The kitchen and bathroom at my house now have a very useful feature: when someone walks into the room, a small light senses the movement and switches on automatically for two minutes - longer if the movement continues. That's heaps of time to wash your hands, pick up a forgotten item, get a glass of water, or drop off a plate. These lights plug into a power outlet, and will come on only when it's dark and a movement is detected. The convenience is wonderful, of course - but what's better is that we need to turn on the larger overhead lights much less often, saving energy. And those smaller lights switch themselves off, too - no need to remember to do this manually! If you want to look at getting some, try your local hardware store. Amazon also have them (search "motion night light").
My recent musings have been on my private Facebook page, but after some friends said they'd like to share what I have posted with their friends, I've decided to post back on this blog too. These days, I own my own freestanding home with a garden, instead of a rental flat as I had in the past - but I feel I am quite behind with what I could do for sustainable living. I still have a herb and vegetable garden, use timers for lights and devices on chargers, have installed sensor lights, shop with reusuable shopping and produce bags, and dry my clothes on hangers on a chain..actually I still have the same chain and hangers as I did over ten years ago. But the last few years have been less about small steps and more moving towards "zero waste"; initially just reducing landfill and recycling wherever possible, then gradually becoming more mindful of the end-of-life of the products we buy today; and now considering the energy that goes into transporting "things...
Comments