5 June
2006 - The Minister for the Environment and Heritage,
Senator Ian Campbell, has encouraged all Australians
to celebrate World Environment Day today (5 June
2006) and said we should care for our planet every
single day.
Senator Campbell said caring
for our unique environment was the personal responsibility
of every Australian.
He said the Australian Government
continued its investment to protect our environment
and heritage for future generations, with $3.9
billion committed in the 2006-07 Budget.
“Over the past 10 years, the
Howard Government has provided record levels of
funding to tackle our key environmental challenges
of climate change and managing our natural resources
but I encourage everyone to join in and take simple
actions to protect our environment,” Senator Campbell
said.
“We should all be proud of the
work we’re doing to protect our environment –
but there are a lot of simple things we can all
do better that will make a big difference.
“Given that 85 per cent of Australians
live in towns and cities, and that we’re leading
the world in environmental education, today is
a time to do some homework on how we can live
more sustainably every day.
“Something as simple as turning
off your television instead of leaving it on standby
can save up to 85 kilograms of greenhouse gases
each year – that’s enough gas to fill 85 family
fridges.”
If all Australian households
replaced their standard light bulbs with compact
fluorescent lamps, they would save the equivalent
amount of electricity as generated by one 600MW
power station.
“Setting up your refrigerators
and freezers in cool spots, out of the sun and
away from ovens, will save up to another 100 kilograms
of greenhouse gas each year.”
Senator Campbell said dripping
taps were one of the biggest culprits of water
wastage in the average household – and are so
simple to fix. “With a $2 washer, you can save
up to 600 litres of water a year. That’s enough
to fill a bathtub every six weeks.”
“The water savings can extend
beyond the home as well – in fact mowing your
lawn less often will keep your lawn greener with
less water and save precious drops for drinking.
“We should use World Environment
Day to all work together to change our environment
for the better, home by home,” he said.
