BE the CHANGE! Make a DIFFERENCE!

Who…
…is a Green Ambassador?

Anyone who can make a difference, small or big, in saving our dying planet. Pick up litter, recycle, reuse, spread awareness or participate in any such activity that contributes towards sustainable growth. Be the change, involve others. They say, “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean,” so get together to make a difference in fixing the wounds of our planet – it needs attention, ever more than before!

What…
…will Green Ambassadors have to do?

The goal of a Green Ambassador is to share information and indulge in environment-friendly practices wherever they go (class, campus, office, home). Their actions are required to have a positive impact on the environment, which can come about as a result of the choices of projects each Ambassador takes up. If Green Ambassadors choose, they can take on larger roles in their work place to build awareness, post information, promote others to take action, host events, etc.

How…
…can it have an impact?

As individuals, we often feel powerless to impact our larger environment, particularly around the challenges of global climate change. However, when individual practice becomes routine in a place, the impact is multiplied as others learn of and adopt the new practice. Individual action becomes collective action, and in the aggregate, can have a very large cumulative impact. This is particularly true for energy conservation, take for example Earth Hour. Earth Hour 2009 saw more than one billion people participate, reducing demands for electricity by thousands of mega watts.

TAKE CHARGE! It's now in your hands...

A Green Ambassador takes responsibility to heal our planet through activities that will protect our environment and encourage collective participation.

Green Ambassadors show that they care about the environment, and are willing to make efforts to fix damages.

The first step in initiating change is to be aware. Being attentive towards day-to-day activities can show how much is harmed unknowingly. Small efforts can lead to large outcomes.
Remember, nothing is too big or small, to make a difference.

BE AWARE, TAKE CHARGE!

• Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves up to saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of energy, 3.2 cubic  yards of landfill space, 60 pounds of air pollution, and uses 50 percent less water than making paper from virgin fibre. REDUCE AND REUSE PAPER!
  
  
• 20 to 50 million metric tons of electronic waste is generated worldwide every year. Only 11.4 percent of that is recovered for recycling, and of that amount, very little actually ends up getting recycled. STOP TRASHING ELECTRONIC GADGETS UNNECESSARILY!
  
  
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 100 billion metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years could be sequestered through forest preservation, tree planting and improved agricultural management. PLANT MORE TREES!
  
  
• For every 38,000 bills paid online, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved. GO DIGITAL!
  
  
• Plastic is recyclable. Recycling just one plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60W light bulb for six hours, however, plastics can take up to 400 years to break down in a landfill. DON'T USE PLASTIC, AND IF YOU DO, RECYCLE IT!
  
  
• Lighting and office equipment produce a lot of heat. They account for up to 15 percent of air conditioning costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Remove one tube from twin fluoro fittings (called de-lamping). If the area seems a bit dim afterwards, give the light fittings and tubes a wipe over as dirt reduces their output. CLEAN UP!
  
  
• If your computer has got a big old-style monitor, you can cut its energy consumption in half by switching to a flat screen. Better still, switch to a laptop; you'll use 90 percent less electricity. Computers in sleep mode usually use less than 10 percent of the energy they do when they're sitting around waiting for you or hard at work. SWITCH TO LAPTOPS AND CHANGE TO SLEEP MODE!
  
  
• A refrigerated drink vending machine generates around three tons of greenhouse gases each year; about half of this is due to the display lights in it. Getting rid of the vending machine cuts these emissions. REDUCE ELECTRONIC DISPLAY!
  
  
• Over-catering by providing too much food in forms that cannot be stored for later use adds to the 'embodied' emissions of food. And if the food waste is dumped in landfill, it will generate more greenhouse gas. Each kilogramme of food disposed of to landfill generates the equivalent of 0.9 kg CO2. STOP WASTING FOOD!
  
  
• When driving around, avoid high speeds. Calculations demonstrate a decrease of 4.8 kms per gallon between 55-65 mph, which rises to 4.3 mpg between 55-70 because of wind resistance. DRIVE SLOW AND IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY!