naturalhealthmag.com.au AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HEALTH | 83
that favours renewable energy. Be
energy-efficient by turning lights off,
switching lightbulbs to LEDs, using
the most efficient appliances possible,
insulating homes, and turning the heat
or aircon down a tad. Little changes
make big differences!
FIGHT FOOD WASTE
Come on, fess up: how much food
wastage happens in your home? If
you lead a busy lifestyle and have
kids under your wing, chances are
good grub regularly gets tossed in the
bin. If so, you are scarily not alone.
OzHarvest’s sustainability strategist,
Annika Stott, says Australia is among
the world’s biggest food wasters; a
disturbing fact that inspires OzHarvest
supporters nationwide to rescue and
re-gift unloved foods (look out for
their bright yellow food trucks doing
the rounds!).
“One-third of all food produced
is wasted, which has an astounding
detrimental impact on the
environment. Wasting food wastes
everything: labour, valuable land,
resources, money, love. Consider
this: throwing away a burger wastes
the same amount of water as a
90-minute shower! Food waste costs
the Australian economy over 20 billion
dollars a year – with over 50 per cent
of this coming from homes. The
average family wastes $3,000 a year on
good food that could have been eaten,”
says Stott.“Expose people to
desired behaviours
through practice –
without being preachy”QUICK GREEN-
LIVING TIPS
SHOP WISELY: support co-ops
and utilise refillable containers,
reusable bags and travel mugs
TRY A CLOTHES SWAP: Your trash can
be someone else’s treasure, so crack the
bubbly and host a clothes-swap party!
SAVE ENERGY: ensure all devices don’t
become a power drain using an EcoSwitch
DON’T WASTE WATER: Australia is one
of the driest continents, so save water
by installing rainwater tanks, washing
only full loads and turning off taps
CLEAN WATERWAYS: refrain from
flushing harmful items like wet wipes,
cotton buds and pads, sanitary products
and condoms down the toilet
GETT AROUND: try alternatives like car-
pooling, cycling, strolling, public transport,
and discover how to reduce vehicle
emissions at greenvehicleguide.gov.au
JOIN THE COMPOST REVOLUTION: see
if your local council is a participant in this
initiative to obtain discounts and guidance
on composting, worm farming and
bokashi bins at compostrevolution.com.au