Welcome to the New Year and to the family edition. Talking, as I do, about many things green, I thought it fortuitous to deliver some green, family sustainable home hints. Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the teenagers in the home for hormone induced repetitive lapses in thoughtfulness, or as parents might observe, “I didn’t leave the light on before I left for school”. Unfortunately, same goes for the TV, air conditioner, fan etc ad nausea. Next, I might suggest that the inclusion of a big screen plasma TV as must-have bedroom furniture, is gratuitous to say the least. A 107cm plasma consumes around 400 watts (that’s about the same as a standard electric drill), the difference
being you drill a hole in less than a minute but watch TV for hours on end. I have visited homes with five plasma TV’s all 107cm or greater and most left on with no one in attendance, strange you might think, but not that unusual.

Then there’s the car, how often is the car used to take someone to sport, then come back just to go straight back out again taking someone else to a different sport. Finally, what about cooking? In today’s busy lifestyle more often than not, family members have different commitments and time tables. This means that the dinner hour has become an experience of various people sitting to eat at different times.
The family unit, at times, has become fragmented, disjointed and peripheral to outside pressures and responsibilities, not unlike the earth’s ability to control its own climate.

So here are some suggestions: What about having each bedroom and living area on different zones that are on timed sensors, that way if there is no one in the room it will automatically shut down after a set time. Or how about a battery powered beeper that sounds off if it’s not pressed each half hour or so. Oh! I’ve got a brilliant idea, how about getting rid of all but one TV, that’s right ONE, with a dozen channels to choose from surely a program can be found that achieves a general consensus. With only one TV the entire family can sit together to enjoy
some down time or how about turning it off and playing some cards! Do kids know what Canasta, Bridge or Rickety Kate are these days?

What if we were all a bit more patient and considerate? Leave a little later or arrive a little earlier than needed, that way everyone could get in the car at the same time, saving time, money/fuel and spending more time together. Surely there’s a way to ensure that most of the family at least, are able to eat at the same time together thereby reducing the need for prolonged cooking and lighting and, again spending more time together. Just a few ideas to save power, fuel, time, the family and maybe the Earth.