Alleviating Global Warming‧We can do


1.	Keep room temperature above 25.5°C when using air-conditioner
	When we turn up the air-conditioner temperature by 1°C , we can cut 3% off our electricity bills.

Hong Kong has a hot summer, making air-conditioning a necessity. A study found that 25.5°C is the most comfortable temperature, as well as saving more energy than other temperature.

When using air-conditioner, close all doors and windows. Use blinds if necessary to prevent direct sunlight. These can help lower room temperature and reduce the power consumption of air-conditioner.


2.	No standing-by—switch off electric appliances completely
	If a desktop computer stays in stand-by mode for 6 hours a day, every year 11 units of electricity will be wasted, equivalent to releasing 8 kg of carbon dioxide.

Electricity is consumed even when an electric appliance is in standby mode. This kind of energy wastes accounts for 10% of total energy consumption. The Federal Environment Agency of Germany has reported that standby mode electricity usage by electric appliances owned by German families cost 3.3 billion Euros (about HK$34 billion) annually. Stop wasting this kind of energy, switch off television, video recorder and computer completely.


3.	Choose electric appliances with high energy efficiency
	A refrigerator with a Grade 1 Energy Efficiency label uses 35% less electricity than one with a Grade 3 label.

At present, there are two categories of energy efficiency labelling schemes in Hong Kong: recognition type energy label and grading type energy label. For the latter, Grade 1 represents the highest energy efficiency. Choosing electric appliances with high energy efficiency can help reduce electricity use, hence decreasing the carbon dioxide discharge through electricity generation.


4.	Use electric appliances appropriately
	Appropriate use of electric appliances includes regular cleaning and maintenance. For example, with regular cleaning and maintenance an air-conditioner can last at least 10 years, and uses 10% less electricity.

Electrical appliances consume electricity not only when they are in use; large amounts of energy are also used in their production, and handling them once they are disposed of. One of the key solutions to reducing carbon dioxide discharge is to increase the life cycle of electrical appliances.

Some measures you can adopt to increase the longevity of your electrical appliances are: use according to user manuals; regularly clean the dust on and inside them to ensure good ventilation; and put them in places without direct sunlight. If an appliance breaks, try to get it fixed, rather than buy a new appliance, to avoid wastage.


5.	Use compact fluorescent lamps
	Compact fluorescent lamps use 75% less electricity than tungsten lamps. If a family converts to using compact fluorescent lamps, it can reduce electricity bills by HK$400 each year.

Most of the energy used by tungsten lamps becomes heat; only part of it is turned into light. Compact fluorescent lamps make use of electrons clashing with mercury gas to create ultraviolet radiation, which is converted to visible light through the fluorescent layer. This process is far more energy efficient than that of tungsten lamps.

Compact fluorescent lamps consumes only 1/4 the electricity of tungsten lamps. A 20W compact fluorescent lamp can emit the same light intensity as a 100W tungsten lamp. Furthermore, compared with a tungsten lamp, a compact fluorescent lamp lasts 8 to 10 times longer. Therefore, using compact fluorescent lamp can reduce energy consumption and help alleviate global warming.


6.	Use a shower
	Taking a shower instead of a bath can cut carbon dioxide emissions by 12 kg a year.

Energy is used in water supply and wastewater treatment: water filtration, water pumping, and primary, secondary, or chemical treatment of wastewater all consume energy.

Taking a bath uses some 114 litres of water, while a six-minute shower uses only 38 litres. So using a shower can reduce energy consumed for supplying the water and treating the wastewater.

In addition, we often over-adjust the temperature of the heater and then lower the water temperature by using cold water. In fact, by adjusting the heater temperature from 60°C down to 49°C can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 200 kg each year.


7.	Hang your clothing to dry
	Using a clothes dryer an hour less per day can reduce your electricity bills by up to HK$1,000 per year.

A clothes dryer consumes 5 times as much electricity as a washing machine. Operating an ordinary dryer for an hour takes 3 units of electricity. Unless in special conditions, we should avoid using clothes dryers, and instead make use of natural wind and sunlight to dry our clothing.

If a clothes dryer must be used, try to remove as much water as possible from the clothing before putting it into the dryer. This will shorten the operating time. Also, you can save energy by classifying the clothes according to thickness, and drying the clothes with a full load.

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8.	Switch off idling vehicles
	A private vehicle idling for 10 minutes a day uses an additional 100 litres of gasoline, and emits an additional 230 kg of carbon dioxide, each year

To keep their vehicles cool, many drivers do not turn off the engine while idling. Not only are they wasting fuel, the waste gases and greenhouse gases discharge will also jeopardise passers-by. Idling engines may pollute engine oil and accelerate wear of engine parts. Switching off idling vehicles can help reduce the release of greenhouse gases, save fuel, and prolong engine life cycles.


9.	Use public transport
	Take a bus or a train instead of a private vehicle; every passenger may save 80 to 110 g of carbon dioxide per km.

Mass transport such as the railway can carry large number of passengers and is more efficient than other means of transportation. Buses and minibuses cover wide areas, and are also convenient choices of public transport. Hong Kong has a comprehensive public transport network, which provides a variety of choices. Making good use of public transport can sometimes take you to your destination faster than a private vehicle.


10.	Reduce long distance flights
	During Chinese New Year in 2008, flights taken by Hong Kong people discharged 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide

Fossil fuels are needed to drive airplane engines; the direct discharge of massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere accelerates global warming even more than discharges by ground level vehicles.

Whenever possible, we should avoid travelling by air. If we have to take a flight, choose a company that participates in a “Carbon Neutral Scheme”, through which discharges of greenhouse gases in flying may be mitigated to a certain extent through planting and conservation of trees.


11.	Say no to free plastic bags
	In 2007, 200,000 tonnes of plastic bags were thrown away by all households in Hong Kong. Producing these bags led to emissions of 8,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Hong Kong people use astounding amount of plastic bags. In 2005, a large supermarket chain store alone distributed 320 million free plastic bags. The production of plastic bags and methane gas released in landfills by plastic bag waste both add to the problem of global warming. Bringing your own bag, reusing plastic bags and putting plastic bags that cannot be reused into recycling bins can help alleviate the problem.


12.	Simple packaging
	If all households stop using wrapping paper for gifts during the Chinese New Year, 3,600 trees can be saved each year, and carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 43,200 kg.

Simple packaging can help prevent damage to products; extravagant packaging is only a waste of the Earth's resources. A survey found that a mooncake gift package included as many as 32 accessories. Carbon dioxide is released in the production and treatment of waste of paper or plastic packaging, enhancing global warming. We should say no to over-packaged products, and stop using wrapping paper for gifts, in order to alleviate global warming.


13.	Buy products with the shortest product mileage
	20 kg of carbon dioxide is released in transporting a tonne of food from New York to Hong Kong by air.

Product mileage refers to the distance between production and consumption. The longer the product mileage, the farther is the transport distance and more carbon dioxide is generated. Airplanes release more carbon dioxide than ships or cars, and the effect on the atmosphere is more direct, hence accelerating global warming.

Next time you shop, consider the origin of the products. Support local products or those from nearby regions, and minimise carbon dioxide discharges due to long distance transportation.

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14.	Domestic waste classification and recycling
	If all Hong Kong people participate in recycling, each year we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3 million tonnes.

For each tonne of paper recycled, 17 trees and 1,500 litres of oil are saved. Recycling aluminium cans saves 95% of energy as compared to manufacturing new ones. Plastics are by-products of oil; making a 1-litre plastic bottle requires 250ml of oil. Furthermore, in the processes of making paper, aluminium cans and plastics, waste gases including carbon dioxide are generated, adding to the problem of global warming.


15.	Stop using disposable cutlery
	If we stop using disposable cutlery, cups and lunchboxes, we can reduce waste including polystyrofoam with a weight equivalent to 17 minibuses every day.

In dining outside or ordering a takeaway, you will receive all kinds of disposable cutlery, including plastic forks and knives and wooden chopsticks, and other accessories such as tissue, chopstick covers and plastic bags. Most disposable cutlery is made of plastic; the production, transportation and disposal of which releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The manufacturing of wooden chopsticks and tissues also consumes large amount of wood. When ordering your meals, try refusing disposable cutlery.


16.	Read newspapers online
	Every day, 2,000 tonnes of paper are used to print newspapers in Hong Kong, equivalent to cutting down 36,000 trees.

Save trees and help alleviate global warming by reading newspapers online. Of course, recycling old newspapers, and sharing newspapers in schools and offices will also help reduce paper consumption.


17.	Paying bills online
	If all public services institutes in Hong Kong turned to electronic bills, 100 million items of paper bills and envelopes can be saved each year, equivalent to saving 12,855 trees.

Currently many government departments and private companies encourage their clients to receive monthly bills through email. The Water Supplies Department, for example, has 2.64 million account users, and uses 15.85 million sheets of A4 paper by issuing three bills in envelopes to every user each year, equivalent to cutting down 1,981 trees.


18.	Stop using bottled water
	85 tonnes of plastic bottles end up in our landfills each day. The production of these bottles generates 3,570 kg of carbon dioxide.

Plastic bottles are by-products of oil. Their manufacture and transport requires massive amounts of energy and resources. In the U.S., 1.5 million barrels of oil are consumed each year in making plastic bottles, enough to drive 10,000 cars for a year. To reduce the amount of plastic bottles, the most direct way is to stop purchasing bottled water. When you go out, carry with you a durable water bottle for drinks.


19.	Support organic food
	An organic farm 1 km2 in area can absorb carbon dioxide discharges equivalent to those emitted by 90 cars (annual mileage of 17,808 km).

Organic food, including organic crops and their by-products, excludes the use of synthetic chemicals such as chemical fertilisers, chemical insecticides and bactericides. And no genetically modified seeds, crops, feed and livestock are allowed. Sustainability and balance of the ecosystem are emphasised in the cultivation process, to avoid chemical and genetic pollution of the environment.

Researchers have noted that organic farmland can absorb carbon dioxide from the air. So you can help alleviate global warming by choosing organic food!


20.	Green lunch – less meat and more vegetables
	To produce 1 kg of beef steak, 36 kg of carbon dioxide is generated.

The production and transport of livestock feed generates carbon dioxide. Other greenhouse gases including nitrous oxide and methane are also produced during the digestive processes of livestock such as cows and sheep.

In addition, large areas of forests are cleared for livestock pasture. This drastically reduces forested areas that can absorb carbon dioxide, and increases livestock populations that consume vegetation and produce greenhouse gases, intensifying global warming. A green meal with less meat and more vegetables can make more efficient use of food resources, and decrease the discharge of greenhouse gases.


21.	Green your home and neighbourhood
	Rooftop greenery lowers the temperature of the top floor by 6℃, reducing the need for air-conditioning.

Cultivate some small shrubs and pot plants in your home can mitigate the effect of greenhouse gas discharges as well as beautify your living space. Lobbies and corridors of residential buildings are also suitable places for plants. The greenery will enhance the environment and help absorb carbon dioxide.

If the building structure allows, a lawn on the rooftop can lower the temperature of the top floor, reducing the need for air-conditioning.

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