What is good for the environment is usually good for your pocket, too. An energy-efficient home will spend less on electricity bills. And there are literally hundreds of things you could do to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
P&G has listed some tips on this site that could help, besides changing the way you wash with P&G products. In addition, you could consider, for example:
- Insulating your boiler. You could end up cutting your carbon emissions by 450 kilos a year; and you can buy insulation for under £20.
- Installing solar panels on your roof or walls to boost your energy supply with nature's own - carbon-free.
- Giving your garden a makeover. If you plant trees so as to provide shade and block wind, you can cut your energy bills by up to 15 per cent. And each tree could end up absorbing a tonne of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
For many more simple ideas about how you can help the environment, visit the Ariel Do a Good Turn website at www.doagoodturn.co.uk.
You can also find out much more about electricity use, and how to reduce it, from the Association of Electricity Producers at www.aepuk.com.
Finally, you might also want to work out exactly how much greenhouse gas your household produces. You can do this using one of the many carbon calculators available online, such as the Act On CO2 Calculator, published by the UK Government.
Work out what your carbon footprint is, then try a few energy-saving measures to see what an effect it has. Check what assumptions are made by the calculator so you can make allowances for them, and be honest about your levels of use.
To download a comprehensive list of tips about what you can do to make a difference, click here.