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Month: August 2022 Page 1 of 4

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Turning Off Lights To Save On Energy Bills (6 Actionable Tips)

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On August 25, 2022

In Eco-friendly lifestyle

There are several ways to reduce our energy consumption at home, and I believe using energy-efficient light bulbs and turning them off when leaving the room is the easiest way to save on energy bills. Moreover, the less electricity we consume, the better we tackle climate change.

Types of light bulbs and their energy consumption 

The four main types of light bulbs for residential use are incandescent (aka standard), halogen, CFL (compact fluorescent lights), and LED. Whenever you buy a bulb, its packaging should tell you which kind of bulb you’re buying. As for their energy consumption, it is defined by two factors:

  • the brightness of the light bulb, which measuring unit is the lumen (symbolised lm).
  • the type of the light bulb of which the wattage varies.
Two LED bulbs
Brightness/
Types of bulbs		250+ lm*450+ lm800+ lm1100+ lmAverage lifespan
Standard25W*40W60W75W1 year
Halogen18W29W43W53W1 – 3 years
CFL6W9W14W18W6 – 10 years
LED4W7W12W15W15 – 22 years
The table shows the lumen output and the equivalent watts with four different types of light bulbs and their lifespan.

*lm (Lumen) – the unit of brightness

*W (Watts) – the power consumption unit

In short, the standard/regular light bulbs certainly use much more electricity than LED ones, e.g. 40W vs 7W (in 450+ lm). So unless you need special lighting for your work, such as setting up a home photography studio, you should change all the lights to LEDs to save your electricity bills. According to the statistics, the average number of light bulbs in a home is 67. Imagine how much energy use you can cut down by switching all of them from standard bulbs to LEDs!

Tips

  • Count how many lights you have in the house that aren’t LED. Don’t forget to include the light bulbs that come with your lamps and those outdoor lights, too.
  • Call your energy supplier to check if they provide a light bulb replacement service. My energy supplier once offered a free service for LED light replacement, so I took advantage of it.

Lights on or off overnight?

I clearly remember the first cultural shock I had when I moved to Ohio in the US for a one-year teaching exchange job. I arrived around 10 pm at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, and my taxi took me from the airport to my accommodation in the city centre.

When the taxi approached my place, I saw all the shops on the high street were lit. At that time, I thought those shops were still open for business. However, after chatting with my taxi driver, I learned that many shops have lights switched on throughout the night for security purposes, such as deterring thefts. Also, police patrols can quickly spot anything that goes wrong in the shop when lights are on.

I said that is a cultural shock because it’s not a common practice in my country. And I was brought up by believing that I should always switch off lights when leaving a room. So I am baffled why it’s such common conduct among retailers and office buildings in the US and the UK (where I am based now) to have many lights on at night even if no one is in the office. 

faceless pedestrians walking on city street in winter evening
Photo by Zeeshaan Shabbir on Pexels.com

I can’t entirely agree with this kind of practice because of the unnecessary energy consumption. According to Businesswaste.co.uk, the average 60-watt light bulb costs £78.36 a year to run if left on for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! 

And more importantly, lighting contributes to nearly 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions (source: property industry eye),  adding unnecessary stress to the current climate crisis.

So, if you could, please switch off lights when leaving a room. It might take time to get used to doing that, but just think of all the benefits of this 2-second action, including lower electricity use, cutting down carbon emissions and having a positive environmental impact.

Tips:

  • Put a message board or sticky note near the room door to remind yourself to turn off the lights in the room. The message can be:
    • Think green and turn off the lights.
    • Save energy bills and turn off the lights.
    • Think green, switch off and save the Earth.
  • Alternatively, you could invest in smart lights, which can be controlled via an app on your mobile phone or by home automation systems, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

How about outdoor lighting?

Turning off lights should include those used in outdoor lighting, such as patio, garden and driveway lights. Lights certified for outdoor uses are usually more durable because they need to withstand all kinds of weather conditions. Whether outdoor lights use more electricity than indoor ones still depends on the type of bulbs you use and how bright you’d like them to be. 

concrete building with pool outside and green leaf tree under blue sky
Photo by thanhhoa tran on Pexels.com

However, to be more energy-saving and eco-friendly, you can go for outdoor solar lights. As their name suggests, those lights are powered by solar energy, i.e. sunlight and give the flexibility that you can place them anywhere outdoors without worrying about connecting them to sockets.

Tips:

For your outdoor lighting, try to use the motion sensor lights, which are triggered to turn on by nearby movements, or dusk to dawn lights, which automatically turn on and off with the setting and rising of the sun. With those lights, you don’t need to worry whether you have switched off the lights when you get ready for bed.

Don’t forget home standby appliances 

Those could include TVs, audio/video/gaming consoles, smart speakers, microwaves, coffee makers, washing machines, computers etc. A home gadget can usually be in one of the three modes: on, standby or off modes. Leaving appliances on standby would still drain the energy and add extra cost to your energy bills. 

By switching these devices off, rather than leaving them on standby, it is estimated you could save around £30 a year.

Moneysupermarket.com

I always switch off the TV, microwave, kettle, and cooker before bed. In addition, we have a recliner sofa that uses electricity. So I make sure I switch its power off before bedtime, too. Lastly, I also switch off the washing machine as soon as I finish the laundry. 

Tips:

In most households, only a fridge and freezer need to be on all the time, and the rest of the home appliances can be off when not in use. So, check which devices in your house can be in the off mode. If you hate to go around and switch those standby devices off one by one manually before bed, then using a power strip can save you a lot of time. Even better, you can consider installing smart power strips, which would automatically turn the standby devices to their off mode – you don’t even need to lift a finger!

Final thoughts 

Getting rid of the least efficient type of lighting and turning off lights and standby devices might seem trivial. Still, I sincerely believe simple actions like these can make a big difference to our finances and the climate crisis. If ALL of us have this good day-to-day behaviour, we can cut so much waste in our energy system, burn much fewer fossil fuels and tackle climate change more efficiently. The money we save from our energy bills can also be used for something essential. Last but not least, you’ll feel good about yourself because you know you’re doing the right thing for yourself, your family, future generations and the Earth!

It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.

Dalai Lama
Chickpea and couscous vegan curry

Plant-based Diet: Vegan Tikka Masala Recipe (Creamy & Healthy)

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On August 19, 2022

In Plant-based-diet

What’s your favourite Indian curry dish? When asking the same question to British people, the national favourite curry dishes are chicken tikka masala, chicken korma or rogan josh (lamb curry), which all involve cooking meat. However, I believe vegan curry can be tasty, too.

Even if you aren’t ready to become a full-time vegan, simply cooking vegan dishes as much as possible shows your caring for the planet, the only place we can call home. So in this post, I want to share a vegan tikka masala curry recipe with you. It’s creamy and healthy, too!

Why go vegan?

There are many benefits of going vegan. To me, it’s more about the environment than anything else. According to a study from the University of Oxford, dietary change, i.e. from a meat/dairy-based diet to a plant-based diet, can deliver significant environmental benefits, such as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, reducing meat and dairy consumption can prevent deforestation as we won’t need to destroy forests to raise livestock.

What is ‘curry’?

The word ‘curry’ was a British invention when India was a colony of Britain in the 17th century. Back then, the British couldn’t remember all the names of each Indian dish, so they invented the term ‘curry’ and used it as a generic term to refer to dishes with Indian spices.

Although the curry powder originated in India, nowadays, there are more than hundreds of types of curry powder around the world, each with its distinctive mixture of curry powder. Check out the video below to learn more about the origin of the curry powder and how it’s made.

How many different types of curry are around the world?

There are hundreds of types of curry around the world, such as:

Types of currySpices/paste usedExample dishes
Cambodian curry Kroeung, prahok pastefish amok, Khmer curry
Filipino curry coriander powder, patis, peanut butter, soy sauce, turmericKare-kare, beef Kulma
Indian curry cumin, curry leaves, fresh ginger, tamarind, turmericaloo gobi, Goan prawn curry
Jamaican curry garlic powder, onion powder, pimento berries, turmeric, dried thymecurry goat, curried Jamaican patties
Japanese curry coriander, cardamom, cumin, grated apples, sautéed onion, turmeric (see *note 1)katsu curry, kare pan (curry bun)
Korean curry coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric (see *note 1)bulgogi curry (Korean BBQ curry)
Malaysian curry garlic, Kashmiri chill, lemongrass, onion curry laksa, Kari Ikan (fish curry)
Thai curry fenugreek seeds, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, shrimp pasteChoo Chee Goong (prawns in red sauce), Kaeng Kiew Waan Gai (Thai green curry)
The table below illustrates curry around the world in alphabetical order.

*note 1: Instead of curry powder, Japanese and Korean curry spices often come in curry blocks, also called curry roux.

How does curry get its colour?

It depends on the spices and types of chillies used in the dish. Curry can come in three different colours: yellow, red and green. Turmeric gives the curry dish a golden-yellow colour. On the other hand, tomato-based curry and red chillies give the vibrate red colour. As for the green curry, the colour comes from green chilli and fresh herbs, such as basil or coriander.

Is curry a healthy dish?

The mixed spices in the curry give several health benefits. Take turmeric powder for example, a spice used in many different types of curry, it can:

  • lessen inflammation
  • regulate blood pressure levels
  • lower cholesterol
assorted spices in the market

Cumin, another commonly used spice, promotes gut health and helps fight diabetes. A study also shows that curry spices may fight Alzheimer’s disease. So, just cooking 1 to 2 tablespoons of curry powder with other ingredients can help us obtain those benefits when consumed regularly.

However, curry can also be unhealthy if one adds too much oil or full-fat cream when cooking. Also, if the person consumes too much rice or bread together with curry, the whole meal will become high in carbohydrates, which generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. In addition, some ready-made curry sauces can be unhealthy, as they can contain a surprising amount of salt, sugar and fat. So make sure you check the ingredients when getting store-bought curry sauces.

What side-dishes go well with curry?

Possible side dishes for curry dishes are:

Bread

chapati, dosa, naan, roti, baguette

Rice

basmati rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, jeera rice, short-grain white rice, cauliflower rice

Noodles

rice noodles, udon noodles (or any Asian noodles)

Salad

carrot salad, cucumber salad, mango salad, tomato coriander salad, potato salad

Others

poppadom, couscous, potato (mashed, roast or boiled), spring roll, chutney

Regarding personal preference, I’d say either short-grain white rice or udon noodles for Japanese curry. As for Indian curry, warm naan would be my go-to. And I like having jasmine rice that gives a fragrant aroma to the Thai curry.

How to cook vegan tikka masala curry?

Let me show you how to cook an easy, quick, tasty vegan tikka masala curry. I’m using curry powder instead of ready-made curry sauce because I believe it’s a healthier way to cook a curry dish.

Ingredients for vegan tikka masala curry
finely chopped veggies
a pot ofvegan tikka masala curry

When it comes to ingredients for the dish, I am quite flexible. I believe as long as we have the essential ones, such as curry spices, garlic, onion, and chopped tomatoes, the rest of the ingredients can be flexible. Cooking a curry dish is a good way to use the vegetables that need to be used up soon. So, be experimental and use different vegetables if you don’t have the ones listed below.

Vegan Tikka Masala Curry
Print Pin

Vegan tikka masala curry

A healthy, creamy, one-pot wonder and low-fat
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword chickpea, curry, vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 380kcal
Cost £10

Ingredients

Essential

  • 1 medium onion (yellow or red onion)
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 tin tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
  • 1 tin cooked chickpeas
  • 1 tin light coconut milk (you can use the full-fat one if you prefer)
  • 3 garlic cloves (or use garlic granules if you don't have the fresh ones)
  • 2 tbsp tikka curry powder
  • 2 – 3 tbsp cooking oil

Optional (or just use whatever vegetables need to be used up in your fridge)

  • 1 medium potato (you can substitute this with sweet potatoes)
  • 2 carrots (you can replace this with courgettes)
  • 2 stalks of celery (you can swap this with red/yellow pepper)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 tbsp fresh herbs, such as basil, coriander or spring onion
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes if you like your dish to be spicier)

Instructions

  • Soak the red lentils for half an hour
  • Drain the water from the tinned chickpeas
  • Save the chickpea water for making a vegan mayo (optional).
  • Drain the water from the lentils
  • Gather the rest of the ingredients
  • Finely chop all the vegetables, including onion and garlic.
  • Heat the oil in the saucepan, add chopped onions, and fry until the onion is soft.
  • Add tikka curry powder, and continue cooking for another minute. (see *note 2)
  • Add carrots and mix them with what’s in the pan.
  • Add a bit of water if you feel there isn't enough liquid in the pan.
  • Add garlic and then celery.
  • Add cayenne pepper (optional).
  • Add diced potatoes (make sure they aren’t chunky so they won’t require long cooking time).
  • Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
  • Add drained lentils, and mix them well with all the ingredients in the pan.
  • Add salt and pepper.
  • Turn the heat up. Once the liquid starts boiling in the pan, add chickpeas and set the heat at mid-low. Put the lid on and let it cook another 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
  • Taste the dish before serving.

Video

Notes

*note 1: For all the veggies in the ‘Optional’ ingredients section, you can use whatever vegetables need to be used up in your fridge as long as they don’t add strong flavour to the dish.
*note 2: You can add curry powder at this stage, or after you add chopped tomatoes (step 12). Also, turn down the heat when adding curry powder so it won’t get burnt.

What side dishes go well with vegan tikka masala curry?

You can choose any side dishes as suggested above. I went for spring rolls because I like the contrasting texture between them and creamy tikka masala curry. I also added a few slices of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a splash of lime juice to bring more freshness to the dish. Now, time to dig in! Cooking a vegan curry from scratch is a great way to have a tasty and healthy meal!

Vegan Tikka Masala Curry
photo of pen beside ink

5 Reasons People Don’t Recycle & The Solutions

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On August 17, 2022

In Eco-friendly lifestyle

‘Why did you put this in the bin?’ This is the question I often ask my husband, who doesn’t recycle things as he should. And it turns out he is not alone. According to the statistics of European countries contributing most to recycling household waste, the UK ranks 21 out of 28 countries, which is a poor ranking for a developed country. And when I ask people I know, most people think recycling is important, but they don’t act on what they believe. So that makes me wonder what prevents people from doing what they should.

It’s too much hassle

This reason might sound ridiculous, but this is the main reason for my husband. In our house, the main bin is in the kitchen, and our recycling bin is in the utility room. So for him, it’s too much hassle to walk from the kitchen and put the recyclable waste in the recycling bin in the other room.

Solution

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for this. If you’re the only person who recycles in your household, then you need to keep an eye on other people when they’re about to throw stuff into the regular bin. Ask and remind them if the things are recyclable, or put some sticky slogans about recycling on the bin to remind them to recycle.

It’s time-consuming

There are things you can just put in the recycling bin directly, such as newspapers, white office paper, envelopes and greeting cards (without glitter). However, most recyclable items should be emptied and cleaned before throwing them into the recycling bin. For example:

cereal box
recyclable items: foil tray and plastic bottle
recyclable items: empty glass jars
  • cereal boxes: make sure boxes are empty of cereal. I also always fold the boxes to make them smaller.
  • food tins & plastic containers: I’d clean and dry them in the sink overnight before putting them in the bin the next day.
  • foil trays: I ensure I get rid of all the food scraps on the trays, clean them, and dry them, too.
  • glass bottles & plastic bottles: I ensure there’s no liquid in the bottles.
  • jars: those might be the most challenging items to clean. For example, peanut butter or Nutella jars always have things stuck on the jar. So, I try to use up every bit of the jar before cleaning them. Soak them in hot soapy water for a while and clean them with a long handle bottle brush. Dry them as well before putting them in the bin.

So, as you can see, the tasks above for some people can be considered time-consuming!

Solution

You aren’t required to clean recyclable items as thoroughly as you’d clean your dishes/cups/cutlery etc. Just follow the two steps below before putting the stuff in the recycling bin.

  1. Check no food scraps/liquid are in the containers or on the foil trays.
  2. Give them a quick rinse before putting them in the bin.

So, you know nothing in your recycling will spill out, cause contamination and even attract rats when leaving your recycling bin outdoors.

The recycling system is confusing

green star on white paper

The universal recycling label, the Mobius loop, was introduced in 1970 in the USA, but not until 2003 did recycling become mandatory in the UK. The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires local authorities in England to provide each household with a separate collection for recyclable materials. Since then, many more recycling symbols have been added, but for most people, they are also the cause of confusion.

‘Can I recycle this?’ This is the question we often ask ourselves. The rule depends on where you live. Unfortunately, most of us didn’t want to spend time understanding those rules. So it leads to something called aspirational recycling. According to Wiktionary, aspirational recycling is ‘setting aside materials for recycling that are not actually recycled by one’s garbage collection service’. Some people might also call it ‘wishful recycling’.

person holding red and white disposable bottle
Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

If you’re an aspirational recycler, please stop doing that. Even if your intention is good, putting non-recyclable materials into a recyclable bin can lead to contamination. In fact, the rate of recycling contamination has doubled in recent years. And those contaminated items destroy a whole load when they end up in the same recycling truck or facility. In other words, they’ll be going to landfill sites instead of being recycled and reused; this is the worst scenario for those who diligently sort their recycling!

Solution

Watch the video below to learn the basic rule. You can also read through the informative guides here. If you live in the UK, each year, your local council will send you a rubbish and recycling guide by post, or you should be able to find it on your local council website. Follow the guide when you sort your recycling.

If you’re still unsure, check the Recycle Now site. All you need to do is to key in the item you want to recycle and your postcode, and then the site will tell you whether it is recyclable. Lastly, if you’re still in doubt, leave the item out because non-recyclable goods can ruin yours AND others’ recycling efforts.

It’s someone else’s responsibility

People who have this kind of mentality might think since everyone else is doing recycling, it doesn’t matter if they don’t do it. But, unfortunately, if everyone is thinking alike, then nothing good will happen. Recycling is a collective responsibility, from individuals and organisations to governments, regardless of where you were born and live.

The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.

Robert Swan, Author

If we all recycle correctly, the recycled material can be reused without cutting down more trees, using a large amount of energy or more natural resources to produce new goods. Last but not least, we can stop recyclable materials from ending in landfills, eliminate waste, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we aren’t only doing good for ourselves, future generations, and the Earth, the only place we can call home.

Solution

Next time you hear someone doesn’t think recycling is their responsibility, just ask if they have been a consumer. And if the answer is yes, then help them realise that if they are consumers, they’ve bought something and produced some waste. Therefore, something must be recyclable among all the wastes they’ve created. So they should learn to take responsibility and start recycling now!

If you don’t feel like lecturing your friends/family members about recycling, then share this 2-minute video here with them so they can learn the importance of recycling themselves.

It’s not habitual for some people

I’m fortunate to grow up in a family that values recycling very much. When I was little, I learned the importance of recycling from my mom, and I always helped her to take the recyclable items to our local recycling centre. During my childhood, kerbside recycling wasn’t a thing, so the only way to recycle our household wastes was to take them to the recycling centre. So recycling became a habit for me as I grew up with it.

Yet, it’s an entirely different scene for my husband, who didn’t grow up in a family that did any recycling. So having recycling habits in his adulthood became much harder.

Solution

It could take between 21 to 66 days to form a new habit. The exact time depends on various factors, e.g. people’s motivation, background, the resources they have access to and small or significant changes they need to make. To cultivate a recycling habit successfully, I would say focusing on the big picture that you are saving the planet by recycling correctly. Although it might seem like a small habit, it’s making a HUGE impact on the environment and the future of species and humankind.

Final thoughts

I must admit I am not a big believer in recycling because the recycling system in most countries is not as effective as it should be. However, I still diligently recycle and try not to buy goods I know can’t be recycled.

I think it would be more effective if we reduce what we buy and reuse what we have in the first place. Remember the 3RS: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Undoubtedly, there are many benefits of recycling, but to effectively tackle climate change and reduce all sorts of pollution, air, water, plastic pollution etc, it’s also vital to be a responsible consumer – buying less and reusing what you already have!

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