New Year and 8 New Ways to Support Sustainability

It's a new year ahead, 2015, with promise of new opportunities. So why not take this chance to make a better furuture as you make all your other plans. We share with you here some quick and easy steps that you can use and share with colleagues, friends and family. You can start with:

1. Turn off the lights. If you are the last person to leave an office or room, turn off the lights!
   
2. Turn off your computer at the end of the day. Switching off both your computer and monitor at the end of the day may save the average PC user up to AED 200 a year. That helps save a lot of money for homes, schools, offices and universities, money that can be reinvested back into the community.
   
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We can have a major impact on the amount of rubbish we produce by becoming aware of how much we throw out, changing some of our habits, and reducing our use non-recyclable materials.
   
4. Support the use of fair trade products. Did you know that when you buy ‘fair trade’ goods those
   
5. producers get fair compensation for their produce? You can make a difference when you shop, look for the fair trade sign on goods such as coffee and other goods.
   
6. Pledge to make the light bulb switch - Save money, energy and the environment by switching to low energy bulbs as they consume less power than regular bulbs. However, make sure you read the instructions as some bulbs pose a risk if they break and make sure you know how to dispose of them safely.
   
7. How many copies did you print? Think carefully before you hit the print button. Do you really need a paper copy? You already have an electronic version. If you do need to print, only print the section you need, make sure your system is set up for printing double-sided. An average tree produces approximately 80,500 sheets of paper. You can save a forest in a few short months!
   
8. Walk/Bike more, drive less. The weather is great in the UAE now, it’s a chance to try walking and cycling, which is good for your health. It also means that you save on fuel and support reduction in air pollutants and CO2.
   
9. Don't be apathetic. Make a personal commitment to do something little everyday to make the the world more sustainable. Recycle a can, decline a plastic bag at shops, bring up sustainability in the weekly team meeting to get a discussion going, join an organisation, such as the ADSG or EWS - WWF, switch a light bulb, turn off the lights, take a shorter shower, let your workplace know that sustainability is important to you.
   

 The team at STA would love to know how you get on, please share your stories with us so we can learn from you too!

Good luck as you get involved and take the lead!