A cleaner greener you

Vietnam has a long way to catch up with the most environmentally unfriendly nations on Earth, but as it modernizes, there are a lot of environmental tradeoffs being made, not just from industrial pollution but the eco-damaging lifestyles being imported from developed nations.
It can seem difficult and hardly worth it to be environmentally conscious in Vietnam. But there are plenty of ways, from the minor to the ambitious, that you can be greener in your everyday life. Remember that every little bit counts.Shopping
• Bring your own re-usable bag to the market.
• Buy in bulk. Packaging is one of the biggest sources of waste in the world. A 21-litre bottle of water is incredibly cheap (about VND12,000 or US$0.67) and can be delivered free to your home from many suppliers.
• Buy local as much as possible. Think of all the miles imported goods have to travel to get here from Europe and the United States.
• Think twice about unnecessary products. Do you need bubble bath? The shelves of Vietnam’s super-markets are filling up with all kinds of new products, which may be a welcome sign of home if you’re from a developed country. But keep in mind all that superfluous stuff is what got us into this environmental pickle in the first place.
• Make your own household cleaners. White distilled vinegar is one of nature’s most versatile items and can be used in various formulas for everything from cleaning windows to soothing sunburns. (Check out www.vinegartips.com). Baking soda can also be used for cleaning and scouring and even creates a natural toothpaste when mixed with water.Donate and volunteer
• You can help by giving time or money to many charities that work in conservation, environmental protection and poverty reduction. Donating over the Internet through sites like Global Giving (www.globalgiving.org) or the popular microlender Kiva (kiva.org) makes it incredibly easy to do your part. You can even give for free with sites that donate ad revenue from clicks and Internet searches, such as Charity Click Donation (www.charityclickdonation.com) or GoodTree (www.goodtree.com.)
Transportation
Vehicles are the number one source of air pollution in major cities in Vietnam. Unfortunately, there are few viable options for getting around: walking is nearly impossible, bicycling is dangerous and public transportation is minimal. And yet, if you’re riding your motorbike around all day, you’re part of the problem. Some things you can do to lessen your impact:
• Bundle errands together. Most of us don’t think twice about using motorbikes for every single errand, no matter how small. But a little bit of coordination can mean fewer trips. Save up errands to do all in one trip or map out your travels better.
• Turn off your car or motorbike engine while idling, especially at long traffic lights. Idling uses gas and adds to the pollution. Many countries and towns around the world now have anti-idling laws.
• Keep your motorbike or car in top shape. Perform routine engine maintenance and check tyre pressure frequently.
• Drive a friendlier vehicle. There aren’t a wide range of eco-friendly cars and bikes on the market in Vietnam, but some choices are better than others. It seems that all you see on the road are eight-seater Toyota Innovas, but Toyota sells smaller Camry and Vios models, as well. And those two-stroke engines on older bikes like vintage Vespas are major polluters. The reason: they burn a gas and oil mixture, which emits more smoke, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter than gas-only four-stroke engines in newer motorcycles.
• Try an electric bicycle or scooter. They can be functional for everyday city driving.
Travel
• Buy carbon offsets. Vietnam doesn’t make it easy or convenient to travel by train or bus except for very short trips, but keep in mind the impact flying has on the environment. Some local carriers, like Jetstar, offer carbon offsets directly when booking tickets. You can also buy carbon offsets from third-party sources, such as the nonprofit carbonfund.org.
• Take an ecotour or stay at an ecolodge. Many not only use eco-friendly principles but are doing great local work in conservation, education and poverty reduction.
Recycle
• Vietnam has a fairly extensive ad hoc recycling system of garbage pickers sorting out all the plastics, cardboards, cans, glass and other recyclables from your trash. You can make it easier and more efficient by sorting the products yourself.
• Before you get rid of that old cell phone or computer, check if the manufacturer has a takeback programme for recycling end-of-life products. Motorola and Nokia, for instance, will take back their products at drop off points and care centers in major cities in Vietnam. Cartridge World at 4 Truong Dinh Street in District 3 refills printer cartridges as low as 50 percent the cost of a new cartridge (Tel: 3930 9030).
Around the home and office
• Cut down on the air conditioner use and keep AC filters clean to boost efficiency. Most units feature thermostat settings that allow them to operate only as needed. Set the thermostat a couple of degrees higher. Also make sure to keep curtains closed during the day. Ceiling fans and high-powered fans require 90 percent less energy than an AC unit and in many cases provide comparable comfort.
• Unplug small appliances and chargers when you’re not using them. The power cord alone draws energy even when items are not in use.
• Plug home electronics such as television sets and DVD players into a power strip and turn it off when you go to bed or aren’t using them for a long time. One statistic from the United States says that 40 percent off all the power used for home electronics is drawn when they aren’t in use.
• Wash clothes in cold water when possible. It can save 80 percent of the energy hot water requires.
• Use a laptop. It consumes only a quarter of the energy of a desktop computer/monitor. And remember to power down any computer that won’t be in use for an extended period, especially overnight.
Food / Eating
• Buy local organic products. Organically-grown food doesn’t use enviromentally-unfriendly pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. It also conserves water, benefits the soil and helps sustain biodiversity. Organic products are available at specialty stores such as Annam Gourmet and Veggy’s, or you can get them delivered from Dalat through Organik farm (organikvn.com). There is a tradeoff in the greenhouse gases that shipping these products causes, but buying them will hopefully spur organic farming locally.
• Cut out disposable containers, utensils and dishware as much as possible. If you order delivery, tell them not to bring utensils. Use pyrex or glass jars at home. You can even try to bring your own reusable containers when getting takeout.
• Try cutting down on dairy, poultry, eggs and especially meat. It’s been shown that these industries are unsustainable and major contributors to global warming. The United Nations called the meat industry one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”
Save Water
• Flush at low volume. Many toilets in Vietnam are outfitted with the low- and high-volume dual-flush system. Studies show that using the low volume option can reduce water consumption up to 67 percent.
• Wait until the washing machine is full before doing a load. Use water level settings if you need to do a small load.
• Take shorter showers. A five-minute shower uses anywhere from 38 to 95 liters of water.
• Fix leaks and drips. One drip per second from a leaky faucet can waste over 15,000 liters of water in a year. A leaky toilet can waste over 750 liters a day.
• Don’t run the taps unnecessarily when doing dishes or brushing teeth. You can fill the sink up with soapy water and do dishes that way. To subscribe to AsiaLIFE HCMC, please go to http://asialifehcmc.com/?m=sub