Your country most likely has real green electricity providers, as they purchase or implement the appropriate capacities of green electricity for each customer. The other electricity providers only offer an electricity mix. The share of green electricity is sold more expensive as an eco-tariff to some customers, while the other customers theoretically only receive the shares of gas, coal, etc. http://www.imodeler.info/ro?key=CF8Gsu47BnYHLi5NHUWXKVA

It is always a consideration whether the further use of an older device does not require less energy or water than the production of a new, energy-efficient device. Therefore, the energy requirement along the entire product life cycle (from production to use to disposal) must be considered. Sometimes someone needs a different device and can't afford a new one - then a used device from someone who has bought a new, more economical device, of course, also makes sense. With some devices, the top values are only achieved with large quantities, i.e. washing machines with a lot of capacity. It is to see whether the top values also apply with lower filling quantities, for example for single households.

LED 'light bulbs' are now available for really all lamps, even with pleasantly warm light colors.

Streaming can hardly be stopped. It is convenient if all data is automatically backed up in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, and it is equally convenient if all shipments can be viewed not only at a certain time, but 'on demand'. It can also be argued that computers no longer need such large hard drives and CDs or BlueRays no longer need to be produced. In the end, however, streaming all over the world means a considerable energy demand and the infrastructures for transmission towers devour space and raw materials and they probably also cause harmful radiation. One solution is therefore to give up comfort a bit and perhaps also go more into nature instead of squatting in front of the screen. In detail, there is still the possibility to download something more at home with fiber optic, than on the go with older mobile networks.

So-called balcony power plants are the entry into energy awareness. One to two panels connected to an inverter with a maximum of 800 watts can currently be purchased without VAT. They pay off after a few years - depending on how many devices we have running during the day (washing machine, refrigerator, lawn mower, ...). The panels can also perform more than 800 W, for example so that they can also reach the maximum 800 W of the inverter in the morning and afternoon. They help us to understand the calculation in watts and to see the benefits when we turn on the dishwasher in the sunshine, and not in the evening. Such load management is the future when electricity tariffs are adapted to the supply of wind and sun. In addition, the owners of balcony power plants are of course proud of their contribution to a better world and infect others. The mostly complete set from the hardware store or the Internet can be screwed storm-proof even to the south or half to the east and west and then simply plug into the socket and the electricity finds the shortest way, without this amount of electricity running through the meter from the outside and having to be paid for. Conversely, however, the unused electricity usually flows uncounted (old meters run backwards and then count :-) into the grid and pleases the electricity provider.

We have to use all suitable areas for photovoltaics (PV), as the variants on open spaces restrict nature and agriculture. A trend is PV on stilts, so that it can still be gardened or cultivated underneath. But that costs building material. Photovoltaics has become amazingly inexpensive today thanks to cheap panels from China. Unfortunately, there is hardly any money to make from the feed into the power grid, currently about 8 cents per kWh in Germany. Therefore, PV should always be combined with its own electricity storage (own step, see below) so that as much electricity as possible is consumed by yourself. This then saves approx. 25 to 35 cents per kWh (depending on your tariff), which we would otherwise have to pay to the electricity provider. In this way, your own PV system, adapted to your own electricity consumption, pays off after just a few years. If you have a car, you should take into account its consumption (even if it is not yet an electric car). Then the savings are much bigger. The banks like to give loans for PV, quite often it is also being subsidized. In addition, there are also providers who take over the costs and virtually rent the roof area and offer discounted electricity in return. Such providers then form so-called virtual power plants with other houses and their batteries. For such a dependency, you should inform yourself well about what is best for you.

An electricity storage system primarily helps to maximize the yield of the PV system if the electricity is not fed into the grid for little money, but comes out of the battery in the evening and then allows the full electricity price to be saved. Another advantage may be that some batteries work as an island system in the event of a power outage. The already mentioned virtual power plants then access your battery from the outside and make the electricity available virtually in the neighborhood and compensate you for it. In addition, power grids are stabilized and even with little wind and no sun, we can consume renewable energies. Note on lithium: Like many other raw materials, lithium is often problematic during mining. However, the life cycle assessment must take into account that we can recycle lithium for hundreds of years. In the basement, older lithium batteries from the automotive industry could also come to a second life later or, alternatively, sodium batteries that require more space.

Motion detectors make sense in all rooms including outdoor areas, where we potentially let the light burn for too long, for example in the hallway, basement, garage, etc. Of course, it is important that the light does not stay on for too long.

Standby power consumption is often reminded and extrapolated. For example, if a TV consumes 5 watts in standby, that is 120 watt hours (Wh) per day, i.e. about one eighth of a kilowatt hour, which costs about 35 cents. So hardly anyone will get up from the sofa for 5 cents a day and press the switch on the TV, or turn off the WLAN router at night, or shut down the computer. Or is it? And how many watt hours could be saved daily in all households? Would this consideration influence your actions?

Modern lamps require little electricity, and yet it is worthwhile not to let them burn unnecessarily, for example when we are not in the room for a long time.

Apart from the fact that every device can have a high power consumption, a refrigerator is not regularly defrosted, the door seal is leaking, the washing machine is driven with too high temperatures and spin numbers, etc., there are still some unnecessary things that consume a lot of electricity: Tumble dryer, sauna, dehumidifier, pond pumps, aquarium heaters, terrace heaters, etc. The easiest way is to see to what extent you deviate from the average consumption in Germany and then think about what it is. If you are charging an electric car at home, you should see what can be attributed to it (either the car offers this evaluation or you use a separate electricity meter for this).

Long and hot showers mean water and energy consumption and ultimately high costs. The other effects are even more impressive in the network - or did you know that long showering can be responsible for refugees and the quality of life in Germany? http://www.imodeler.info/ro? key=Ceju1XNHCFZBJc2MpbAOl5Q We simply take a Spartaste when flushing the toilet for granted.

Appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers must specify a value for water consumption when buying new. It is therefore worthwhile to compare water and energy consumption equally and also to research corresponding test reports..

We can use rainwater at least for garden irrigation in the case of unproblematic materials of the roof. With significantly more effort also for washing machine and toilet flushing. Even if it takes quite a long time economically before it's worth it, it's a good thing.

Building materials such as concrete, plaster, steel or even aluminum have a high ecological footprint and mean many greenhouse gases. The foamed insulation materials are also in the criticism. In addition, the negative consequences of conventional paints and adhesives are often unknown, which then lead to toxic exhaust gases in waste incineration plants due to ultimately ineffective filters. Natural building materials and colors are significantly more expensive, although the non-natural materials are often extremely expensive when it comes to disposal. So it is the good feeling, the better smell and the healthier building biology that make us do the right thing here.

In most living rooms and bedrooms it is too warm in winter - we walk around in a T-shirt instead of putting on thick sweaters and sweaters. The energy-saving potential is considerable. When lowering the temperature, attention must be paid to the indoor climate and the possible risk of mold formation. This depends above all on the humidity.

Intelligent ventilation does not mean too late and not too long. It is too late when we get tired when the air is used up, get a headache and the humidity becomes too high. It is too long when the air has already been replaced and is cool, but we also ventilate the materials (walls, furniture) even longer. Heat ultimately means that things or air vibrate. When the air is exchanged, but the objects and walls are still vibrating, the fresh air is quickly heated. Even if the walls get cold, mold can form on them and we need expensive heating energy to make everything vibrate again. By the way, CO2 measuring devices help to ventilate in time and not for too long. However, these should not be a useless gadget, but perhaps used for practice one after the other in the rooms and gladly lent. A nice game is the competition, how good the sense of the people in the room is to ventilate in time and not too long.

Vegan means refraining from fish, meat, milk, cheese and other animal foods. Unthinkable for many people, on the one hand because of the taste, and on the other hand because they consider it unhealthy. To the taste, it can be said: Among the extremely diverse vegan alternatives, something certainly tastes just as good or even better. We just have to try it - from vegan cheese to egg salad to burgers. Many celebrities and athletes are vegan. Vegan is booming. Regarding health, it must be said: Our early ancestors eat healthier than we eat today. There was mixed food with only little meat and fish and also little grain and instead more legumes. If you eat a vegan diet, you have to pay attention to two nutrients: vitamin B12 and unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids. B12 can be bought for sucking (or as an additive in foods that are no longer called organic). Omega 3 fatty acids are available in linseed and algae oil. After a few months vegan, a blood test can show whether there are deficiency symptoms. As a rule, vegans eat healthier and are fitter than others. What else does it bring: In addition to ethical reasons (keeping and killing animals), vegans help to prevent the deforestation of forests, because most areas in the world need the feed. In fact, we will not be able to feed the growing world population in the way we Germans. Vegans also prevent greenhouse gases from the methane emissions of cows, save enormous amounts of drinking water and prevent the pollution of soils, groundwater and waters.

Unlike the vegan diet, a vegetarian diet can also include milk, cheese or eggs. Vegetarian days are healthy, mean less animal husbandry and thus less consumption of land and water. People in the industrialized world consume more than three times more animal products, which according to the EAT-Lancet Commission would be healthy for us and the planet. We don't have to become vegans or vegetarians right away, but maybe just flexitarians.

Food from the region, from the weekly market and from the farm shop have not been transported far (there are of course also exceptions there) and strengthen the local economy. However, there are also inefficient short transport routes when vehicles with little load drive to the points of sale. E-mobility and cargo bikes can help here. Unfortunately, the regional is often also played out against the organic offer: regional, sprayed with pesticides food is not as good as regional organic food, and regional meat is not as good for the environment as the renunciation of meat.

Organic is extremely important for biodiversity. We have the greatest species extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs and the consequences are greater than those of climate change. Pesticides and mineral fertilizers endanger our future. In addition, soils from organic farming usually store more carbon and thus help against the climate catastrophe. The counter-argument is often that the yields in organic farming are lower than in industrial agriculture and therefore more forests have to be cut down. This is true, for example, with cereals that are not unrestrictedly healthy. But if we eat less meat, waste less food and eat more healthy legumes, we have plenty of additional space available and can feed the entire world organically and even plant a little more forest. Organic is more expensive. But on the one hand, many costs can be saved by less meat and on the other hand, it can be bought and cooked intelligently …. of course, it is also to be questioned whether there must be such a low livelihood at all - environmental policy is also social policy.

Which is better - the organic apple from New Zealand or the sprayed apple from the region? Answer: both wrong. Organic food from the region means less transport and is therefore even better than organic food with wide transport.

Seasonal organic products in addition to regional organic products also have less energy expenditure for storage. In the respective months, other products are available seasonally, so that we can eat healthy and tasty all year round with little transport and storage effort with regard to a seasonal calendar.

Fortunately, tap water has long been a trend. There are drinking water dispensers in schools and the students have their drinking bottles with them, and managers also bring their drinking bottles to workshops. Many children do not even get used to the unhealthy sugar drinks. Tap water is more strictly controlled than bottled drinks and saves a lot of energy and packaging. Even with motorhomes or boats or in places with the smell of chlorine in the water, we can save a lot of money, energy and packaging through good and regularly exchanged filters.

Not having your own car, although there would be a driver's license, means not only saving money, but also raw materials, parking space and a lot of energy. In addition to flexibility and necessity in rural areas, car ownership means above all status, distinction and attribution (the infamous "phallus substitute with roaring sound). Alternatives are the bicycle, public transport and car sharing. For young people, the renunciation also means solidarity with those who cannot afford mopeds - as difficult as it is. Most households have never calculated the actual costs of their car ownership - from the purchase to taxes and insurance to energy and wear https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/05/one-less-car-how-this-country-is-encouraging-green-mobility/

Local public transport and also long-distance transport by train and bus (in the case of bus, the road infrastructure is still required) means considerably less energy and resource requirements than individual transport with cars or motorcycles. Long-distance buses only perform so well because they are limited to well-used routes, while the train also runs at unfavorable times and has to connect remote places, which then leads to less than half-full trains.

No question - leaving the car and taking the bike is a proud feeling and healthy. If you don't want to exhaust yourself (for example, on the way to work), you can consider an e-bike. If you have a lot to transport, a cargo bike. Often we can also share a cargo bike with others. And if you shy away from bad weather, you will find great cycling clothing today, which completely refutes the argument.

We are used to the fact that everything is packed and we don't care much about the packaging. For some foods, the packaging is more expensive in the production than the content. Paying attention to the packaging sends a signal to manufacturers and retailers. Refills are an option as well. For food, there are so-called unpackaged shops or at least the possibility of using deposit containers (own step) or cotton bags brought along for loose vegetables and fruit. In basically all markets, we should have our own bags with us.

Consistently separating waste, including green waste, glass and paper, is not as self-evident as can be assumed. Many make little effort here and don't really know what belongs in which bin. But also special waste, such as batteries, incandescent lamps, electrical appliances, etc. must be disposed of properly.

The minimum is the use of the compost bin of the disposal company. If you have a garden, you should create the compost yourself and see what everything can do on it, from the coffee filter to the bowls of organic fruits and vegetables to, of course, the garden 'waste'. Food leftovers do not belong in the compost because of the danger of rats. However, there are also possibilities here. For example, Bokashi with so-called effective microorganisms are a way to ferment the compost with vinegar so that it can then be grounded directly by compost worms. To support the microorganisms (EM^2), plant char and clay mineral can still be added. By the way, the biochar can also be made quite practically with pyrolysis cookers from your own tree pruning from the garden - a nice alternative to grilling and a separate point in the list of possible steps. Such a compost then stores a lot of carbon (CO2) and moisture against dry summers and ensures high yields in the garden. In fact, many compost heaps are more likely to focus on physical decomposition and release of a lot of CO2.

After unpacked and for drinks after the tap water, the best thing we can do is to buy our food in reusable containers. (By the way, there are also reusable shipping boxes for office supplies as well as some regional delivery services). Also ask whether the containers are transported empty throughout Germany, or whether North German beer flows into the empty bottle of Bavarian beer and vice versa. Next question, what energy does it cost to clean the containers. Composite packaging or cans that are easy to recycle are the better alternative in some studies. In such studies, it is necessary to look closely at what is being compared. Ultimately, it is important to close regional cycles. Next question, whether the containers should be made of glass or plastic - glass is recycled more often, plastic is lighter and means less energy during transport.

Surface sealing is a problem not only in growing civilizations, but also in Germany. We live on too much living space, are still building new streets and courtyard driveways and our terraces are also getting bigger and bigger. To specifically dispense with living space here, to build in height, water-permeable paving, green roofs (own point) and, weighing up all the advantages and disadvantages, expanding your own house to the height in order to enable more people to live on the same sealed area, are valuable steps. By the way, an English lawn is ecologically not very valuable, for example, compared to a flower or clover meadow or a vegetable garden.

Insect hotels or just old, higher tree stumps and dead wood on the ground, nesting boxes and, if useful, bat boxes are great ways to maximize biodiversity in your own environment.

In the past, it was considered controversial whether birds should be fed, or whether they forget to find food themselves and instead promote the concentration of many birds in one place diseases. Today it is clear that with our well-kept gardens, leaf vacuum cleaners and perfect combine harvesters, we leave too little for the birds and they have to be fed. Many argue that we should even feed them in the summer.

It is hard to believe that the future of our diet depends on the use of pesticides and their influence on insects that have to pollinate our plants. Many pollinators are threatened with extinction and in addition to the purchase of organic, we can offer these insects flowers on our areas. In fact, some plants are neither bee-nor bird-friendly. On the other hand, fruit trees and most vegetables are already great opportunities to promote bees, bumblebees, etc. At the flower meadows there are one- and multi-year-olds.

The awareness of nature-friendly outdoor lighting has increased significantly, there are already so-called star cities that do not want to "pollute" the view of the night sky with light. The street lamps are about whether they shine into the trees or on the street and with which light color they attract how many insects/moths. But we can also do a lot wrong in our gardens, with too bright light, motion detectors that disturb hedgehogs, or those cheap solar lamps that are already hazardous waste with the purchase and do not let the garden get dark in the first place.

Sidewalks can be kept mechanically or by flames weed-free or the herb can also grow sometimes. The beds can be kept mechanically herb-free or laid out from the outset in such a way that herb does not matter. Pesticides are one of the main causes of species extinction and water pollution.

Road salt is convenient and safe, but a considerable burden for pets, the trees and the surface water. Replacing this with split means more effort, but it's worth it.

This is about living and working in the region, about strengthening the community. The birdhouse from a social workshop or the PV system from the electrician on site (if he has further training).

At Fair-Trade, we usually think of the label of the same name - which is no longer in disrepute. But there are also other labels - some rather greenwashing, some quite trying to do better. Fair is not always the same as organic and organic is not always fair (but some labels combine both). The importance is immense: fair working conditions in the world ensure less migration, more climate protection and a more peaceful world. Extremely remarkable is the background of chocolate and the connection between child slavery (!) And the common products from Nutella to children's chocolate to the Mars bar: https://edition.cnn.com/world/freedom-project

We afford much of what we afford, because others do it too. What we then have and do goes far beyond what we need to be happy. Therefore, every euro donated on our side is first of all a waiver of consumption. Whether the donated money simply leads to consumption elsewhere can be questioned. What does the youth fire brigade do with the donations, what Greenpeace, what plan Germany, what the riff reporters, etc.? A useful flashing angle is to be considered here so-called sources and sinks. The box of beer is gone for now, a sink. But if it leads to more people wanting to get involved in the youth fire brigade, it is a source of more good. However, many donations are also to be questioned - for example, when it comes to the scandals behind the clothing donations or some organizations spend the most money on administration. However, with a little research and taking into account donation seals, we find great opportunities. By the way, it is also popular not to give your own family gifts in kind, but very concrete donations such as hygiene articles or goats in developing countries. Among other things, Plan-Germany offers this. If then your own kids are proud not to get even more Zeuchs themselves, but to be able to tell their friends what good they have done in the world with their Christmas gift, then we are already in a better world. The bar for the willingness to donate can be one's own prosperity, which the linked online calculator calculates. If you have more than your environment, you should definitely consider donating more.

Even large, conventional clothing stores sometimes take back old clothes and promise to produce new yarns from them. Often the problem is the quality of short-lived clothing, which is then difficult to recycle and yet ends up in the waste incineration plant or on the dump in developing countries. With the points for clothing, if you do not buy conventional cotton, but choose sometimes recycled and sometimes organic cotton, you can give yourself a full 3 points for both.

In particular, the manufacturers of outdoor clothing now use recycled PET bottles for their yarns and they also do without the worst chemicals, such as PFCs. Nevertheless, the question is always whether we have to wear clothes that are designed for the Himalayas in everyday life. Because synthetic fibers also release microplastics from the plastic fleece sweater to the wastewater. Some use a washing bag that is supposed to collect these plastic fiber remains. Of course, the three points only apply to clothing that is not made with organic natural fibers, such as swimming trunks or trekking sandals.

Organic cleaning agents can be found in all supermarkets and drugstores. Essential features are biodegradability and, of course, the vegetable raw materials as an alternative to petroleum-based raw materials. Even if conventional cleaning agents are classified as safe, organic cleaning agents are certainly more harmless.

Many furniture cannot stand being moved or even disassembled and reassembled. They are primarily cheap and the business model is that after a few years we want to buy new furniture. Looking at how valuable the furniture is and then being able to repair it takes us a whole lot further on the way to a better world. It is also amazing what good pieces there are on the used market.

Leaf vacuums and blowsers are even worse than the idea of mowing small lawns with a large lawn mowing tractor at all and then for hours. Boys with toys. The leaf vacuums and blowers emit noise and ultrafine particles and harm the soil organisms more than rakes or brooms.

Precisely because devices are so inexpensive, we tend to buy all kinds of devices ourselves and not borrow them, whether from the neighbors or from the tool rental company. The large DIY stores now all offer a rental service.

Unfortunately, many devices can no longer be repaired at all, for example if the control unit breaks down from the washing machine and costs more than a new washing machine. And yet there are workshops that also repair mobile phones, washing machines, lawn mowers, etc. - and even if it is as expensive as a new device, it is the good feeling of having done something for a better world again.

Firecrackers and fireworks are a problem in every respect: for the animal world, the environment and the people who produce them. The ultrafine particles pollution is horrendous. And all this only because people (mostly men) hope for attention and admiration about this.

This does not refer to the skater track or the artificial turf sports field, but motorsport, skiing on artificially snowy slopes, kiting in bird protection areas, sailboats with biocides on the underwater ship, golfing with high use of water and pesticides, quad rides into nature, skydiving, etc. Of course, these hobbies are fun, which is why it is rewarded if we actively choose the more environmentally friendly alternatives here and thus achieve a rethink with others.