Environmental Tips

Water consumption

Less than 1% of the earth's water supply is fresh, drinkable water accessible to humans. Much of the distribution of our suppies is uneven and leaving entire populations thirsty.

The cost of just one case of bottled water could supply a person in Africa with clean, safe drinking water for the next 5 years!

Your choice matters... It will make a difference...

How will you change the world today?

Read more: http://thewaterproject.org/bottled_water.asp#ixzz1Evf5KOrQ

Carbon

• According to NASA, half of the oxygen we breathe comes from synthesis of marine plants.

• Carbon in the ocean is about 50 times greater than in the atmosphere.

• 48% of fossil fuel emissions are absorbed by our oceans, reducing the greenhouse gases that      could be part of the air we breathe.

If you would like to find out how you can offset your family or business carbon footprint, please go to: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/

Choose Your Fish Wisely

By learning about the various methods by which different fish are caught, you can make informed choices to help prevent environmental damage caused by harmful methods such as bottom trawling and gill-netting.  Armed with this information, you can help in the fight against:

• depleting fish stocks by overfishing

• damage to the seabed and marine habitat

• the senseless killing of dolphins, sea lions,                                                                                    albatrosses and other seabirds and mammals, which drown when caught as by-catch

You can download a free guide to which types of fish are caught by which methods at: http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/publications/-best-fish-guide

Clean Green Boating

Simple ways to reduce your boat’s impact on the environment.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQK/is_/ai_n27459018

http://www.discoverboating.com/resources/greenboating.aspx

• Fuelling up

• Fill the tank to only 90% of capacity. This reduces spills at the fuel dock and decreases the likelihood of spills when the fuel expands on a hot day.

• Use a fuel-air separator and an overflow containment device to help prevent spills out of the fuel vent. Absorbent pads, funnels and absorbent nozzle collars can help prevent spills during refuelling.
• Keep an eye on the bilge. Automatic pumps keep the bilge dry and the boat afloat but debris and engine oil tend to migrate here and could cause problems. Keep oil-absorbent socks in the bilge to help prevent oily discharges.
• Cleaning
• Wash and wax your boat at the beginning of the season. Scrubbing and rinsing the boat with water will minimise the need for soaps throughout the year, allowing the wax to protect the boat all season long. Use boat covers between trips to reduce the need for cleaning.
• Minimise your teak maintenance while the boat is in the water. Caustic cleaners are hazardous materials and must be disposed of accordingly.  They should not be allowed to reach the water. These cleaning chemicals erode the soft grain of teak, damage the seams around the wood and over time, make it more difficult to clean without sanding. Varnished teak lasts longer and provides more protection than oil finishes.
• Plan Ahead
• Chart a course that reduces propeller damage to marine life and their habitat.Planning your trip in advance can also minimise fuel consumption.
• Maintain Your Boat
• Make sure your boat, engine and propeller blades are in good condition to avoid wasting fuel and minimise the chances of any leaks of oil or other hazardous materials into the water.
• Take Your Rubbish Home
• Take all your rubbish home with you - plastic, metals, cardboard and food scraps. Food scraps might seem okay to discard but they require oxygen to break down, which is in short supply in many of our waterways.
• Invasive Species. Invasive species may hitchhike in all the crevices of your boat, including engine intakes and live wells, so be sure to wash your boat and any equipment that came in contact with the water thoroughly at the boat ramp.
• Holding Tanks and Portable Toilets

If your boat is equipped with a holding tank, know where the nearest pump-out station is and use it. If one is not convenient, check into mobile services that come to your marina. If your boat has a portable toilet, be sure to empty it at a dump station. Better yet, have your crew use onshore facilities prior to departure.

Water Use in the Home

The amount of water you use at home directly affects the amount and quality of water circulating in the ecosystem.  Unnecessary heating of water adds to carbon emissions.  Here are some simple steps to take to reduce your water consumption, carbon emissions and energy bills.

•    Take shorter showers

•    Insulate your hot water tank

•    Install a low-flow shower fitting

•    Reduce the amount of water used when flushing the toilet:

☛Use the newer type with dual flush function or…

☛If you have an older-style toilet, place one or more filled bottles of water in the         tank to reduce its capacity

• Only use your dishwasher when it is full
• When washing dishes by hand, wash them all together
• Install a solar-powered water heating system – it will pay for itself in five years
• Use the cold cycle on your washing machine and only wash with a full load
• Dry your clothes on a washing line, rather than in an electric dryer
• Non-drinking water can still be recycled. Enquire about using a “grey water system” to re-use the water from your shower or bath for watering the garden; or kitchen sink and washing machine water for refilling the toilet cistern

• Collect rainwater to use on your garden, in your toilet cistern, in your pool, washing         machine, shower – even for drinking.

Swimming Pools

• Cover your swimming pool when not in use– you will save 50to 80% on heating cost.
• Use rainwater to fill your pool.

• Use a backwash system to dissipate chlorine and discharge the water into your garden, rather than into the storm-water system

• Check out alternative water purifiers, to lower chlorine levels

Plastic Bags

In the US alone, 100 million discarded plastic bags end up in the environment.  They block drains and other waterways, entangle sea birds, choke marine animals and, as they disintegrate in the ocean, work their way into the food chain.

• Buy reusable bags to take to the supermarket

• Refuse plastic bags at shop counters

• Recycle any supermarket bags you may have

   

Recycling Plastic

Most towns and cities offer a recycling service as part of their rubbish collection.  Look for the numbers in the recycling triangles on all plastic packaging.  All plastics numbered from 1 to 7 are supposedly recyclable but there is only generally a market for plastics numbered 1 and 2.  Some countries, such as Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA, have recycling programmes for 3 (PVC).

• You can help by recycling all plastics accepted in your home town.

• You can assist further by not buying consumer goods packaged in non-recyclable plastic.