Green Hints. Please read through the useful hints, tips and how to guides below.

Consider passive solar heating and cooling if you are renovating, altering or building a new home.

Consider solar heating if you are replacing your hot-water service or other heating appliances.

Only turn on lights and appliances when you have to use them.

Wear warmer clothes and use less heating - you will feel better and more alert.

Do not heat unused rooms - close them off so they do not drain warmth from the rest of the house.

Turn down the thermostat a little in winter, especially at night when everyone is warm in bed - you will sleep better. Turn the thermostat up a little in summer or preferably use electric fans. Air conditioners are only necessary in extreme conditions.

Add insulating lining to curtains and blinds - it can cut down heat exchange by over 90 per cent. Use blinds and curtains on very hot or very cold days.

Add external blinds to shade windows in summer.

Make sure your house is properly insulated, and consult your local energy information centre for advice on reducing energy consumption.

Choose natural gas rather than electricity when installing appliances - you will reduce your contribution to the greenhouse effect.

Make sure heaters, stoves and fireplaces are ventilated properly and draw well. When you go away on holidays, turn off the hot water and electricity, empty the fridge and freezer and prop the doors open so they don't go mouldy. Choose energy-saving light bulbs or tubes - there are several recently developed alternatives as well as the reliable old fluorescent tubes.

Buy recycled unbleached paper whenever possible.

Try to buy products that can be recycled, repaired or reused. Buying cheap or disposable products clutters up your house and adds to the world's pollution.

As a consumer, you have power - use it! Before you buy anything, think about the product, how it was made, and its packaging. Ask yourself and the supplier appropriate questions:

Is it made from polluting substances?

Has it involved polluting treatments or processes?

Is it made from rainforest products or from wild animals or from endangered species?

Is there a local alternative?

Is there too much packaging?

Is the packaging recyclable?

Are there unnecessary chemical additives?

Is there a natural or recycled or simpler alternative?

Is it in a spray can?

Does it need drycleaning?

Is it energy efficient?

Has it been produced organically?

How much energy will it use?

Will its maintenance add to pollution or energy consumption Do I really need it and does the world really need it?

Then think about how you will dispose of it:

Would you buy it if you had to dispose of it in your own back garden?

Is it biodegradable?

Can it, or its components, be recycled?

Is it an unnecessarily disposable product?

Can it be repaired cheaply and easily if it breaks down or must it be replaced?

Can packaging be recycled or disposed of harmlessly?

Does it contain polluting substances that will escape when it has been disposed of (such as refrigerators, air conditioners, spray cans, batteries, etc.)?

Let manufacturers, politicians, councillors, and shopkeepers know your preferences. Write letters suggesting environmentally friendly products and packaging and ask questions about manufacturing techniques, polluting or dangerous ingredients, recycling, safe disposal of waste, etc.

Take a basket or bag or recycled plastic bags when you go shopping to reduce the number of new plastic carry bags.

Tell shop assistants firmly that you do not want plastic bags and packaging and explain why - they may start to give them out less frequently. Let shopkeepers and managers know your feelings about plastic bags and
packaging.

Install insect screens on all windows and doors and reduce the need for toxic sprays. Choose only environmentally `soft' sprays or try some natural alternatives.