by Krista White

Created on: April 21, 2007   Last Updated: April 26, 2007

When we hear talk of the Kyoto protocol, the IPCC and international carbon trading schemes, we might think that a problem as big as climate change can only be solved with big actions, organized by government panels. But the fact is that in the west, a significant portion of our greenhouse gas emissions come from our wasteful homes. And home is where we should all be starting our fight.

This article contains a comprehensive, room by room guide to reducing waste at home, from small 'do it today' changes to bigger long term investments.

THE BATHROOM

1. Check your toilet. Almost 1/3 of toilets leak 400 litres of water per day without us ever knowing it. Check yours by putting some food colouring in the tank. If the water in the bowl turns colour after a few minutes then you should replace your flap. (Cost $10, returned in 2.5 weeks of water savings)

2. Go low-flow. All it takes is a plastic pop bottle filled with sand or rocks to save a litre of water on each and every flush. (Cost $0 assuming you already have the bottle in your garbage and the sand in your yard, returned in 1 flush)

3. Install water saving shower and faucet heads. An old shower head can use 100 gallons per shower! You can cut that in half with a water saving head. (Cost $20, returned in one month for a family of 4)

4. Switch to recycled toilet paper. Do we really need to flush paper made fresh from old growth forests? (Cost $0, actually, recycled costs less)

THE KITCHEN

1. Downsize your appliances. No, you don't have to replace them, but do invest in a good toaster oven and opt for it, or the microwave instead of the stove whenever possible. They use much less energy, and in the summer don't add extra heat to your house. While you're at it, grab a slow cooker to make quick, cheap and healthy meals for the whole family. (Cost of a toaster oven $50, returned in 500 cooking hours)

2. Turn up your fridge. We tend to think that we need ice crystals in our milk to keep food fresh, but actually it only needs to be 4C (39F) to keep food from spoiling. For significant, long term savings, replace it with a new EnergyStar model, which aside from being more energy efficient, are also CFC free.

3. Only run the dishwasher when it's full - or better yet, don't use it at all. Use the energy saver cycle if your machine has one, and open the door to let the dishes air dry, rather than the heat dry setting. (Cost of air drying $0, returns 1kWh per cycle)

4. Compost those kitchen scraps! Sending food scraps to the landfill

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