Fridge Tips:

• Clean those coils: Your fridge stays cold because it has something called a condenser coil located on the bottom or back that removes heat from the inside. When the coil becomes dusty and dirty, it doesn’t function as well, and therefore your fridge has to use more energy. Unless you have a “no-clean condenser” model (check your owner’s manual), you should gently vacuum or brush off the coils twice a year. Your fridge’s efficiency will improve by up to 30 percent! Also make sure that there are at least two inches of space around your entire fridge so that air can flow freely and ventilate the hot coils.
• Fill it up: Keep your fridge filled but not overcrowded. When the door is opened, a full fridge will keep in the cold air better than a partially filled fridge will. To fill up an empty fridge, put in extra bottles filled with water. Don’t go too crazy, though- an overcrowded fridge will prevent the cold air from circulating properly.

Food Consumption:

• If you do choose to eat fish: Buy seafood from sustainable sources and avoid over-fished species. Seafood is becoming an increasingly popular protein food, particularly among people who wish to avoid red meat. Sustainable seafood is harvested in limited quantities from carefully managed stocks. This ensures that individual species aren’t over-fished, marine habitat is preserved and pollution is prevented. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has produced Australia’s first national guide to choosing sustainable seafood. Use this guide to make more informed choices about buying seafood.
• Also look out for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC ) label. They are an independent, global, non-profit organisation that recognises sustainably managed fisheries through a certification program.
• Avoid genetically modified (GM) foods. The main GM ingredients o the Australian supermarket shelves are derived from imported canola, corn (or maize) and soy products as well as local and imported cottonseed products. Foods labelled ‘Product of Australia” are mostly GM-free. However, products ‘Made in Australia’ may be made from imported ingredients with GM content. GM foods are already out there on the supermarket shelves and the people who eat them are unwittingly part of an unofficial field trial. If you don’t want to be part of the GM food experiment, look for foods labelled ‘GM-free’, not genetically modified’, or certified organic’. Greenpeace Australia has produced the True Food Guide to help consumers identify GM-free brands.

Energy-Efficient Cooking:

• Use less energy to thaw frozen food by standing it in the refrigerator overnight instead of using a microwave or oven defrost function
• Use a toaster instead of a griller to toast bread, crumpets and muffins
• Match the saucepan size to the size of the hotplate that you use.
• Use only enough water to cover the food when boiling. Don’t waste energy heating excess water.
• Keep lids on pots and use a lower heat setting, instead of using a higher heat with the lid off. Lids help to keep the heat inside the pot.
• Keep the oven door shut. When you open the oven door you let out heat, which then has to be replaced using more energy.
• With gas cooktops, make sure that the flame isn’t too big for the size of the saucepan. If you see the edges of the flame beyond the side of the bottom of the saucepan, then you’re wasting energy.
• Turn the oven off a few minutes before cooking is finished and leave the oven door closed. The cooking will finish using the residual heat in the oven.
• Keep the surfaces of your cooking appliances clean to ensure maximum heat is reflected.

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