4 Surprising Causes of Air Pollution
Just because there’s no smog, doesn’t mean you are surrounded with clean and unpolluted air. There actually many surprising ways we’re causing pollution to our environment but aren’t obvious, since there’s no sins of air contamination like smoke, smog or unpleasant smell.
Here are five surprising ways you could be causing harm to the environment—and changes you can do to make every circumstance greener.
- Being Unmindful of Your Electronics Settings
On average, homes in Singapore contain about 24 electronic devices, with computers, TVs, game consoles and cable boxes among the worst. When combined, they consume billions worth of electricity every year.
For a greener solution, tweak your TV’s and computer monitor’s brightness control. By lowering the brightness of the screens, you cut the energy use of the appliances for up to 50 percent. If you have smart TVs, disable the quick-start feature, which also consume extra power.
- Using Too Much Aluminum Foil
Singaporeans discard more than a million ton of aluminium—including foils, cans and containers—every year. While soiled containers are recyclable, aluminium foils are not and takes centuries to biodegrade.
When preparing food, try swapping aluminum foils with parchment paper. You can use unbleached parchment paper for roasting and baking, and for wrapping sandwiches and other snacks. It’s more eco-friendly as its compostable and biodegradable.
- Using Body Wash Every Day
Liquid body soaps require five times more energy for every production of the product, and need almost 20 times more energy for the packaging than ordinary bar soaps. Remember that higher energy consumption is usually linked to higher carbon footprint, making liquid bath soaps more harmful to the environment than bar soaps.
For a greener habit, use bar soaps instead. Not only they cause lower negative effects to the environment, but you’ll also use less of the product compared to its liquid counterpart.
- Using the Dryer and Dishwasher During the Day
These household machines are known to produce heat and humidity, causing your air conditioning unit to work harder. Other than that, many utility companies charge higher during peak hours of the day.
A more eco-friendly option is to run your clothes dryer and dishwasher during off-peak hours, perhaps around two o’clock in the afternoon, between eight in the evening and midnight, and before sunrise. For more efficiency, air dry thicker items, like towels and jeans, or use the lowest dryer setting.
Don’t despair. Although these things are some of the most common things we use and do at home, they are easy to remedy to minimize carbon footprint. Follow the solutions suggested, and you’ll not only help the environment but also ensure better air quality at home.