14/04/2005 - Three simple
steps, which can easily be taken before breakfast,
will save energy and money as well as time,
according to the Environment Agency.
The Agency has launched the challenge for
World Environment Day, which will be held
in June. It wants to encourage everyone to:
Have a shower instead of a bath – saving
45 litres of water and the energy required
to heat it
Turn the tap off while you clean your teeth
– and save another 15 litres of water
Only fill the kettle with the water you need
– reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20gms
a day
Over a year, these simple actions would save
27,375 litres of water and reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by more than 7kg. After breakfast,
carbon dioxide emissions can continue to be
reduced by simply leaving the car at home
and cycling or walking to work, which would
save a massive 1,296 kg over one year.
EastEnders actress Jemma Walker says: "Everyone
brushes their teeth, has a hot drink and a
shower in the morning. It's great to think
that you can do your bit for the environment
by just doing these normal things in a slightly
different way. Turning off the tap when you
brush your teeth, not overfilling the kettle
and having a shower - it's easy, something
even I can stick to! Join me and have a shower
for World Environment Day!"
The importance of reducing carbon dioxide
emissions and saving water is outlined in
an Environment Agency report on climate change*.
These actions form a major part of the personal
pledges that people can sign up to for World
Environment Day 2005 on 5 June.
Last year over 12,000 people signed up to
one or more pledges and in a year they saved
over 100 million litres of water, reduced
of carbon dioxide emissions by one million
kg and cleared half a million plastic bags
from the environment. This year the Environment
Agency hopes to beat these targets and is
urging everyone to take part.
"By working together a few small actions
can make an enormous difference to our world,"
says Martin Booth from the Environment Agency
in the South West. "There are 53 million
people living in England and Wales and if
we all turned the tap off when we clean our
teeth, we could save 1,590,000,000 litres
of water a day – enough to fill more than
630 Olympic swimming pools."
Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson made
several pledges last year and said: "I'm
amazed at how easily we can each make such
a tremendous difference to the environment.
When doing something this positive is so easy,
there really is no excuse for us not to adopt
at least one or two of these small everyday
actions."
To find out more information about how you
can make a pledge for World Environment Day,
log on to www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wed.
