Undeniably, our daily routines have been affected since the start of Movement Control Order (MCO) until no one knows when. Due to the implementation of MCO and now, the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), we spend most of our time by being at home. This, somehow, affected the energy bills and also leave various environmental impacts on the earth.
While the earth is healing on its own, PROTON had stepped up and shared a few ways on how we can do our part by staying eco-friendly throughout MCO and beyond:
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1. Conserve Water
Malaysians consume an average of 201 litres of water per person per day, which is equivalent to 134 bottles (1.5-litre capacity each) per person. Water consumption among Malaysians is indeed high. Saving water means doing more with less water, and using only the amount you need. Don’t wait till there is a water cut to figure out how to save water.
Conserving water is one of the steps you can take for a more sustainable future. Here is what you can do to conserve water:
- Turning off the tap when you are brushing the teeth or cleaning the dishes
- Taking shorter shower
- Switching the shower heads to a low flow shower heard.
- Fix all the leaky pipes
2. Make Your Own Cleaning Products
Other than constantly washing your hands, it is also extremely vital to keep your home clean, especially frequently touched areas; such as doorknobs, switches, fridge doors and digital devices.
The common cleaning products and disinfectants, however, contain harmful chemicals such as phosphate in dishwasher. When washed down the drain, it doesn’t simply vanish, but pollute the environment. These chemicals may also affect the health of you and your family.
You can prevent this by trying something more natural instead:
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Creating your own cleaning products.
From air fresheners to metal cleaners and polishes, there are hundreds of recipes to follow online. These ingredients usually consist of vinegar, baking soda, soap, and water, but other ingredients are useful for specific jobs.
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Fridge-cleaning solution
To keep the fridge clean, you’ll only need two cups of hot water and one cup of white vinegar. Combine the two ingredients in a bucket or a spray bottle, and you are ready to clean the inside of your refrigerator.
3. Reuse and Recycle
After being at home for such a long time, there may be a pile of empty cans sitting at the corner of the kitchen, or even a stash of empty potato chips packages just waiting to be thrown out. Now is the time to clean!
- Get rid of general waste and expired items, such as medicine, make-up products and spices.
- Separate and organise the recyclable and reusable items into various categories, such as paper, plastic, and aluminium.You can send this to the recycle centres once the MCO is lifted.
You can also reuse the recyclable items using your own creativity. You can decorate your house or create a new ‘vase’ by using the bottles, aluminium cans, and others. This could also be a fun and engaging art project for you and your kids to bond over!
4. Start an Edible Garden
Growing your own food may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for the health of yourself, your family, and our planet. You can kick start a family project by growing vegetables from celery, potato, tomato or onion leftovers. If you are planting your first edible garden, it is best to start small.
No matter what you are going to plant — herbs or vegetables — the first thing to do is to pick the perfect spot to do it. There are three basic requirements for your vegetable garden to become a success – the right amount of sunlight, sufficient water supply and suitable soil. There you go, you are now ready to grow your own edible garden!
5. Power Down Your Electronics
Last but not least, there are several steps you can take to minimize the energy used by the electronics in your home. The simplest way is to unplug your electronic appliances when they are not in use. When possible, use natural light by drawing the curtains and letting the sun shine through, instead of switching on the lights during the day.
In addition, there is a way to reduce energy consumption at night too. We all know that the weather can become unbearably hot at night, and that’s when we turn on our trust air-conditioners.
But instead of leaving them on the entire night, utilise the timer function to have the unit turn off in the wee hours of the morning when you’d be sound asleep. Not only will this soften the blow to your electric bill, but it is also good for the environment!
Thanks to PROTON, now we can do our part by doing these changes to help reduce the bad impact on the Mother Earth. You can start with the smallest of things like switch off the electric, turning off the tap, and other eco-friendly alternatives to your everyday habits.
For more useful tips and information on PROTON’s products and services, visit PROTON at https://www.proton.com/en/corporate/staysafe-staystrong-malaysia.