Here are a few small choices you can make that will help you care for our planet, save money and lead a healthier life.
For more information on how to live lightly, check out the Live Lightly Facebook page and website.
1. Get active
Replace one trip a week usually taken by car with active transport like walking, cycling, or scootering. Find cycleways and walkways near you.
2. Share your wheels
Carpool once a week and save up to 20 per cent on petrol and parking. You’ll also save time and hassle by letting someone else drive for a change. Register to carpool with Smart Travel NZ.
3. Love food, hate waste
Plan your meals for the week and shop with a good list. You can even take a photo of your fridge or pantry with you. This way you’ll end up using all of what you buy for your signature dish or new creation. Get more tips for avoiding food waste.
4. Eat in season
Plant a fruit tree, herbs or vegetable garden at home or in a shared space – perhaps at work or at a friend’s place. If you can’t, try to choose New Zealand-grown produce. Find a community garden near you.
5. Be waterwise
Shortening your shower time to four minutes could save up to $180 per person per year.
6. Keep warm
Get efficient with energy: borrow a HEAT kit from your local library to check out the energy efficiency of your home and see where you could make improvements, like adding draught stoppers or insulation. Find out how to borrow a Home Energy Audit Toolkit.
7. Think before you buy
Don’t forget your reusable shopping bags and coffee cups: stash them in your car, your handbag, the basket of your bike, the pram, or where you leave your keys so you don’t leave home without them.
8. Green up your backyard
Plant native trees and shrubs to encourage wildlife back to your property.
9. Start a conversation
Chat about things that really matter with your friends; ask your local MP what their views are on climate change; join the conversation whenever you can.
