We are preparing for Earth Hour that’s taking place on Saturday 25 March between 8.30pm-9.30pm. Earth Hour is in fact the biggest environment protest in the world, having moved on from a symbolic gesture to a full-scale movement engaging millions of people, companies and cities around the globe. We work hard at our hotels to do our bit to help the planet every day. Little things can make a world of difference, but it’s important that we all get involved. That’s why we’ve put together a list of simple 10 things that you can do to make a big difference.
It’s not always easy to make sense of all the tips, recommendations and pieces of advice on how to save the planet coming from climate experts. Certain recommendations can seem unrealistic, even near-to impossible for family life – but it needn’t be that hard! Sometimes it probably just boils down to lack of understanding and, let’s be honest, a bit of laziness too! Below you’ll find some handy hints that we hope will inspire you to do your bit! Let’s work together to help the planet with these 10 simple steps.
10 little things that can make a big difference:
- We all love long, hot showers, but by turning off the water while you shampoo your hair, shave or brush your teeth, you can actually save gallons of water.
- Unplug your mobile and computer chargers from the socket as they still use electricity even when your devices are fully charged! And it can actually be dangerous too, as chargers can become overheated.
- In order to avoid having your TVs and other electronic devices using unnecessary electricity while on stand-by, you can buy a multiple socket with a switch to enable you turn them all off at the push of a button! This allows you to keep chargers plugged in too.
- Old fridges and freezers tend to use more electricity than newer ones, so check when you bought yours. It might be time for a new one! When you go on holiday and aren’t using any other electricity, you can easily see how much energy they’re consuming while you’re not even there.
- Get a food thermometer! Many of us tend to overcook our food, which is neither good for the planet or our palates! A food thermometer allows you to save energy, while also making sure that your food tastes better than ever!
- Do you ever use the dishwasher when it’s only half-full? Save energy by only putting it on when it’s stacked full of dirty dishes.
- The same thing applies to washing machines. Even though it’s tempting just to wash a couple of your favourite items that you really want to wear the next day, try to wash whole loads only. Another tip here is not to use too much detergent or softener.
- ALWAYS carry an old bag (ideally cloth) with you wherever you go, just in case you do some shopping on your way home from work. This helps the environment, but it’ll save you money too as many stores have started charging for plastic bags, something that we applaud!
- Recycle metal cans and PET bottles. That really shouldn’t come as news, but it’s all too easy to throw a can or three into the rubbish bin at home. By using a deposit scheme, you can actually get some money back as well! It might not be much, but it all adds up.
- Ah! How we love electric bikes. While using muscles to power your bike is of course the best option – not least for health reasons – investing in an electric bike and using that instead of the car is certainly a great thing to do for the planet!
