16 ways to cut 16 per cent

If you are an average Singaporean and want to play your part in helping the nation cut down on its carbon emissions, what can you really do?
Rachel Chang Straits Times 16 Jan 10;

THE Government is committed to cutting carbon emissions by 16 per cent below 'business as usual' levels by 2020 if a legally binding global deal on climate change is struck.

Even without a global agreement, it plans to cut 7 per cent to 11 per cent of emissions.

Singaporeans sat up and took notice when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong cautioned in his New Year's Day message that this would not be a 'light commitment'.

'Achieving it will require all households, firms and the economy to make significant adjustments,' he said.

Going by the Prime Minister's reference to 'a combination of regulations, price signals and fiscal incentives', the measures could well translate into something like a carbon tax, and subsidies for investments in environmentally friendlier technologies.

Industry knows full well that it will bear the brunt of the cuts as it is responsible for 54 per cent of Singapore's carbon emissions.

Although households account for 9 per cent of the emissions, they would also have to shoulder part of the carbon-reduction responsibility.

To achieve the 16 per cent target, households will have to cut one million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2020. This is about the amount expended on 500 return trips to the moon.

Policymakers are still mulling over the measures to be implemented progressively over the next decade but the bottom line, as PM Lee put it, is crystal clear: Lifestyles will have to change.

Driving less and relying more on public transport was one of the examples he cited. Perhaps road tax will rise. Certainly, the price of electricity will go up if a carbon tax is imposed.

The 16 per cent target may not be realised until 2020. But rather than wait for pain to be inflicted, Singaporeans can start to make emission-cutting changes to their lifestyles from today.

So, in the spirit of New Year resolution making, Insight presents 16 ways an average Singaporean can cut down on his carbon emissions by 16 per cent or more.

These tips and ideas are gleaned from the Energy Studies Institute, government bodies and green websites.

# KEEP COOL CHEAPLY

WHEN you rub the sleep off your eyes in air-conditioned comfort, reflect on the cost. Seriously.

Air-conditioning is the biggest single item on your utility bill - accounting for an average 35 per cent of a household's electricity usage. Even if you have a 'four-tick' unit - considered the most energy efficient - humming at 24 deg C and leaving it on all night chalks up about 8 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

In contrast, a rotating ceiling fan results in only about 0.15 tonne of carbon emissions a year or about 53 times less. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), switching to a fan saves you $555 a year.

But if you cannot do without artificially cooled air, consider raising the temperature by a few degrees. NEA estimates that for every degree raised, you save $20 a year.

# GO MEATLESS ON MONDAYS

AS YOUR thoughts turn to lunch, here is something to mull over.

Meat consumption as well as cow farts exact an environmental toll. The production of 1kg of beef emits the same amount of carbon as a car driven 250km.

Singaporeans may think their diets are healthier than those of obese Americans. But according to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, Singaporeans ate an average of 90kg of meat and fish per person in 2007. The figure for Americans is 90.7kg per year.

Go without meat one day of the week. Indeed, an online petition is making the rounds calling on the Government to officially recognise 'Meat-Free Mondays'. It is signed by 382 people, many of whom are not Singaporeans. Well, foreigners are not supposed to have a say in domestic matters but it is the thought that counts.

# CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

AS THE post-lunch inertia sets in and you need a distraction from work, indulge in some earth-friendly procrastinatory activities.

Calculate your carbon footprint online. It is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of your daily activities: from the energy used to power your electronics to the emissions released from your mode of transport.

Going through the process of toting up all these figures, like counting your daily calories or expenses, will illuminate where carbon reduction is possible.

Various websites offer Singapore-centric calculators, like the Singapore Environment Council's at www.climatechange.sg

# LIVE CHEMICAL-FREE

VANITY has a price. Beauty products often come in non-biodegradable plastic containers and result in chemicals going down the drain. Sure, you can spend a lot of money on natural, organic products in hemp containers. Or you can do it yourself.

Most women know about homemade quick fixes like placing warm tea bags on their eyes to reduce puffiness.

Why not take it to the next level and mix your own products? You can make body scrub from sea salt and baby oil, or mix a face mask by beating together egg white and lemon juice.

# GO HYBRID OR TURN LEFT ONLY

WHEN you drive an air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned office, you are contributing to a staggering carbon output.

The emissions from cars, buses and other vehicles account for five times more carbon emissions than the total amount of electricity used by all households in Singapore in a year.

A 2,000cc car which is on the road less than 10km a day contributes 0.4 tonne of carbon emissions a year.

So if you give up your car, you can easily cut more than 16 per cent from your total carbon emissions. Voila!

If that is too big a sacrifice, drive a hybrid car which will reduce your emissions by 17.2 per cent for every 1.6km.

Remember the age-old advice from the Automobile Association: clear your boot and inflate your tyres correctly to lower petrol consumption.

Take a tip from the UPS experiment. In America, the package delivery company maps out routes for its drivers that involve only right turns. No engines need to idle while waiting to turn left.

By doing so, the company cut down its carbon emissions by 32,000 tonnes in 2007. That is the equivalent of removing 5,300 cars from the roads.

Over here, motorists drive on the left. So if you plan to take up this idea, it would mean making only left turns.

# PAY TO PLANT A TREE

HERE is another thought to mull over during your tea break: Do you know that the Vatican is considered carbon neutral? That is because it planted a forest in Hungary's B�kk National Park which will offset all its carbon emissions.

A forest may be beyond your means, but a tree is not. Some Internet portals allow you to pay to plant a tree or invest in a hydropower plant.

# SHOWER FOR FIVE MINUTES

JUMP into the shower, but do not linger. A five-minute hot shower makes for 0.7 tonne of carbon emissions a year, and a 15-minute soak in the tub will multiply that by three.

The five-minute challenge will save you 400 litres of water a week, which will cut your water usage by about two thirds.

Use a 'pea-sized' dollop of shampoo and conditioner rather than the palmful you tend to squeeze out.

Less chemicals washed down the drain means less pollution and less energy used in purifying and cleaning the water.

Blow-dry your hair? Think again. A hair dryer sucks up energy disproportionately and quickly. It uses more energy than your microwave oven. Besides, it is bad for your hair as it weakens the strands by exposing them to heat.

Go to sleep with wet hair pinned up instead to achieve that bounce and volume. Worried about catching a cold if you sleep with wet hair? Well, not if you turn the air-conditioning off.

# FLUSH LESS

REMEMBER, whenever you flush the toilet, about 19 litres of water go down the chute. In a more efficient toilet, it is about 6 litres, which - to put it in perspective - is the amount of blood the human body contains.

Pee in the shower. Yes, really. Nobody is watching anyway.

# SWITCH OFF THE MAINS

BEFORE you leave the house for work, do a quick stretch to get the heart pumping.

How? Crouching and reaching to switch off your mains can bring your electricity bill down by $45 a year, according to NEA.

That is because the electricity usage of your appliances and other electronic equipment on 'standby' mode while you are out all day can go up to 10 per cent of your total consumption.

# IS YOUR FRIDGE TEMPERATURE SET RIGHT?

MANY refrigerators are set at a temperature that is unnecessarily cold. Your refrigerator only needs to be at 4 deg C to keep food fresh.

# CHANGE YOUR BULBS

YOU can easily hit the 16 per cent target by switching all your bulbs to compact fluorescent lamp bulbs, which use 80 per cent less energy than normal. The NEA says each bulb will save you $15 per year.

# IT PAYS TO BE LAZY

SURVEY your kitchen to see what can be substituted to help the environment. For instance, use tupperware instead of cling film, and rags instead of paper towels.

Invest in a dishwasher. This saves up to 40 per cent more water than washing dishes by hand. Sometimes you can pay to be lazy, and it pays to be lazy.

# START A GARDEN

THE tip on the left may give you an idea for a weekend activity.

If a forest in Hungary seems too far-fetched, consider planting something closer to home. Many Singaporeans waste money and time in an air-conditioned gymnasium when they can engage in more natural activities downstairs.

HDB estates from Toa Payoh to Dover now have community gardens where residents can put down roots.

# EAT CLOSE TO HOME

BACK from work and you want to whip up a meal on your own. Think about how your meat gets to you. The greater the distance your food travels, the bigger your carbon footprint. So why buy pork from Australia when you can get it from Malaysia?

# GO PAPERLESS

CUT out the junk mail.

Unsolicited junk mail is kept out by locked mail boxes. But SingPost has an Admail service that allows advertisers to distribute fliers through bulk delivery. You can opt out of receiving unaddressed promotional mail by calling its hotline 6845-6210.

You can save paper by opting for paperless billing from your telco and bank.

# BOTTOMS UP

IT IS the end of a long, hard day and you are feeling thirsty. Just like food, the closer your drink is to home, the less carbon-emitting it will be. So wine from France will incur a higher carbon toll than wine from Australia because of the distance travelled.

Better still, drink locally brewed Tiger Beer. Cheers - and congratulate yourself on reducing your carbon emissions by 16 per cent or more for the day. You will have a good night's sleep without worrying about talk of a carbon tax.

Your guide to a low-carbon lifestyle

IN SINGAPORE

www.nea.gov.sg

The National Environment Agency's website offers tips on cutting down carbon emissions benchmarked against a Singapore electricity bill.

www.mycarbonfootprint.sg

A carbon calculator from Singapore Polytechnic and the Hemisphere Foundation.

www.climatechange.sg

The Singapore Environment Council's resource has a snazzy carbon calculator and information on carbon offsetting projects in Asia.

AROUND THE WORLD

www.carbonfootprint.com

A British-based carbon consultancy through which you can pay to offset carbon by planting a tree in Kenya.

www.freerice.com

A non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme, FreeRice puts a quiz show spin on doing good.

For every answer you get right, it donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme.

www.lighterfootstep.com

A website with tips on how to lighten your carbon footstep

www.greenissexy.org

A website with daily green tips. Founded by three friends, one of whom is movie star Rachel McAdams.

FOR FUN

www.ecorazzi.com

Green Gossip, giving you the buzz from which celebrities are vegetarian to lists of best eco-documentaries.

www.noimpactman.com

Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man in question, shot to fame in 2007 for conducting a public experiment in green living.

For one year, his Manhattan- based family attempted to cut down their carbon emissions bit by bit to zero. The kicker? No toilet paper. That year-long adventure has been turned into a book and a documentary.

http://www.ecogeek.org/

A blog on green technology, which bills itself as keeping tabs on how 'brains are saving the earth'.

http://eco-chick.com/

A blog on natural beauty and eco-fashion that has produced a book as well. Recipes for homemade beauty products go up every week or so.

A blog on natural beauty and eco-fashion that has produced a book as well. Recipes for homemade beauty products go up every week or so.