Your country most likely has real green electricity providers, as they purchase or implement the appropriate capacities of green electricity for each customer. The other electricity providers only offer an electricity mix. The share of green electricity is sold more expensive as an eco-tariff to some customers, while the other customers theoretically only receive the shares of gas, coal, etc. http://www.imodeler.info/ro?key=CF8Gsu47BnYHLi5NHUWXKVA

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. Sometimes someone needs a different device and can't afford a new one - then a used device from someone who has bought a new, more economical device, of course, also makes sense. With some devices, the top values are only achieved with large quantities, i.e. washing machines with a lot of capacity. It is to see whether the top values also apply with lower filling quantities, for example for single households.

LED 'light bulbs' are now available for really all lamps, even with pleasantly warm light colors.

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.

We have to use all suitable areas for photovoltaics (PV), as the variants on open spaces restrict nature and agriculture. A trend is PV on stilts, so that it can still be gardened or cultivated underneath. But that costs building material. Photovoltaics has become amazingly inexpensive today thanks to cheap panels from China. Unfortunately, there is hardly any money to make from the feed into the power grid, currently about 8 cents per kWh in Germany. Therefore, PV should always be combined with its own electricity storage (own step, see below) so that as much electricity as possible is consumed by yourself. This then saves approx. 25 to 35 cents per kWh (depending on your tariff), which we would otherwise have to pay to the electricity provider. In this way, your own PV system, adapted to your own electricity consumption, pays off after just a few years. If you have a car, you should take into account its consumption (even if it is not yet an electric car). Then the savings are much bigger. The banks like to give loans for PV, quite often it is also being subsidized. In addition, there are also providers who take over the costs and virtually rent the roof area and offer discounted electricity in return. Such providers then form so-called virtual power plants with other houses and their batteries. For such a dependency, you should inform yourself well about what is best for you.

An electricity storage system primarily helps to maximize the yield of the PV system if the electricity is not fed into the grid for little money, but comes out of the battery in the evening and then allows the full electricity price to be saved. Another advantage may be that some batteries work as an island system in the event of a power outage. The already mentioned virtual power plants then access your battery from the outside and make the electricity available virtually in the neighborhood and compensate you for it. In addition, power grids are stabilized and even with little wind and no sun, we can consume renewable energies. 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.

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.

Apart from the fact that every device can have a high power consumption, a refrigerator is not regularly defrosted, the door seal is leaking, the washing machine is driven with too high temperatures and spin numbers, etc., there are still some unnecessary things that consume a lot of electricity: Tumble dryer, sauna, dehumidifier, pond pumps, aquarium heaters, terrace heaters, etc. The easiest way is to see to what extent you deviate from the average consumption in Germany and then think about what it is. If you are charging an electric car at home, you should see what can be attributed to it (either the car offers this evaluation or you use a separate electricity meter for this).

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.

Appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers must specify a value for water consumption when buying new. It is therefore worthwhile to compare water and energy consumption equally and also to research corresponding test reports..

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. However, these should not be a useless gadget, but perhaps used for practice one after the other in the rooms and gladly lent. A nice game is the competition, how good the sense of the people in the room is to ventilate in time and not 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.

There are almost hostile prejudices against electric cars: child labor, coal power, risk of explosion, farmers are expropriated, fear of range, loss of value, etc. It is true: Like every car, electric cars are also a waste of raw materials and energy. But if car, then the electric car is the best solution, because gasoline and diesel perform even worse in all areas. Many studies or Statements by laymen make a mistake: The controversial lithium must not only be counted with its footprint from mining, but this must be reduced by the many times that lithium is recycled again and again in the decades. In addition, what few know: Gasoline contains almost the same amount of electrical energy on 100km for production and transport as it is needed in an electric car for the journey. E-cars would not have to be so expensive and batteries not so big - charging options are more important. Electricity at public charging stations is currently surprisingly expensive, although it would clearly be more important to add the costs of the climate catastrophe and air pollution to the gasoline and diesel price. http://www.imodeler.info/ro? key=Col-EWhyCbIR_KGGP7mXbLw Hydrogen and synthetic fuels in cars are nonsense. There are so-called memes fuelled by individual interests (keyword "Lex Porsche" https://www.cleanthinking.de/lex-porsche-lindner-wissing-e-fuels/), 'ego trolls', which are picked up by 'Troll-Lemmingen', who simply like to be against something and do not want to change. With both fuels, green electricity is first generated and then with loss of efficiency to hydrogen or e-fuel. For e-fuels, carbon is also missing - already today, few airlines that have started with it have a problem buying carbon on the market. Consideo has also gained important insights about hydrogen: https://www.consideo.com/files/consideo/pdfs/papers/eng/ConsideoPaper-BEM-Engl.pdf

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.

Saving paper helps to protect forests - recycling paper also ultimately means more demand for fresh pulp from trees. We don't even need to print many things in the first place, but can save them on devices that we already have. Banks and insurance companies offer to carry out the correspondence purely electronically and to save a lot of paper. Of course, there is also a big question as to whether we do not consume books and magazines better digitally. Well, if we already have the devices anyway, downloading and saving are the better alternative for the environment. If we buy extra devices and then hardly use them, the ecological footprint of the devices is greater than that of the saved paper. By the way, the winner is the library/lend library. But books are also a nice experience and if we know what's in them, also a nice decoration for our apartments. Magazines, on the other hand, are not very timeless, and if we need articles later, the online search is easier before.

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.

Surface sealing is a problem not only in growing civilizations, but also in Germany. We live on too much living space, are still building new streets and courtyard driveways and our terraces are also getting bigger and bigger. To specifically dispense with living space here, to build in height, water-permeable paving, green roofs (own point) and, weighing up all the advantages and disadvantages, expanding your own house to the height in order to enable more people to live on the same sealed area, are valuable steps. By the way, an English lawn is ecologically not very valuable, for example, compared to a flower or clover meadow or a vegetable garden.

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).

At Fair-Trade, we usually think of the label of the same name - which is no longer in disrepute. But there are also other labels - some rather greenwashing, some quite trying to do better. Fair is not always the same as organic and organic is not always fair (but some labels combine both). The importance is immense: fair working conditions in the world ensure less migration, more climate protection and a more peaceful world. Extremely remarkable is the background of chocolate and the connection between child slavery (!) And the common products from Nutella to children's chocolate to the Mars bar: https://edition.cnn.com/world/freedom-project

Volunteering, whether at the fire brigade, in the sports club or the help in the neighborhood, is enormously important for togetherness and society.

We afford much of what we afford, because others do it too. What we then have and do goes far beyond what we need to be happy. Therefore, every euro donated on our side is first of all a waiver of consumption. Whether the donated money simply leads to consumption elsewhere can be questioned. What does the youth fire brigade do with the donations, what Greenpeace, what plan Germany, what the riff reporters, etc.? A useful flashing angle is to be considered here so-called sources and sinks. The box of beer is gone for now, a sink. But if it leads to more people wanting to get involved in the youth fire brigade, it is a source of more good. However, many donations are also to be questioned - for example, when it comes to the scandals behind the clothing donations or some organizations spend the most money on administration. However, with a little research and taking into account donation seals, we find great opportunities. By the way, it is also popular not to give your own family gifts in kind, but very concrete donations such as hygiene articles or goats in developing countries. Among other things, Plan-Germany offers this. If then your own kids are proud not to get even more Zeuchs themselves, but to be able to tell their friends what good they have done in the world with their Christmas gift, then we are already in a better world. The bar for the willingness to donate can be one's own prosperity, which the linked online calculator calculates. If you have more than your environment, you should definitely consider donating more.

Both organ and blood and plasma donations or even bone marrow donations cost us overcoming - until we or our loved ones are dependent on it. Here, too, the same applies - those who do it can be proud of themselves.

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.

Vegan shoes and belts are no longer distinguishable from their leather variants. And who pays attention to the fact that the tanning processes do not allow heavy metals to enter the environment or that the leather is certified accordingly? We should be careful with some plastics, such as PVC with plasticizers, which are also not good for the environment.

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.

Many furniture cannot stand being moved or even disassembled and reassembled. They are primarily cheap and the business model is that after a few years we want to buy new furniture. Looking at how valuable the furniture is and then being able to repair it takes us a whole lot further on the way to a better world. It is also amazing what good pieces there are on the used market.

Leaf vacuums and blowsers are even worse than the idea of mowing small lawns with a large lawn mowing tractor at all and then for hours. Boys with toys. The leaf vacuums and blowers emit noise and ultrafine particles and harm the soil organisms more than rakes or brooms.

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.

Precisely because devices are so inexpensive, we tend to buy all kinds of devices ourselves and not borrow them, whether from the neighbors or from the tool rental company. The large DIY stores now all offer a rental service.

Unfortunately, many devices can no longer be repaired at all, for example if the control unit breaks down from the washing machine and costs more than a new washing machine. And yet there are workshops that also repair mobile phones, washing machines, lawn mowers, etc. - and even if it is as expensive as a new device, it is the good feeling of having done something for a better world again.

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.

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.

Returns have become a big problem - many returns are simply burned because the logistics are more expensive than the goods. Especially with clothing, we should research for detailed size specifications so that the clothing also fits. Simply ordering three sizes and of course sending two back is a waste of energy and resources. But other products would not have to be returned if we researched better beforehand whether they meet our expectations.

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.