It is always a consideration whether the further use of an older device does not require less energy or water than the production of a new, energy-efficient device. Therefore, the energy requirement along the entire product life cycle (from production to use to disposal) must be considered. If you bring your own devices on travel e.g. by camper or boat you should consider them to be highly energy efficient

LED 'light bulbs' are now available for really all lamps, even with pleasantly warm light colors. If you come by camper or boat you should consider this.

Streaming can hardly be stopped. It is convenient if all data is automatically backed up in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, and it is equally convenient if all shipments can be viewed not only at a certain time, but 'on demand'. It can also be argued that computers no longer need such large hard drives and CDs or BlueRays no longer need to be produced. In the end, however, streaming all over the world means a considerable energy demand and the infrastructures for transmission towers devour space and raw materials and they probably also cause harmful radiation. One solution is therefore to give up comfort a bit and perhaps also go more into nature instead of squatting in front of the screen. In detail, there is still the possibility to download something more at home with fiber optic, than on the go with older mobile networks.

If you come by camper or boat you should consider this.

An electricity storage system primarily helps to maximize the yield of the PV system. Note on lithium: Like many other raw materials, lithium is often problematic during mining. However, the life cycle assessment must take into account that we can recycle lithium for hundreds of years. In the basement, older lithium batteries from the automotive industry could also come to a second life later or, alternatively, sodium batteries that require more space. If you come by camper or boat you should consider this.

Standby power consumption is often reminded and extrapolated. For example, if a TV consumes 5 watts in standby, that is 120 watt hours (Wh) per day, i.e. about one eighth of a kilowatt hour, which costs about 35 cents. So hardly anyone will get up from the sofa for 5 cents a day and press the switch on the TV, or turn off the WLAN router at night, or shut down the computer. Or is it? And how many watt hours could be saved daily in all households? Would this consideration influence your actions?

Modern lamps require little electricity, and yet it is worthwhile not to let them burn unnecessarily, for example when we are not in the room for a long time.

The area that we need to live means the area that is sealed, the building material that is needed, and the space that needs to be heated - and all this against the background of social justice. If you select an apartment, a holiday house, or even a hotel room a smaller version can be a smart choice.

Long and hot showers mean water and energy consumption and ultimately high costs. The other effects are even more impressive in the network - or did you know that long showering can be responsible for refugees and the quality of life in Germany? http://www.imodeler.info/ro? key=Ceju1XNHCFZBJc2MpbAOl5Q We simply take a Spartaste when flushing the toilet for granted.

In most living rooms and bedrooms it is too warm in winter - we walk around in a T-shirt instead of putting on thick sweaters and sweaters. The energy-saving potential is considerable. When lowering the temperature, attention must be paid to the indoor climate and the possible risk of mold formation. This depends above all on the humidity.

Intelligent ventilation does not mean too late and not too long. It is too late when we get tired when the air is used up, get a headache and the humidity becomes too high. It is too long when the air has already been replaced and is cool, but we also ventilate the materials (walls, furniture) even longer. Heat ultimately means that things or air vibrate. When the air is exchanged, but the objects and walls are still vibrating, the fresh air is quickly heated. Even if the walls get cold, mold can form on them and we need expensive heating energy to make everything vibrate again. By the way, CO2 measuring devices help to ventilate in time and not for too long

Unlike the vegan diet, a vegetarian diet can also include milk, cheese or eggs. Vegetarian days are healthy, mean less animal husbandry and thus less consumption of land and water. People in the industrialized world consume more than three times more animal products, which according to the EAT-Lancet Commission would be healthy for us and the planet. We don't have to become vegans or vegetarians right away, but maybe just flexitarians.

Food from the region, from the weekly market and from the farm shop have not been transported far (there are of course also exceptions there) and strengthen the local economy. However, there are also inefficient short transport routes when vehicles with little load drive to the points of sale. E-mobility and cargo bikes can help here. Unfortunately, the regional is often also played out against the organic offer: regional, sprayed with pesticides food is not as good as regional organic food, and regional meat is not as good for the environment as the renunciation of meat.

Organic is extremely important for biodiversity. We have the greatest species extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs and the consequences are greater than those of climate change. Pesticides and mineral fertilizers endanger our future. In addition, soils from organic farming usually store more carbon and thus help against the climate catastrophe. The counter-argument is often that the yields in organic farming are lower than in industrial agriculture and therefore more forests have to be cut down. This is true, for example, with cereals that are not unrestrictedly healthy. But if we eat less meat, waste less food and eat more healthy legumes, we have plenty of additional space available and can feed the entire world organically and even plant a little more forest. Organic is more expensive. But on the one hand, many costs can be saved by less meat and on the other hand, it can be bought and cooked intelligently …. of course, it is also to be questioned whether there must be such a low livelihood at all - environmental policy is also social policy.

Which is better - the organic apple from New Zealand or the sprayed apple from the region? Answer: both wrong. Organic food from the region means less transport and is therefore even better than organic food with wide transport.

Seasonal organic products in addition to regional organic products also have less energy expenditure for storage. In the respective months, other products are available seasonally, so that we can eat healthy and tasty all year round with little transport and storage effort with regard to a seasonal calendar.

Legumes are not only an alternative source of vegetable proter to animal products, but also extremely important for world nutrition. They bind nitrogen from the air in the soil and can achieve just as high yields in organic farming as in industrial agriculture. So we have to cut down fewer forests. In addition, legumes are healthier than cereals. Harari describes in Sapiens how we could probably get much older if we didn't eat so much cereal products. After all, legumes are important for bees and biodiversity. Lupine, for example, also grows in northern Germany and can be used for meat substitutes, yogurt, coffee substitutes, ice cream or even noodles.

Fortunately, tap water has long been a trend. There are drinking water dispensers in schools and the students have their drinking bottles with them, and managers also bring their drinking bottles to workshops. Many children do not even get used to the unhealthy sugar drinks. Tap water is more strictly controlled than bottled drinks and saves a lot of energy and packaging. Even with motorhomes or boats or in places with the smell of chlorine in the water, we can save a lot of money, energy and packaging through good and regularly exchanged filters.

Food is wasted from the field to the factories and transport routes to the throw away by us, the restaurants and the supermarkets. This ultimately means that more areas are needed for cultivation and thus forests are cut down and biodiversity is endangered with sprays and fertilizers. We can shop more specifically, throw away goods not only because of the best before date, save food in the household (e.g. freeze bananas or make durable spreads and soups from leftover vegetables yourself), save specifically rescued food (e.g. too small or wrinkled goods) and also donate leftover food in many places, e.g. to the food banks.

Not using your own car or renting one, although there would be a driver's license, means not only saving money, but also raw materials, parking space and a lot of energy. In addition to flexibility and necessity in rural areas, car ownership means above all status, distinction and attribution (the infamous "phallus substitute with roaring sound). Alternatives are the bicycle, public transport and car sharing. For young people, the renunciation also means solidarity with those who cannot afford mopeds - as difficult as it is. Most households have never calculated the actual costs of their car ownership - from the purchase to taxes and insurance to energy and wear https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/05/one-less-car-how-this-country-is-encouraging-green-mobility/

Local public transport and also long-distance transport by train and bus (in the case of bus, the road infrastructure is still required) means considerably less energy and resource requirements than individual transport with cars or motorcycles. Long-distance buses only perform so well because they are limited to well-used routes, while the train also runs at unfavorable times and has to connect remote places, which then leads to less than half-full trains.

A premium SUV can weigh well over 2.5 tons and consumes more than twice as economical vehicles. Van, buses are similar - but sometimes have an authorization, for example as then actually used 7-seaters or for regular transports. For rare transports, there should be rental cars nearby or trailers. There is a global trend towards SUVs. These unconsciously give us the feeling of robustness, of getting through. They reinforce the so-called attribution or distinction need. We think we are the great car. At the same time, however, the same applies: Small cars are not necessarily more economical than larger cars - a Renault ZOE apparently consumes more than a Tesla Model Y. But larger cars consume more raw materials in the end. There is the expression SUV shame when you behave selfishly recklessly towards future generations through SUVs, comparable to flight shame.

Flying is a great experience for most people like experiencing distant places. Flying short distances should rightly lead to 'flight shame' - some countries are planning to ban domestic flights completely. The problem with flying is, on the one hand, that we travel a lot of kilometers, even if the energy requirement per kilometer and person is not so high. On the other hand, greenhouse gases are transported directly to the heights where they harm us. So we should only use the plane for rare long-distance trips and then rather stay longer in the places. Many, on the other hand, fly several times a year, partly within Europe - some even to sustainability conferences or just to spontaneously escape the harsh weather in Germany. Unfortunately, flying is even subsidized and is often cheaper than train or car.

No question - leaving the car and taking the bike is a proud feeling and healthy. If you don't want to exhaust yourself (for example, on the way to work), you can consider an e-bike. If you have a lot to transport, a cargo bike. Often we can also share a cargo bike with others. And if you shy away from bad weather, you will find great cycling clothing today, which completely refutes the argument.

We are used to the fact that everything is packed and we don't care much about the packaging. For some foods, the packaging is more expensive in the production than the content. Paying attention to the packaging sends a signal to manufacturers and retailers. Refills are an option as well. For food, there are so-called unpackaged shops or at least the possibility of using deposit containers (own step) or cotton bags brought along for loose vegetables and fruit. In basically all markets, we should have our own bags with us.

Consistently separating waste, including green waste, glass and paper, is not as self-evident as can be assumed. Many make little effort here and don't really know what belongs in which bin. But also special waste, such as batteries, incandescent lamps, electrical appliances, etc. must be disposed of properly.

Non-recycled paper is often cheaper, but means cutting of forests, contamination of water during production and a high energy requirement. Recycled paper for toilet paper, writing paper, packaging, envelopes, wrapping paper, etc. should be a matter of course today. But we have to pay attention to it and choose it. Recycled paper is also snow-white, but it should then not be bleached with chlorine but oxygen.

The minimum is the use of the compost bin of the disposal company. If you have a garden, you should create the compost yourself and see what everything can do on it, from the coffee filter to the bowls of organic fruits and vegetables to, of course, the garden 'waste'. Food leftovers do not belong in the compost because of the danger of rats. However, there are also possibilities here. For example, Bokashi with so-called effective microorganisms are a way to ferment the compost with vinegar so that it can then be grounded directly by compost worms. To support the microorganisms (EM^2), plant char and clay mineral can still be added. By the way, the biochar can also be made quite practically with pyrolysis cookers from your own tree pruning from the garden - a nice alternative to grilling and a separate point in the list of possible steps. Such a compost then stores a lot of carbon (CO2) and moisture against dry summers and ensures high yields in the garden. In fact, many compost heaps are more likely to focus on physical decomposition and release of a lot of CO2.

After unpacked and for drinks after the tap water, the best thing we can do is to buy our food in reusable containers. (By the way, there are also reusable shipping boxes for office supplies as well as some regional delivery services). Also ask whether the containers are transported empty throughout Germany, or whether North German beer flows into the empty bottle of Bavarian beer and vice versa. Next question, what energy does it cost to clean the containers. Composite packaging or cans that are easy to recycle are the better alternative in some studies. In such studies, it is necessary to look closely at what is being compared. Ultimately, it is important to close regional cycles. Next question, whether the containers should be made of glass or plastic - glass is recycled more often, plastic is lighter and means less energy during transport.

Many things are actually thrown away, although others could still do something with it. It is more convenient for us not to repair it than to have a stand at the flea market or to have to send it for little money. But the good feeling of doing the right thing motivates.

We are used to buying safe and durable food comfortably in the supermarket. These are packed and since we separate the garbage, we hardly have a problem with it. In fact, however, only a certain part of the garbage is recycled - much is burned or still exported. But we can make a lot of food ourselves and buy the ingredients unpacked or with little packaging. It's a certain effort but it saves money and a lot of packaging. We can make bread, spreads, sauces, juices, jam, ..., everything that would otherwise be bought packed, ourselves. The fruit can come from the garden or from orchards - this promotes the demand for insect-friendly orchards and if we do all this together with others or at least exchange the yield with each other, we strengthen the community.

Basically, there are three types of banks - the inexpensive online banks with great conditions, the local savings banks and cooperative banks or branches of the major banks, and a very few real eco-banks (GLS Bank, Triodos, ....). The savings interest rates of green banks are quite decent, while the short-term interest rates and fees are less attractive. But all sorts of things are not financed without regard to ethical and ecological standards. Even the local banks focus on the maximum return here. Globally, Green Finance already plays a huge role. Investors pay attention to ethical standards and thus put pressure on the industry to adhere to standards or even become a pioneer.

This is about living and working in the region, about strengthening the community. The birdhouse from a social workshop or the PV system from the electrician on site (if he has further training).

Many people who earn above average can only do this because others earn below average. The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger and bigger. Consumers complain about cheap wages, but the price increase by 50 cents is rarely accepted. What we deserve is not, as liberals or neoliberals like to think, just a question of diligence. It is the product (!) out of diligence, skill, and the right framework conditions. Anyone who knows many talented and hard-working people who are simply not lucky develops empathy and is willing to pay more, even if it is through tips. In the US there is the sign "tip or die".

Volunteering, whether at the fire brigade, in the sports club or the help in the neighborhood, is enormously important for togetherness and society. Even on vacation you can engage in volunteering, e.g. some environmental projects.

Many enjoy the variety through new garments or simply grow quickly. If you only wear clothes for shorts, you should try second clothes and at least sell your no longer worn clothes or donate to a social shop. Others wear few pieces of clothing without a claim to variety until they fall apart. Of course, this is best done with higher-quality garments.

Even large, conventional clothing stores sometimes take back old clothes and promise to produce new yarns from them. Often the problem is the quality of short-lived clothing, which is then difficult to recycle and yet ends up in the waste incineration plant or on the dump in developing countries. With the points for clothing, if you do not buy conventional cotton, but choose sometimes recycled and sometimes organic cotton, you can give yourself a full 3 points for both.

All major drugstore discounters now have natural cosmetics in all areas - from deodont to lipstick to sunscreen (although sustainable sunscreens are a real challenge, as tests prove again and again). On the one hand, natural cosmetics are usually healthier, and on the other hand, no non-degradable substances enter the environment and no animals have been tortured to test the effects.

Organic cleaning agents can be found in all supermarkets and drugstores. Essential features are biodegradability and, of course, the vegetable raw materials as an alternative to petroleum-based raw materials. Even if conventional cleaning agents are classified as safe, organic cleaning agents are certainly more harmless. If you travel with a camper or boat you should consider that.

It is amazing what we can make with citric acid and household vinegar on our own cleaners. If you travel with a camper or boat you should consider that.

Having something new makes you happy. We are offered more and more technical products, from flashing children's shoes to cheap e-scooters to the grill with a built-in fan. To consider here whether it can also be done without it and how long the devices will last and what the disposal of such electronic waste means emancipates us from the consumer traps.

Green IT starts with the devices and goes on to the power consumption from streaming to the use of IT to increase efficiency. The devices are about the use of used or refurbished devices, repairable devices, the recycling of materials and the minimization of questionable raw materials.

Many devices from vacuum cleaners to cordless screwdrivers to TVs are amazingly inexpensive today. Relying on valuable devices that last a long time, or even buying used devices, helps to save raw materials and energy. Look for refurbished products. On vacation be proud that you do not need to use the latest gadgets.

Some bring a lot of stuff if they go on vacation, some even buy a lot of things at site that they otherwise could have rented.

Also on vacation you may consider to repairt things like clothes or toys instead of buying new stuff.

Firecrackers and fireworks are a problem in every respect: for the animal world, the environment and the people who produce them. The ultrafine particles pollution is horrendous. And all this only because people (mostly men) hope for attention and admiration about this.

This does not refer to the skater track or the artificial turf sports field, but motorsport, skiing on artificially snowy slopes, kiting in bird protection areas, sailboats with biocides on the underwater ship, golfing with high use of water and pesticides, quad rides into nature, skydiving, etc. Of course, these hobbies are fun, which is why it is rewarded if we actively choose the more environmentally friendly alternatives here and thus achieve a rethink with others.