Feeling green?

Green living tips by Riaan and Michelle Garforth Venter

Here are some of our simple steps to living a greener life – a life that will impact favourably on the world around you.

Clean green
There are many natural plant-based, biodegradable soaps and detergents which are not only safe for the environment, but for your home too. Read the labels and try and buy ammonia and chlorine free cleaning products

Be laundry wise 
Always run your wash machine with a full load to get the most out of your water and energy use. Try and wash all your clothes in cold water – 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is in actual fact to heat the water.

Choose natural and organic cosmetics and personal care products
Read the labels and choose products that are paraben and lauryl/laureth sulphate free – your body will thank you for choosing to do away with these harmful chemicals.

Install a water filter
Water filters are great to get clean and safe water without all the waste – fewer plastic bottles end up in our landfills and you will be reducing the amount of fuel consumed that normally is used to ship the water bottles.

Turn your toilet into a low flow toilet
Submerge a brick or a full plastic bottle into the tank to reduce your water consumption and save the planet’s water one flush at a time.

Fix leaky taps and toilets
This is unnecessary wastage and you will be saving an enormous amount of water annually just by checking your taps and toilets are not leaking.

Invest in some houseplants
Houseplants produce fresh clean air, and absorb carbon dioxide and chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene.

Plant a tree
Remember that trees are the ‘lungs’ of our planet – this is a great way to offset your carbon usage as well as making a long-term investment in the worlds trees.

Eat a vegetarian meal two or three times a week
A plant-based diet requires a lot less energy and water to produce than a meat-based diet.

Change all your light bulbs to CFL and LED
Every time one of your old tungsten light bulbs dies, replace it with a CFL or LED energy efficient bulb. These bulbs produce as much light as an incandescent bulb but use a fraction of the energy and are now available in all shapes and sizes.

Turn down your geyser thermostat and insulate your geyser
Insulating your water heater will reduce the heat loss by 25-45 percent.

Check the temperature and seals on your fridge and freezer
A fridge or freezer that is not sealed is reducing its efficiency.

Unplug your appliances
Even when most appliances are off they are still consuming large amounts of energy (your cell phone charger being one of the biggest culprits).

Invest in solar
Solar is no longer unaffordable – solar water systems (thermal) and energy systems (photovoltaic) are now available with a huge rebate from Eskom and come with handy payment plans.

Buy local
This reduces the carbon footprint of your product.

Stop buying plastic bags
Plastic is the serial killer of the oceans – they don’t always end up in the landfill but often end up in our oceans where they start a deadly cycle of killing the marine life

Check the pressure on your car tyres
This simple act will reduce the amount of fuel your car uses and in turn reduce your carbon emissions.

Michelle and Riaan Garforth-Venter have just launched their first book aptly called The green line: a South African guide to green living. It provides practical tips on sustainable living and it simplifies how to implement green initiatives in South African homes and the workplace.

Eat green too, check out our vegetarian restaurant selection for inspiration. 

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