The Understanding Energy event held by Conscious Action, Good Magazine, Flick Electric Co., Burger Fuel and Karma Cola saw an amazing discussion around ways we can consume energy better in our own lives.
Held in a very comfortable and cosy setting at The Workshop in Auckland, the Understanding Energy event held in January 2019 was an approachable way for a group of around 50 people to come together and discuss energy consumption.
Hosted by Conscious Action, Good Magazine, Flick Electric Co., Burger Fuel and Karma Cola the event saw guest speakers, Victoria Crockford from Flick Electric Co. and Chris Thurston from Watercare Services, join a panel with Conscious Action’s Brian Berneman and Kayla Greenville. They discussed New Zealand’s use of energy, and the difference between energy and electricity while really engaging the room and answering questions from the crowd.
During the evening, attendees were treated to yummy vegetarian bites from Burger Fuel, Living Goodness, and Karma Cola. And at the end of the event, there was a Good goody bag packed with gifts from WE-AR, Burgerfuel, Living Goodness, Hunter Gatherer Gourmet, The Larder Project and Karma Cola.
Throughout the evening, many great tips and information was shared about how people were consuming energy in a more mindful manner. Here’s just a selection of the tips that came from the panel and the audience.
Take cold showers
There was much talk about trying to take cold showers, where possible, to reduce the energy used in having to heat the water. And take shorter showers, too!
Use the ShareWaste app
If it’s not possible to have a compost solution at your home, using the ShareWaste app you can find someone in your area who may need your food scraps for their compost. Likewise, if you have a compost system that could do with some feeding, you can set yourself up in the app as a compost host!
Make insulation cushions out of soft plastics
If you have a supply of soft plastics that you no longer can recycle, why not consider making some insulation cushions for your hot water cupboard to keep some of that energy locked in?
Using the disposal system in your sink is better than sending food to landfill
Sending food through this system is more efficient than sending food to landfill. There was discussion around how you may find a carrot in landfill nearly 30 years later and it would be in a state where you could nearly eat it still!
Heat water on the stove in the morning and keep it in a flask
If you heat up a pot of water on the stove in the morning for a cup of tea, boil up extra and pop it in a flask. The flask will keep the heat in for future teas throughout the day. And it’s super convenient to carry around with you.
Download the Flick Electric Co. app
Using the Flick Electric Co. app you can monitor the carbon impact of New Zealand’s electricity use in the Choice section. Flick customers can get ‘Dirty’ notifications telling them when there’s a high use of electricity on the grid, and it will encourage them to switch off appliances they may not need.
To find out when a future Conscious Action event will be taking place, make sure you check out their website, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram: @consciousactionnz