Vast Majority Back Schemes That Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Australian householders overwhelmingly support government schemes that cut greenhouse gas emissions by helping save on energy and water use, a Newspoll survey in NSW and ACT has found.

Strong popular support for practical environmental action will make home energy efficiency and water-saving “the new recycling”, according to green business leader and former executive director of Greenpeace International, Paul Gilding.

The Newspoll research was commissioned by environmental company Easy Being Green.

Gilding, who is Easy Being Green’s CEO, was a guest speaker today at the Climate Action Network of Australia (CANA) national conference, where he told delegates that mass-scale household energy efficiency and water-saving were the “new recycling”.

Initiatives like the NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme, which has allowed NSW and ACT residents to receive Climate Saver Packs, worth $100, free-of-charge, were supported by over 9 out of 10 respondents according to the research.

The survey also found the vast majority of people who’d heard of the NSW scheme say it’s making them more environmentally aware and active. About 9 out of 10 in this group now think more about saving energy and water, and are encouraged to do more of it in future.

Easy Being Green has given away over 450,000 Climate Saver Packs containing six energy-efficient light globes and a water-saving showerhead (standard pack) under the NSW scheme.

Gilding highlighted the massive environmental benefits that can be created by installing the packs across Australia.

“Just one Climate Saver Pack installed and maintained in every one of Australia’s 8 million homes would be equivalent to stopping a 1000MW black-coal fired power station, or to taking 2 million cars off the road,” Gilding said.

“Based on 450,000 packs installed in homes so far:

• Over 450,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions will be prevented from going into the atmosphere each year for at least 7 years, equivalent to taking over 110,000 cars off the road
• Over 6 billion litres of precious water will be saved each year ongoing, equivalent to about 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“In addition, those householders collectively have received free energy-efficiency and water-saving equipment worth $45 million at retail and, if they all install and maintain their packs, they will save a combined $60 million-plus off their utility bills every year

“Its practical environmentalism that nearly everyone can do. There’s a huge opportunity for practical environmentalism in the homes of Australia,” Gilding said.

***Easy Being Green’s free-of-charge pack offer ends this Saturday, September 30

Newspoll conducted telephone interviews with a representative sample of 700 adults aged 18-plus in NSW and ACT on the weekends of September 16-17 and 23-24. The results were post-weighted using the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates.

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Released for Easy Being Green by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations.
For further information please call Fiona Pennington or
Kim Larochelle on 02 9413 4244.