Activity: What can you do?

Nick greening up his home .

On SCOPE's climate change episode, you saw Nick tackle the global problem of climate change at the local level. Here’s what he did. Watch the clip.

What you need

• Yourself and the will to change

What to do

1. Ride or walk instead of driving.
2. Heaps of appliances still use electricity even when they are in 'stand by' mode. Switch them off at the appliance (or even at the power point) to save some energy.
3. The screensaver on your computer does not save energy (just the screen) – so turn it off!
4. Switch off unnecessary lights and replace standard globes with energy saving light bulbs (compact fluorescents).
5. Close the windows and doors of rooms you are not using, like laundries and bathrooms, and draw the curtains and blinds to prevent heat loss.

What's happening?

Climate change is certainly a hot topic. One thing we know for sure is that we have to cut our greenhouse gas emissions fairly quickly. Each year the average Australian household generates about 14 tonnes of greenhouse gas. So if we can reduce that, it is a good start.

You might think that one household won’t make a difference – but it will! Think globally, act locally.

Did you know that things like cars and buses are the biggest source of all household greenhouse gas emissions? But power stations also create emissions, so less power means less greenhouse gases. The electricity used to light an average Aussie home each year generates around ¾ of a tonne of greenhouse gas. But energy saving light bulbs can last six times longer, and use 80 per cent less energy than a standard globe.

Did you know that a large screen TV used for six hours a day can generate around a tonne of greenhouse gas each year?

And then there’s water! What's that got to do with power and greenhouse gases? The average home uses electricity for water heating and generates about four tonnes of greenhouse gas every year, and every little bit counts!