus International to plant 200 native trees at Jurong Central Park. This was our third project with corporate partners following Shell and Bayer, as part of our community efforts to reinstate the natural heritage of Singapore by planting 100,000 native plants in the South West District. Our 100,000 native plants@ South West programme also helps to green the district and contributes towards mitigating climate change since plants and trees help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that leads to global warming, in the atmosphere. We now have a total of 31 community gardens and about 81,000 native plants planted in the South West District through this programme!
It is indeed heartening to see companies coming forward to make a difference in the community and our environment. The Abacus staff were very excited about planting the trees. Many of them shared with me that it was the first time they had planted a tree! Indeed, this reinforced the idea that everyone, whether individuals or corporations, can play a role to help save the environment for ourselves and for future generations!
Plants and trees do not just provide shade but can also lower the temperature of the environment around them. A recent study by JTC Corporation and the National University of Singapore (NUS) showed that trees and rooftop greenery can lower temperatures of buildings by about 1.4oC to 4.7oC which can lead to energy savings of between 10 and 26 percent, mainly from air-conditioners. Furthermore, according to figures published by Time Magazine, a tree planted in the tropics can absorb about 1 tonne of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Hence, planting trees is for lifetimes, not just a generation!
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Change-A-Bulb @ South West
I have used energy-efficient light bulbs since I got married and got my own HDB flat in 1986. I remember I was introduced to the energy-efficient light bulbs by the lighting retailer. He told me that these bulbs emitted the same brightness but generated less heat, use less electricity and last much longer. I also liked the design of these light bulbs and the light fixtures that housed these light bulbs very much. Hence, I purchased energy-efficient light bulbs for the entire flat. I must say that those days, energy-efficient light bulbs were much more expensive compared to incandescent light bulbs, but because they lasted much longer, I felt that they were worth it. It also saved me the hassle of having to change the light bulbs ever so often, had I used incandescent ones. Nowadays, energy-efficient light bulbs are much more affordable and the price differential between incandescent and energy-efficient ones that gives the same brightness level are not as wide.
Since then, I have been "preaching" the benefits of energy-efficient light bulbs and more recently, through the CDC we were able to get corporate partners like Philips Electronics Singapore, IKEA Singapore and AKIRA International on board our Change-A-Bulb @ South West programme, to sponsor energy-efficient light bulbs to low-income households to help them save on electricity use, as well as promote an energy-saving lifestyle to residents in the district.
The energy-efficient light bulbs use about 80% less energy and can last about 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs! In addition, an average household can save about $66 annually of its electricity bills, by using at least 4 energy-efficient light bulbs (7 watts) instead of 4 incandescent light bulbs (40 watts) for 6 hours daily (based on a tariff rate of $0.2388).
Through this simple effort, not only do we save money, we also contribute to energy-conservation and help to mitigate climate change. So make the CHANGE today!
Click to view Press clipping from Straits Times, p. H2, 5 March 2007 (tariff rates subjected to change)
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2008-05-09 23:45:20 |
Climate change is a major global environmental challenge of our time. It is tempting to believe that nothing we do as individuals can make much difference to solve this global problem. Rather than just ‘preaching’ concepts, we are now getting our very own residents, including myself, to lead by example, via simple and practical lifestyle changes we can adopt as individuals to help create a ‘greener’ future for everyone and at the same time reduce costs! Remember the saying that many drops make an ocean. As a working professional and a mother, I, too, am trying to do my part to reduce energy consumption by making simple changes in my family’s lifestyle and habits. For instance, I remind my kids to switch off electrical appliances such as computers and television sets when not in use instead of putting them on standby mode, using fans and not air-conditioners as far as possible. Running air-conditioners for 8 hours daily can cost a household more than $700 in utility bills a year compared to using a green-labelled electric fan which will cost 10 times less in utility bills!
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2008-05-09 23:46:38 |
Besides encouraging my children to set air-conditioners at 25°C if they are using it, we have also been using a pail of water to wash the car instead of hosing the car and we reuse and recycle as much as we can. Of course, I also use energy-efficient lights in my home. Have fun and change-a-bulb with your family by installing energy-effficient light bulbs which lasts longer and uses less energy for the same brightness! Check out our South West Carbon Offset Checklist (www.southwestcdc.com.sg) for more energy-saving tips and enjoy potential savings of up to $500 of more annually on your household bills, or simply follow the tips on this website! |
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Water-Saving Tips @ Home
Water is a scarce and precious commodity. There are many people in the world today who still do not have access to clean drinking water. In Singapore, we too have to conserve water in order to ensure that we will continue to have an adequate supply of water even as our economy and population grow. You can play your part to conserve water by managing your usage with simple adjustments in your lifestyle and making use of the water saving tips, I have listed below. For instance, do you know that you can save 9 litres of water just by showering one minute less!
A) In the Bathroom
It has been found that a 10-minute shower with the tap running uses up to 90 litres of water compared to soaping yourself with the tap off, which will use 30 litres of water! Turning off the tap while you soap or shampoo can save you up to 60 litres of water every time you shower. That equates to about $25.60 of savings a year!
B) In the Kitchen
Washing your vegetables under a running tap for 5 minutes will use up 60 litres of water, whilst washing all your dishes or vegetables in a filled sink will use only 12 litres of water. That will save you up to $20 annually!
C) Laundry
Always make it a point to wash your clothing at full load as the same amount of water i.e. 186 litres (for an average washing machine) is used regardless of whether it is a full load or not. Also choose a cold water cycle and save $150 in utility bills each year!
D) Other Areas
Some other water-saving tips you can adopt are:
- Change or install constant flow regulators i.e. thimbles, low capacity flushing cisterns or self-closing delayed action taps, at all wash basins or sink taps to reduce water wastage
- Brushing your teeth using a cup/glass instead of leaving the tap running will save 40 litres of water and save $19 a year
- Reuse water from washing vegetables or rice to water your plants
- Limit yourself to two buckets of water when washing your car instead of hosing it
- Check for leaks regularly especially worn-out taps or pipes. Leaks may result in large quantities of water lost over a period of time without home owners realising it!
( * Note: All costs savings are calculated based on current water tariff of 117cents/cubic meters. For more information, please visit:
http://www.spservices.sg/index.htm )
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