Bridgend County Borough Council will be running a series of exhibitions during the Welsh Assembly Government’s first ever Wales Sustainability Week (17 – 23 May) to showcase good practice in the county borough.
The week aims to recognise and celebrate the activities of organisations and individuals who are already embracing and working to promote sustainable development. It is hoped that the series of exhibitions, which will be held in the customer service centre in Civic Offices, Angel Street, will inspire residents, staff and organisations to become more sustainable.
The council will be displaying information on the number of its sustainable initiatives and the following partners will be exhibiting during the week:
Monday, 17 May, Groundwork, 10am-3pm
Groundwork will be encouraging you to save energy and water, in an altogether different and innovative way …using snakes and ladders!
Tuesday, 18 May, Energy Saving Trust, 10am-3pm
The trust will provide householders with a multitude of tips for saving energy and money, together with low energy light bulbs and information on energy saving grants.
Wednesday, 19 May, Sussed, 10am-3pm
Sussed, the community co-operative based in Porthcawl will offer fair-trade, eco-friendly and organically produced goods.
Friday, 21 May, Bridgend County Borough Council’s Biodiversity & Countryside Team, 10am-1pm
The council’s very own Biodiversity and Countryside team will be able to answer questions on wildlife issues such as protected species, designated sites and invasive species. There will also be an opportunity to find out more about volunteering.
For more information on the week’s events, please contact the council’s Sustainable Development team on (01656) 643163.
Below are some top sustainability tips to help you save energy and money as well as reduce consumption.
At Home
- Turn the thermostat down, reducing your room temperature could cut your heating bills by up to 10% and typically saves £55 per year.
- Close the curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows and check for draughts around windows and doors.
- Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Don’t leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.
- Have a shower rather than a bath.
Lifestyle
- Buy a bag for life instead of throwaway plastic carrier bags. 100,000 tonnes of carrier bags are thrown away each year and each bag will take over 100 years to decompose.
- Buy fruit and vegetables loose and use local markets and farm shops when available to support your local economy and farmers.
- Avoid buying over packaged goods.
- Buy recycled products where possible, such as computer paper, greetings cards, wrapping paper, toilet paper etc.
- Cycle/walk to work its much healthier for you and the environment.
- Car share to work, school runs and college.
In the kitchen
* Use paper bags or grease proof paper to wrap your sandwiches in rather than using cling film or foil.
* Re-use plastic pots and containers such as ice cream tubs to store and freeze food.
In the garden
- Put wet autumn leaves in a black bag and moisten, make some holes in the bag and next year you will have some leaf mould which you can use again in your garden.
- Water your garden at night so the water doesn’t evaporate but soaks in.
- Collect your rain water by installing a water butt – its much better for plants than chlorinated tap water.
Behind the wheel
- Drive off from cold. Modern cars are designed to move straight away, warming up the engine wastes fuel and actually causes engine wear.
- Check your revs. Change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) or 2,000rpm (diesel).
- Step off the accelerator. When slowing down or driving downhill, remain in gear but take your foot off the accelerator early. This reduces fuel flow to the engine to virtually zero.
- Slow Down. Driving within the speed limit is safer as well as being the law, and reduces fuel consumption.
