Fighting to preserve the environment can occasionally feel like trying to save something that is already gone. However, everything we do in our daily lives can end up having an impact on our environment.

With Cayman’s reliance on its environment to drive tourism and even offer protection from storms, the people of the Cayman Islands have more at stake than most should the environment suffer.

However, even small changes can have a big impact if enough people make those changes. As many of the changes involved in going green also involve using less, it could even mean money saved for consumers.

Watch what you eat
Whenever you buy food imported to the Island, keep in mind that fossil fuels were burnt to get it here. Therefore, eating local produce where available not only supports local farmers, but also helps the environment.

Buying food with less packaging material can limit the amount of plastic containers ending up on the landfill, while biodegradable packaging will at least not be around for 1,000 years like most other plastics.

Eating locally caught seafood is also a good way to be more environmentally aware. However, it is important to only buy sustainable fish. Limiting the demand for species like grouper will eventually make these fish a less attractive target for fishermen and help the species’ chance of survival.

Sensible shopping
Local supermarkets have also switched to biodegradable containers for their food counters. With so many people relying on a quick lunch from Fosters, Kirk’s or Hurley’s, what might appear to be a relatively small change can make a big difference to the amount of non biodegradable material discarded in Cayman every day. Add to that the move to biodegradable plastic bags or reusable cloth shopping bags and it becomes clear that Cayman’s retailers are making a real difference to the war on waste.

Drinking habits
The advent of bottled water has added a major strain to landfills all over the globe. Where possible, using water from a dispenser or installing a filter on a tap is a much more environmentally friendly option. However, if you switch to cooler water and then use a new plastic cup for every drink of water, the impact on the environment is not lessened by much. Replacing those cups with biodegradable alternatives or even just using a glass instead can certainly help with the reduction of plastic waste.

Taking your own water bottle to work and refilling it as necessary can also make a big difference. Many fitness-related business such as Bliss Living have a great selection of water bottles to help you reflect your personal style while helping the environment.

Even your beer drinking habits can have an impact on the environment. Cayman Islands Brewery recycles Caybrew, CayLight and Becks bottles, uses reusable crates and has various other initiatives in place to minimise its impact on the environment.

Green beauty
Even the beauty industry is coming on board with organic alternatives to many product ranges as well as initiatives to reduce water consumption and power consumption. Vanity Salon uses green products throughout the salon and even became involved when organisations in the US appealed for hair to be collected to help soak up the oil spill in the Gulf.

Getting where you’re going
Although big SUVs seem to be everywhere, the vehicles are often used to carry just one person. Getting a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle can make a big difference to the amount of fossil fuels consumed on Island. An electric vehicle would be an even better option. Although there are companies on Island waiting to import them, these vehicles cannot be licensed for road use under the current Traffic Law. However, there is a three wheeled electric vehicle that is licensed as a motorcycle and can therefore be used on local roads.

Of course, the best option by far is walking or cycling to work as this brings the added benefit of a light workout and is therefore beneficial to your body and the environment.

Conserve energy
Although Cayman has year-round sunshine and tropical breezes, almost all of the power generated in Cayman comes from burning diesel. It can therefore make a big difference to the environment if more people were to install solar panels, whether to heat water (a hot water cylinder is one of the biggest power drains in most homes) or supply electricity to a home.

Even though a solar panel may not be an option for many, there are still numerous changes you can make around the home to save some energy and be more environmentally aware.

Keeping cool
In Cayman, air conditioning is the single biggest item on any electricity bill. However, there are numerous ways to bring your air conditioning bill down.

Turning up the thermostat on the air conditioner by even a single degree can make a big difference to the amount of work the air conditioner has to do, and save you a lot of money in the process. Setting it to 80 rather than 77 will make a noticeable difference to any electricity bill.

Using the timer on the air conditioner to have it cool your home only when needed is another way of keeping your electricity consumption down. If you spend all day at the office, there is no reason for the air conditioning to run from 7am in the morning to 5pm in the afternoon. Switching the air conditioning off during this period will make a big difference.

Regular maintenance of the air conditioning unit is also very important, as clogged filters can make the unit work much harder and therefore use more power. Low coolant levels can have the same effect as the air conditioner will not be able to cool effectively and will therefore have to run for longer.

More modern units also have variable fan speeds in order to save power.

Light up your life
Installing energy saving light bulbs is one of the small ways in which you can make your home moHowever even greater savings are to be had by just switching off the light in rooms you are not using. There is no reason to light up an entire home when you can only be in one room at any one time.

Use less water
There are numerous ways to save water around the house and as with so many other things, the small changes can add up.

Taking a shower rather than a bath can make a big difference to your water bill. Fitting a low flow shower head can bring that bill down even further.

Although it is a big change, switching over to a water-saving toilet can have an appreciable impact on your water bill. Many of these toilets also have two flush modes to allow you to save even more water. However, even if you are not in a position to replace your entire toilet, you can still reduce the volume of water used per flush - just stick a brick in the reservoir.   WH