Saving Energy – More Info

Taking your first step to reduce your footprint on the world, can seem extremely daunting. Here are some interesting facts and suggestions to get you started. . .

Did you know. . . .

•  . . . . each person uses an average of 150 litres of water per day! 50 litres can be saved by taking a shower instead of a bath, and 24 litres could be saved by turning the tap of each time you brush your teeth. 33% of potable water is unnecessarily flushed down the loo, so stick a brick in the cistern, or buy an award winning ‘Hippo the Water Saver’ device.  www.hippo-the-watersaver.co.uk
•  . . . . 7,700 tonnes of disposable nappies are dumped into Cornwall’s landfill sites every year? The Cornish Real Nappy Company are here to help. . they provide real cotton designer nappies to help reduce your waste.  www.crnp.org.uk
• . . . in August there is 45% more rubbish generated and buried in Cornwall than in December. Help us tackle his problem by reducing, reusing and recycling! www.recycleforcornwall.org.uk. . .150 million plastic carrier bags get used in the UK each week, most of which can't be recycled. These, potentially lethal, plastic bags can take up to 200 years to decay in landfill and last for over 400 years in the ocean where dolphins, whales and turtles fatally eat them for food. Gives new meaning to ‘Bags for Life’. .
• . . . . the global car fleet stands at 776m vehicles and here in the UK and the car is responsible for four-fifths of our travel. Sadly, 59% of car journeys in the UK are less than 5 miles and 25% are less than 2 miles. These distances are easily cycled or walked. .why not use public transport to get to your start point or try exploring near to where you are staying – there are some fantastic place right on your doorstep. . just ask!  
•  . .. organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide –the main global warming gas- and fewer dangerous wastes. . why not try some local organic produce on your next trip to the local store! www.soilassociation.org 
•  . . . kilo for kilo, a kiwi fruit creates five times its own body weight in CO2 emissions flying across the world. Meanwhile 40% of the haulage traffic on roads is linked to food. Why not buy more locally produced, seasonal food! www.cornwalltasteofthewest.co.uk 
•  . . domestic appliances account for more than 30% of our overall energy consumption, causing 12% of green house gas emissions. It is estimated that appliances left on ‘standby’, still using 85% of the energy they would if switched on, are responsible for 5% of this.  Time to switch off! www.cep.org.uk
• . . .60% of  household rubbish has the potential to be composted but still more than 80% of it has a one way ticket to the nearest landfill. Once there, organic mater which could have converted to compost forms a useless sludge which poisons the environment.  Time to get composting! www.recycleforcornwall.org.uk
• . . .the British Isles was once awash with flower meadows, but over the past 50 years we’ve lost 95%.  On square metre of flower meadow can harbour up to 30 species of flora and fauna and can triple your butterfly population. A single flower meadow will hold 100-150 wildlife species. Why not create your own mini meadow. . . www.meadowmania.co.uk
• . . .the past 35 years have seen wood consumption double while half the world’s forest land has been destroyed. Buy wood from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC certified wood comes from sustainably managed forest, and is not part of the vast trade in illegally logged old-growth forest. www.fsc-uk.info
• . .one return flight to Miami creates more carbon dioxide production that one person’s year motoring. Next time you book a holiday think why not thin about exploring somewhere closer to home. . .
• ...road transport pumps out more than a fifth of UK emissions of carbon dioxide, the main gas causing climate change
  Up to 24,000 people die prematurely in the UK every year as a result of air pollution, much of it pumped out by road traffic in our towns and cities.....By 2030 changes in flight paths and queues of planes waiting to land mean that up to 600,000 people could be very disturbed by aircraft noise..........6 of the top 10 flight destinations from London could potentially be reached by high speed rail rather than air. Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Manchester and Paris- account for one in seven of all plane passengers in and out of London..........The Government's Future Foresight report warns that 3.5 million people in Britian could be at risk of flooding by 2080. This is partly as a result of climate change.....

source:Friends of the Earth

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Q5. Trees are very effective in helping to absorb the CO2 we are generating and a number of plant initiatives are being undertaken.  Unfortunately the world’s forests are still disappearing at an alarming rate.  How often does a forest the size of a football pitch disappear from earth?
a) once a second
b) once every hour
c) once every day
d) once every week