Corporate foundations focus on environment

The new board of the 73-member League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has adopted environment as its second major advocacy—next to education—to ensure that its members and their workers do their share in reducing carbon emissions or footprints.

Led by Pacita Juan of Figaro Foundation, the LCF board released recently practical green tips for its members and their workers to implement in the offices, plant sites and even their private homes.

Here are some of the tips:

Switch off all lights in empty rooms. When possible, use natural light. Forty-six percent of home energy is lost as when cellphone chargers are left plugged on the wall; unused electronic appliances are not switched off (which emit over 1,000 pounds of CO and P12,500 a year).

Change from incandescent to compact fluorescent light (CFL) that lasts 10 times longer than bulbs but consumes only 25 percent energy. A single CFL bulb can save P1,900 in electricity over its lifespan. Light emitting diodes (LED) are efficient for mood and task lighting and use even less energy than CFLs.

Print on both sides of the sheet or reuse single side printed sheets for the printer or photocopier. Encourage your office to go paperless—that’s what electronic media is for!

Reconsider your screensaver. It takes more energy for your monitor to display a brighter color so go with darker images such as sepia portraits, outer space photos or nightscapes. Switch off monitor if you will be away for awhile.

Avoid idling. Turn off car engine in heavy traffic. It is more fuel efficient to restart the engine when you are ready to go.

Always keep your car tuned up. If air filter is clean this saves 800 pounds of CO and P1,500 a year. Make sure your tires are adequately inflated to save 250 pounds of CO and up to P40,000 in fuel costs yearly. Consider converting your vehicles to LPG or natural gas to reduce CO emissions by as much as 30 percent.

Rethink your garden. Plant trees, grasses and shrubs that require less water. Practice deep watering in the early evening to avoid daily watering. A tree absorbs carbon dioxide, produces clean air, prevents topsoil erosion, provides a habitat for birds and insects and saves 2,000 pounds of CO2 each year and helps keep your home cool.

Pick eco-conscious gifts such as pure cotton garments and linens, toys made of natural or recycled materials, durable footwear, energy-efficient laptops, organic produce gift baskets and organic health and beauty products. Give low maintenance potted plants.

Consume less but buy essential consumables in bulk because they mean more savings, less packaging and less landfill.