Greenworks - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

World Environment Day

Unite To Combat Climate
....................................................
Celebrate World Environment
....................................................
The World Environment Day Alphabet for 80 Ways to Celebrate
....................................................
World Environment Day Themes
....................................................
Carbon Calculator
....................................................
World Ocean Day
....................................................
Home
....................................................
Reduce
....................................................
Reuse
....................................................
About Greenworks
....................................................
Recycle
....................................................
Respect & Responsibility
....................................................
Global Warming
....................................................
Green Tip of the Week
....................................................
Watch Your Waste
....................................................
Compost
....................................................
Get SASSI
....................................................
Litter
....................................................
Products
....................................................
Contact Us
....................................................
Daily Checklist
....................................................
Your Carbon Footprint
....................................................
Environmental Calendar
....................................................
Plant a Tree for Life
....................................................
Campaigns
....................................................
Earth Hour
....................................................
Earth Day
....................................................
World Environment Day
....................................................
World Ocean Day
....................................................
Arbour Day
....................................................
Christmas
....................................................
Mission Green Earth
....................................................

5 June is designated as World Environment Day by the United Nations General Assembly to deepen public awareness of the need to preserve and enhance the environment.

The UN theme for World Environment Day 2009 is
Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change.

South Africa's theme, which is a call to action, is SA Act Now to
Combat Climate Change.

The international theme is chosen by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
which coordinates the day on 5 June on behalf of the UN system and the
peoples of the world.

It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial United
Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from 7-18 December
2009, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of
forests.

This year's host is Mexico which reflects the growing role of the Latin American
country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation
in the carbon markets.

World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the
United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and
enhances political attention and action.

It aims to

� to give a human face to environmental issues

� empower people to become active participants in sustainable and equitable
    development

� promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing
    attitudes towards environmental issues

� advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer
    and more prosperous future

Climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, and as such UNEP
is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas
emissions and how to reduce them.

World Environment Day promotes resources and initiatives that promote low
carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency,
alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.

During World Environment week Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers
of Environment pledge their commitment to establishing permanent govern-
mental structures to deal with environmental management and economic
planning. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify inter-
national environmental conventions.

World Environment Day was established by the General Assembly in 1972 to
mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to
the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

World Environment Day is hosted every year by a different country and is
commemorated with an international exposition during the week of 5 June.
(World Environment Week)

Whether you are an individual, an organisation, a business or a government,
there are a number of steps you can take to reduce your carbon emissions,
the total of which is described as your carbon footprint.

You may think you don't know where to begin, but by reading this, you have
already begun!

Make a commitment

Reducing your carbon footprint is no different from any other task.

� Voicing your commitment may seem simplistic, but everything starts
   somewhere. Once you've committed to the idea and concept, you're on
   the path to action. Take the step forward.

Assess where you stand

Knowing where and how you generate greenhouse gases is the first stage in
reducing them.

� For individuals and small businesses, online calculators and internal
   assessments can help start the process.

� Larger organisations may need specialised advice and tools, such as the
   new ISO 14064 standard for greenhouse gas accounting and verification,
   or the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, provided by the World Resources Institute
   and World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which is an
   accounting tool for government and business managers to understand,
   quantify, manage and report greenhouse gas emissions.

Decide and plan where you want to go. Set goals.

A strategy and action plan can be developed based on your assessment of
climate-related risks and opportunities.

� Set targets as these help focus efforts and provide a benchmark for
   measuring success.

� Most homes or businesses can reduce energy use by 10 per cent-which
    almost always results in a 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas
    emissions-with a one year or less payback (return on investment).

� Identify and focus on the type of energy and the way it is used e.g.
    electricity for buildings and fuel for transport. Reducing this energy can
    create instant savings.

� Do an energy audit. See how much you use, when and where you use
    it the most. Then you can assess where to decrease your consumption.

De-carbon your life

Everything we do or use embodies some form of carbon, either in products
themselves or in the energy and materials needed to make them.

� Look for 'carbon copies' that can be used instead that will impact least on
    the climate.

� Integrate climate or environmentally friendly criteria in your decision
    making. This can trigger a ripple effect. If consumers, manufacturers and
    lawmakers all think 'low carbon' and 'climate friendly' savings in carbon
    emissions will multiply.

   � For example: product packaging. US retail giant Wal-Mart worked with one of their toy suppliers
      to reduce packaging on 16 items. The toy suppliers saved on packaging costs while Wal-Mart used
      230 fewer shipping containers to distribute their products, saving about 356 barrels of oil and
      1,300 trees.

   � For example: buy paper or wood products that adhere to internationally certified standards.
      Switching to recycled or sustainably sourced paper can also lead to considerable savings,
      reducing both landfill use and carbon emissions. Using recycled paper can save 1.4 tonnes of
      CO2 for every tonne of paper and cardboard.

� Making smart travel choices can reduce your carbon footprint (and your waste of time).

   � Cities can improve public transport options.
   � Companies can encourage low carbon habits by investing in hybrid technology company vehicles.
   � Individuals can create lift schemes or use public transport.
   � Companies could offer parking subsidies for people that co-ride to work.
   � If there was an effective public transport system, companies could subsidise the monthly or yearly
      costs instead of subsidising parking.

Get energy efficient

Improving the efficiency of your buildings, computers, cars and products is the fastest and most lucrative way to save money, energy and carbon emissions.

� Energy efficiency is about increasing productivity but doing more with less.
   More efficient buildings, cars and products will make a direct and lasting contribution to limiting
   carbon emissions.

� Conventional buildings can account for almost 40 per cent of CO2 emissions.
   High performance, environmentally accountable, energy efficient and productive facilities are now
   possible.

� Simple steps can lead to immediate savings.

   � Turning off unused lights, motors, computers and heating can substantially reduce wasted energy
      and save money. Laptops generally use less energy than desktop computers and LCD monitors
      use less energy than CRT screens.

   � Consider what to do with equipment when its useful life is finished. Recycle.
      Ask if the manufacturers offer take-back or recycling.

   � Look for energy efficiency standards. For appliances, the Energy Star rating is a way to describe
      efficiency.

   � Decrease your travelling (see above for more ideas). Use web and video conferencing technology
      instead of travelling to a meeting.

� Lighting can account for 15-20 per cent of total electricity use.

   � Converting coal at the power plant into incandescent light is only three per cent efficient.
      Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) have evolved rapidly in the past decade. They now last between
      six and 5 years and reduce electricity use by a minimum of 75 per cent compared to a standard
      incandescent bulb.

   � The advantages of CFLs and other high efficiency lighting have prompted legislation to ban
      incandescent bulbs. In 2007, Australia was the first country to mandate that no incandescent bulbs
      will be sold by 2012, a move that will reduce emissions by four million tonnes and cut power bills
      for lighting by up to 66 per cent.

For more tips: www.greenworks.co.za/reduceelectricitypage.html

Switch to low carbon energy

If possible, switch to energy sources that emit less carbon and can reduce costs and emissions. Generally, coal produces twice the emissions of gas, six times the amount of solar, 40 times the amount of wind and 200 times the amount from hydro.

� Install solar water heaters.

� Install solar systems for your household electricity.

� Tax breaks and incentives can make solar photovoltaic systems and other renewable energy
    technologies cost effective.

� The transport sector is responsible for 25 per cent of total energy consumption and greenhouse
   gas emissions, mainly from burning petrol and diesel.

� When purchasing your next vehicle select a hybrid car.

� Petition the Department of Minerals and Energy and the Department of Environment and Tourism
   urging them to build solar based power stations instead of coal power stations.

� Petition the government to legislate that all new developments have solar water heaters instead
   of energy intensive geysers.

Invest in offsets and cleaner alternatives

Although there is a limit to how much efficiency you can squeeze from your lifestyle or your organisation's operations, or how much renewable energy you can employ, you can offset your carbon emissions.

� Those who wish to compensate for their remaining emissions can fund an activity by another party
   that reduces emissions.

    � This is commonly called a 'carbon offset' or 'carbon credit'.
    � The term carbon neutral includes the idea of neutralising emissions through supporting carbon
       savings elsewhere.

� To purchase offsets, individuals or businesses pay an offset company to implement and manage
   projects that avoid, reduce or absorb greenhouse gases.

� Climate change is a global problem, so carbon reductions will have the same impact no matter
   where they are implemented. Carbon credits can be generated by emission-free energy generation,
   reduced demand, including energy efficiency, or sequestration in the form of underground and
   forestry storage.

� Plant trees.

Get efficient

Carbon is generally the waste product of producing energy.

� Increase the efficiency of your resource by avoiding and reducing waste and improving your overall
   performance and reputation.

� Integrate the reduce, reuse and recycle principles into your daily thinking.

For more information and tips www.greenworks.co.za

Sell or buy low carbon and green products and services

The market for climate friendly products and services is growing rapidly, from energy efficient
products to new renewable energy systems.

� To offer such products it's important to begin at the design stage.

   � Actions as simple as adding energy efficient specifications into the design process, can produce
      a design that minimises energy consumption during its use and saves customers the time and
      energy from making adjustments to a product after a purchase, (for example having to wrap
      water heaters with insulation blankets).

�   Designing for sustainability or ecodesign takes into account the life cycle design, environmentally
    conscious design and manufacturing of a product to ensure the lowest environmental impact
    throughout the product life cycle.

� Select a green product over one that isn't green.

� Buy products and services from companies that are environmentally friendly in their manufacturing
   and sales process or offset emissions.

Communicate

Spread the message and become a green ambassador.

� Add a message to your emails. Please feel free to copy this one.

Adapted from United Nations Environment Programme website World Environment Day - 5 June 2009 http://www.unep.org/wed/2009/english/content/steps12.asp

Take a step in the green direction.

� Set green goals.

� Pledge to make a greening difference in your home, school or office.

� Select a number of steps you can take to walk on in your home to save resources.

� Commit for a week then a month and then long term. Changing habits always takes an initial
    adjustment but then they become a way of life.

� Take action.

� Wear a green ribbon.

� Wear green clothing - both in colour and product.

� Find out more about the environment and what you can do to make a difference.

� Hold an environmentally friendly event to spread the message.

� Set up a recycling programme at home or the office. Check your local municipality's website for
   recycling drop off points.

� Buy green products instead of others.

� Organise a community or school clean-up (liaise with your local municipality in advance to arrange
   for collection if there are a lot of extra bags).

� Clean out the storm water drain in your street (litter is a huge problem that gets into storm water
    drains).

� Make a donation to an environmental or conservation organisation.

� Plant a tree or indigenous plants.

� Take a walk in an environmentally friendly area and enjoy being outdoors.

� Select ways to reduce your electricity consumption.

� Explore the option of a solar water heater.

� Select ways to reduce your water consumption.

� Explore putting a water tank in your garden or flow regulators in your taps.

� Turn the pressure tap down.

� Commit to only eating seafood from the Green List

� Be aware of your waste

   � How much stuff do you throw away
   � How much can be recycled
   � How much food is wasted (see food saving suggestions)

� Create an email that you send to friends and colleagues informing them of your commitment and
   encourage them to do so too.

� Create a communal "pledge board" where people can write their environmental pledge for the year
   e.g."I will turn off the lights when I leave the room", "I will turn off the water while shaving or
   brushing my teeth".

� Create a poster with your class or your children.

� Create a mural at a school or community centre to encourage environmental awareness.

� Prepare a vegetarian/vegan meal instead of a meat meal.

� Prepare meals using organic foods.

� Prepare only enough food so nothing goes to waste.

� Create your own compost.

� Write a World Environment Day article for your local newspaper, or for your business/community
   newsletter.

� If you are planning on building or doing a renovation, then build an environmentally friendly house
   or kitchen or bathroom.

� Create a community food garden.

� Create your own vegetable and herb garden.