Low Carbon Living is about making lifestyle choices that embrace every aspect of your daily life. No matter when you are at home, at office or on the move, you may use the easier-than-you-think tips here to reduce your carbon footprint. The solutions here do not necessitate blood, sweat and tears-even the leisurely flip of a light switch can slim down your carbon profile. It should make you proud.

Switch to compact fluorescent lights: lighting accounts for about 15 percent of domestic electricity use in Hong Kong. CFLs use about a third the energy of incandescent bulbs.Each replaced bulb will save an average of 50 kg CO2 per year. If CFLsare not compatible with your lighting, consider installing a dimmer switch.

Standby may seem harmless—but the “green button” is not green. TVs, air-conditioners and computers left on standby burn energy. 6 percent of electricty used in homes is consumed by appliances left on standby.
Turn things off when not in use. An average family can save up to 100kg of CO2 per year choosing OFF.

Turn up your air conditioning thermostat - each degree equals a 3-10 percent reduction in electricity. Air conditioning consumes about 30 percent of Hong Kong's total electricty-and this number doubles in the summer. If you don't have a thermostat, consider getting one installed, and replace the filter regularly.

When using your washing machine, dryer or dishwasher, make sure that they are are fully loaded. By fully loading your dishwasher your will save, on average, 100 kg of CO2 per year.

Showers account for 2/3 of the hot water consumed by households. If you have to temper your hot shower with cold water consider turning your thermostat down. Reducing the temperature of your water heater from 60°C to 49°C will save 200 kg CO2. per year

Help your refrigerator to stay cool by placing it in cool spot. Allow hot food to come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Clear clutter from the top of the fridge and defrost it regularly. You can cut about 300 kg of CO2 per year by treating your fridge well.

Shop for energy efficient appliances. This is a straightforward solution, but it can get complicated in Hong Kong, where the current mandatory energy labelling scheme only covers three appliances (air conditioners, CFLs and refrigerators). What other options are available?

Reuse
ditch paper cups and get your morning brew in a mug. Transform old clothes into new ones, or donate those 80s relics to the needy.. Justify that pile of plastic bags accumulating in your kitchen by grabbing a few the next time you head to the grocery store.

Reduce
Cut down on gift wrapping paper. Use handkerchiefs rather than tissues. To avoid buying unnecessary products, think twice before shopping. It is environmentally friendly and can save your money. To reduce consume of plastic bags, bring your own bags. Send any unwanted electrical appliances, computers, toys and clothing to charity groups.

Recycle
Start with cans and paper. Separate them. Use the recycling bins in your neighbourhood. Buying recycled goods and increasing home recycling by 10 percent saves the average household up to 90 kg CO2 per year.

The switch from driving to walking reduces not only CO2 emissions but possibly your pant size as well…

Improve your health (and the environment) by eating vegetables. Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. Cows, sheep and goats emit powerful greenhouse gases. A kilo of beef produces 5 kg of CO2 equivalent. Eating meat-free meals every other day spares about 200kg of carbon per year.