1. Cut down your driving miles
Every gallon of fuel in your car releases about 24 pounds of carbon dioxide. Reducing your driving by a few miles a day will help prevent tons of carbon dioxide entering the air. Push for traffic-calming techniques like speed bumps in your community. More pedestrian and bike-friendly areas mean less congestion, less energy consumption, less pollution.

2. Buy energy-efficient products
When shopping for new appliances, choose the highest energy efficiency rating. Energy-efficient models may cost a little more, but they have a lower operating cost over a lifetime of use.

3. Switch to compact fluorescent lamps
Change the three lamps you use most in your house to compact fluorescents. Again, compact fluorescents are initially more expensive than incandescent lamps, but they last ten times as long and can save a lot of money on electricity bills. You should also turn off lights and other electrical appliances such as televisions and radios when you're not using them.

4. Participate fully in recycling
On Phuket, you can drop your waste at the sorting plant located behind the Phuket Town Municipal Incinerator, on Rattanakosin Road in Phuket Town. Before being separated, waste products must first be weighed. The charge is 200 baht a ton. If the waste weighs less than a ton, you will be charged less. You can leave your waste at the plant, and the officers will sort it for you. This service is open to everyone, 24 hours a day.

5. Start Composting
This reduces the burden on landfill sites and also produces a great natural fertilizer for plants and gardens. Buy a composting bin at a garden supplier or make your own from an old bucket or bin. Start with lawn trimmings, fruit and vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds. You can add EM solution to prevent smells.

6. Take smarter showers
Washing our bodies can account for up to 16.8 percent of home water use. Installing a low-flow shower head saves two gallons for every minute of showering. A typical shower lasts about eight minutes and uses about 17 gallons, while an efficient shower lasts three or four minutes and uses 7.5 gallons.

7. Repair leaks
Fix leaking and dripping taps to save water and lower your water bill. A dripping tap can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day. A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons every day. Not all leaks are visible but you can diagnose leaks in your toilet by placing some food coloring in the tank, waiting 30 minutes, and then checking if it appears in the bowl. If it does, you've got a leak.

This article is provided courtesy of Phuket Villas & Homes as part
of the company's corporate responsibility programme.