In your flat or residential college
Reduce, reuse, recycle…have a weekly recycle roster.
Buy eco-friendly laundry and household cleaners (BEE, EcoStore, Sunlight Soap).
Wash loads in cold water and dry in the sun or on drying racks.
Shop at the Dunedin Farmers’ Market for fresh local (regional) grown produce. It is held every Saturday morning at the Dunedin Railway Station. Check it out!
Introduce vegetarian meals into your meat-eating flat or household (even 1 or 2 non-meat meals a week helps save the planet).
Purchase a Bokashi compost bucket – available from the DCC offices in the Civic Centre, Moray Place – for your flat or household.
Reuse in the garden as mulch, items such as coffee sacks (available for purchase from Greggs in Albany Street), or coffee grounds from your local café.
Carpool with your flatmates or neighbours.
Turn off power to the TV, stove, microwave and lights that are not in use (standby power consumes!)
Cut down on TV and Games Console time and GET FIT instead! Join the Unipol gym on Anzac Avenue or one of the many sports teams through Clubs and Societies, or your College.
Make use of nature’s resources - use natural light rather than electric, if possible, and switch to energy efficient light bulbs for your flat.
Capture rain water from your roof to water your garden if your plumbing allows it (use a large plastic bucket or buy a home water tank).
Close curtains early in the winter to keep the heat in.
Turn off and defrost refrigerators over long semester or holiday breaks.
Avoid buying over-packaged fast food.
Share magazines and books rather than buying new ones and, when you’re finished, donate them. The Regent Theatre 24-Hour Book Sale is a great event held annually in the city, or else visit Scribes, Galaxy Books and other great secondhand bookstores in North Dunedin.
Think, before you buy that new cell phone or iPod – it might be cool to have the latest gadget, but think of the resources used to make it and where they come from.
Try growing your own vegetables and herbs. They take up little space and are easy to grow, and there are many veggies that grow well in Dunedin, such as courgettes, rhubarb, runner beans, potatoes, cabbages and lettuce.
Use energy saving light bulbs. They may cost a little more to buy, but they last for years!
Programme your computer to go into "sleep mode" if not in use.
Finish using last semester’s notepads before buying new ones.
Use a water bottle filled with tap water (Dunedin’s domestic water supply is high quality)
Limit food waste – only buy or serve what you will eat.
Make it snappy - take shorter showers.
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and shaving.
Fix that drip – repair leaking taps in your flat.
Use refillable binders and folders.
Use recycled paper.
Write your study notes on both sides of the paper.
Make your events eco-friendly – use paperless advertising (word of mouth is the best); for finger food, use and re-use a paper napkin, not a paper plate; have recycling containers ready.
Take your own shopping bags to the supermarket to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Cosy blankets, thermal clothing, thermal drapes, and draught stoppers are all old-fashioned ways of keeping warm in your flat that will help reduce your power bill.
Ask your landlord for help and visit Dunedin’s second-hand stores for cheap clothes and blankets.