Can we help the environment by being green?

Local councils in Britain encourage certain aspects of green living, such as recycling paper, tin, plastic and glass. They want to reduce the amount of rubbish going into landfill sites, because they are running out of places to dump rubbish. In some areas rubbish for recycling is collected from your doorstep, but in other areas, you have to take it to a special recycling place, such as a bottle bank.

Another way of reducing the amount of rubbish you create is to use reusable products instead of disposable ones. For example, some people use strong shopping bags or boxes for their groceries instead of plastic carrier bags, or use washable nappies instead of disposables.

More people are becoming interested in reducing their carbon footprint – the amount of carbon they use up. They try to reduce their carbon emissions by cycling, using public transport or an electric car, rather than driving gas-guzzling vehicles. Some people choose not to fly to go on holiday because aeroplanes are the biggest producers of carbon emissions.

You can make ‘green’ choices when buying food too. It’s best to buy food which was locally grown or produced so that it hasn’t been imported by air, or transported long distances by road.

Houses can be environmentally friendly too. It takes less energy to heat a house if it has good insulation and double glazing. You can also create your own energy if you have solar panels or a wind turbine fitted though these can be expensive. You can also save water by using a rain water butt for washing the car or watering the garden. It’s even possible to use a system where ‘grey water’ – water which has been through a tap once already, is used to flush toilets. Some new housing projects are being built specifically to be as environmentally friendly as possible.