我們可以爲環保做的18件小事
Each and every one of us is responsible for the greenhouse gases we emit in our daily actions and choices. Therefore, combating climate change is going to take the combined efforts of everyone on the planet.
我們中的每個人都應該對自己日常生活活動和選擇所產生的溫室氣體負責。因此，防止氣候變化需要地球上的每個人共同來努力。
The average household carbon footprint in China is 2.41 tons of carbon dioxide annually. That's enough to fill half an Olympic swimming pool.
在中國，平均每戶每年的碳排放量是2.41噸二氧化碳。這足夠填充半個奧運游泳池了。
Surprised? Well, here's how you can work.to reduce it:
吃驚麼？好吧，就讓我們來看看減少碳排放量的方法吧。
1. Take showers rather than baths and reduce your shower time by two minutes. This will save water and give you an extra two minutes in bed.
建議採用噴頭淋浴而非浴缸。縮短兩分鐘洗澡時間，省水同時爲自己多爭取兩分鐘睡眠時間。
2. Don't purchase unnecessary clothes, and be careful about the materials you buy. Wool and cotton fabrics have a really high greenhouse gas impact. Manmade fibers such as polyester are a better choice.
不要購買沒必要的衣物，對衣物料子的選擇要謹慎。羊毛和棉織品有很強的溫室氣體影響。人造纖維，例如伸縮尼龍就是個更好的選擇。
3. There's no point having the heat up high while the wind's blowing in under the door or sneaking in through the window. Reseal all window frames to keep the heat in.
門底或窗戶縫進風時，沒必要提高室內溫度。再密封一下窗戶縫就可以留住熱氣了。
4. Try to buy high-quality, long-lasting products even though they may cost a little more. A laptop is more efficient than a desktop, and a small screen TV is better than a big flat-screen.
儘量買高質量，壽命長的商品，儘管這可能會有一點貴。筆記本電腦比臺式電腦效率更高，小屏幕電視比寬屏電視要好。
5. Only turn the water heater on when necessary, and adjust temperature controls to avoid overheating. Put a lid on a pan when boiling water.
熱水器不用就別開，溫度控制不要過熱。燒水時把壺蓋蓋好。
6. When using the washing machine, be sure there's a full load and turn the temperature down if it's not really grubby.
使用洗衣機時，確認滿載，如果衣服不是很髒就把溫度調低。
7. The greediest home device along with the washing machine is the fridge. Make sure it's as efficient as possible by keeping it out of direct sunlight and away from the oven or heater. Don't put food in when it's still warm.
和洗衣機一樣位列“最貪婪”家電的就是電冰箱了。電冰箱要避免太陽直射，遠離微波爐或火爐，儘量保證它的工作效率。另外，切記不要把熱的食物放進冰箱。
8. This is obvious, but essential: switch off all appliances when you're not using them. This includes lights.
這一點很明顯也很重要：不使用時，關掉所有電器，包括燈。
9. Conserve energy by using efficient light bulbs. They use about one-third of the energy of normal bulbs and last 10 times as long.
使用節能燈泡節省能源。它們的耗電量僅是普通燈泡的三分之一，持續時間卻是後者的10倍。
10. Only print things out when necessary, and print double-sided and reduce the margins.
取消不必要的打印工作，紙張兩面都可打印，儘量減少頁邊空白。
11. Take your own mug and cutlery to work. This saves throwing away disposable cups and containers--but that could be outweighed by washing your cutlery. So, pay attention to how you use water when washing your dishes.
在單位儘量使用自己的杯子和餐具。這能減少一次性杯子和餐具的廢棄量——但是，這就意味着洗餐具要消耗很多水。因此，洗餐具時要注意用水方法。
12. Find out what the recycling options are in your area. Then make sure you keep items such as paper and plastic bottles separate so that they can be recycled. There are places where you can recycle electronic appliances and batteries. Make sure you find them.
瞭解身邊的回收利用設施。然後，確保把紙張、塑料瓶等物品分開以方便回收。也有回收電器、電池的地方，確保你能找到它們。
13. Look for reusable, recyclable, biodegradable items and remember to carry your reusable shopping bags!
使用可再用、可循環、可降解物品。記得使用可再用的購物袋。
14. Each week, choose one day when you don't eat meat. Meat uses up lots of energy because it takes a long time to produce.
每週有一天吃素。由於烹飪肉類耗時較長，所以耗能更多。
15. Only buy the amount of food you need and if there are leftovers, get creative. For instance, make them into a soup. Ask to take food home from restaurants if there's some left, but remember to take your own container to avoid using a disposable carton.
只買適量的食物，如有剩飯要富有創新精神。例如：將剩菜做成湯。在餐廳吃飯，如有剩飯一定要打包。但切記要適用自己的飯盒，避免用一次性飯盒。
16. Food production eats up lots of energy. When you buy food, go local rather than imported, and get fresh vegetables instead of frozen.
食品生產耗能巨大。買食品時，請儘量選擇當地食品而非進口食品，買新鮮蔬菜而不是冷凍食品。
17. All motorized travel is carbon-intensive. Buses and trains are better than cars, but walking or cycling is better still. It's also better for your health and cheaper.
所有機動化的外出旅行都會產生二氧化碳。公共汽車和火車會比汽車好，而步行和騎自行車更好。這不僅有益身心健康，還很便宜。
18. Air travel is an environmental disaster. As well as carbon dioxide, planes emit nitrogen oxide, another nasty gas.
相比而言，航空旅行簡直就是環境災難。除了二氧化碳，飛機還釋放出另外一種有害氣體--一氧化碳。
