We want to live more environmentally responsible lives but it’s not always easy to know what to do. Kayema helps you help the environment with high-quality, Eskom approved solar energy solutions.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide and methane, all of which occur naturally on Earth. What is unnatural is the rate at which greenhouse gas emissions is increasing. The greenhouse gas effect, caused by an unnaturally high volume of emissions, is when greenhouse gases trap heat and light in the atmosphere and cause global temperatures to rise. When temperatures rise by too much (too much being a matter of one to two degrees), climates are irreparably damaged and plants and animals die out.
You can do your bit to temper the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is your personal volume of CO2 emissions and it can be measured on a primary and secondary level. Your primary carbon footprint relates to direct CO2 emissions, such as driving your car or running your tumble dryer every day. Your secondary carbon footprint relates to your indirect CO2 emissions, such as purchasing products manufactured overseas instead of locally.
There are a lot of things you can do to decrease your carbon footprint.
Your carbon footprint can be reduced simply by watering your lawn in the morning rather than in the blazing sun, or putting leaves and vegetable scraps in a compost heap rather than the rubbish bin. Car pooling is another way to reduce more than one carbon footprint in South Africa, which has an alarmingly high number of cars on its roads.
Recycling is starting to catch on in South Africa, which will help reduce the country’s carbon footprint and makes the entire population more environmentally aware.
South Africa is blessed with abundant sunshine; there are areas in the Northern and Western Cape that receive more sunshine than the Sahara Desert. Interestingly, these are also high wind areas, which make them perfect locations for large-scale solar and wind power plants.
On a smaller scale, alternative energy is available for residential and commercial purposes in the form of wind turbines and solar water heating systems. Solar power provides clean energy that is sustainable, renewable and allows you to meet a significant portion of your alternative energy needs off grid.
Solar power is one of the most important sources of alternative energy in South Africa. Many poverty relief programmes use solar water heaters and panels to provide power to under-privileged areas.
Alternative energy companies, such as Kayema, have a vested interest in ensuring that more people in South Africa make the move to sustainable energy. But that doesn’t mean the move to natural energy should be a purely financial one.
Going green doesn’t have to entail big changes, such as moving off grid to alternative energy sources.
You can reduce the chemicals in your home by switching to natural or biodegradable cleaning products. These days most supermarkets stock greener cleaning materials but you can make your own using basic household ingredients.
You can also reduce your carbon footprint (while reducing that of the nation) by having a meatless day per week.
All the while bear in mind the old stand-bys, such as switch off lights and appliances when not in use, buy local and keep recycling both at the office and at home.
