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By Nature - we are proud to provide you with a range of stylish, ethical and eco-friendly products for your home, health, body and soul.

WA$TED: Sample Content from the Wasted Book (Sample 2)

Friday, June 15, 2007
You can purchase the Wasted Book online at Ecobob.

Click here to purchase the book

Following is some sample content from the book. The actual book contains many comprehensive diagrams and photographs which are not shown below.

This is the second sample from the book. You can view the first sample pages (introduction and waste) by clicking here.

Sample 2 - Power

You Have The Power

Electricity is generated in a variety of ways in New Zealand including hydro, coal, wind, gas, geothermal, oil, biomass and biogas. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to generate electricity contributes to climate change, but using clean, renewable energy generation such as wind and hydro produces less climate-changing and toxic pollution. As a consumer, you have the power to choose clean electricity over dirty fossil fuel energy. Find out the greenest power supplier in your region at: www.cleanenergyguide.org.nz

Then check which is your cheapest electricity plan using the Consumers’ Institute’s PowerSwitch website. This asks a series of questions about your household circumstances to work out the cheapest plan in your area. www.powerswitch.co.nz Compare the results from each calculator; often you’ll find the greenest is also the cheapest, other times it may cost less than a cup of coffee a week to go green!

Buy A Power Monitor

A power monitor is like a speedometer for your electricity use. It will show you how much electricity you are using at any one time and how much it is costing.

It is a fantastic device to track your electricity usage as it is a visual reminder of how much you are using. This helps you understand what activities and appliances use more than others.

We gave each family in the series an electricity monitor called a ‘Centameter’. Most of them spent the fi rst few days turning appliances on and off and seeing what impact that had on their electricity usage. Others got into the habit of checking it before they went to bed to make sure everything was turned off around the house.

The unit works by attaching a metering device to the fuse box which sends a radio signal to the display unit in the house. Because you are attaching something to your fuse box, make sure you read all the safety instructions before installing an electricity monitor into your home. Some power suppliers offer a discount on this type of device, so ask.

MORE INFO Find out more at www.centameter.co.nz