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Decline that ATM Receipt
Whenever you withdraw cash from an ATM machine,
avoid requesting for the receipt. Receipts from
billions of ATM transactions every year are one
of the biggest sources of litter on the planet.
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If everyone left their receipts in the machine,
it would save a roll of paper more than 2
billion feet long—enough to circle the equator
more than 15 times. |
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Carry your own eco-bag whenever you
shop
Get re-usable cloth bags for shopping or simply
re-use you old plastic or paper bags until they
run out. Eco-bags are the only earth-friendly
alternative available, simply because these are
not throw-away, we don’t need to cut down trees,
consumes water or energy in their production.
Re-usable eco-bags are available at Carrefour
City Centre and Villagio or visit
www.ecobags.com. |
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If you are confronted with a choice between
paper and plastic, say no to both. But if you
must choose then say paper. While it takes
decades for plastic to biodegrade, paper
biodegrades in 1-5 months and has a better
chance of being recycled. However an estimated
14 million trees a year have to be cut down to
make 10 billion paper bags. |
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Shop Smart
Purchase products with less or no plastic
containers. Look for products that come in
reusable glass jars and recyclable paper boxes.
If you must buy disposable dishware, look for
ones made of 100 percent recycled plastic.
They're dishwasher safe, easy to use, and you
can use them over and over again.
Buy recycled aluminium foil, which requires just
one-twentieth the energy of non- recycled foil.
Purchase locally made products rather than
imported goods. This way you help reduce the
energy needed to transport the goods into Qatar.
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Watch out for the packaging
Many items in the market come in packaging made
from petroleum products. Some products come in
several layers of packaging. Look for products
that have minimal packaging. |
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Buy organic
If you have a choice, buy organically grown
fruits and vegetables and organic personal care
products. Organic products are produced without
the use of synthetic, chemical pesticides,
fertilizers, growth hormones or antibiotics.
Healthier for your body and the planet! |
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In Austria – the country with the highest
proportion of organic land in the EU – over 8000
different organic products were available in the
supermarket in 2006. in Italy all school lunches
must be organic by law since 2005. in the UK
organic food sales increased from £ 100 million
in 1994 to £ 1.2 billion in 2004. |
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Avoid plastic bottles
Don't buy bottled water if you know your tap
water is safe. If you must buy bottled water get
a water filter and a reusable aluminium bottle.
If you are buying a plastic bottle consider its
grade. Look on the bottom of the bottle for a
small plastic triangle with a number in the
middle. If you see a number 2, 4 or 5, the
bottle is safe. |
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It takes six litres of water to produce just one
litre of water, simply because it takes five
litres of water to cool the plastic containing
the water. |
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Go Bamboo
When buying any wood or furniture product look
for bamboo products first. Because it is so fast
growing, it is much easier to maintain healthy
bamboo forests. Bamboo is one of the greenest
materials around. |
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Smell the paint
When purchasing paints and varnishes look for
cans with low-VOC, zero-VOC, water-based,
less-toxic labels. These paints are durable,
cost-effective and don’t release toxic emissions
in to the air and therefore are less harmful to
human and environmental health. |
