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Brush up for a Greener Scotland
08/02/2008
Scots were today urged to conserve water and turn the tap off when brushing their teeth.
On average each person in Scotland uses around 143 litres of water a day with only four per cent of that used for drinking.
Pumping and treating water for use in the home requires significant amounts of energy. Reducing the amount of water Scotland uses will help cut harmful emissions and reduce the local and global impact of climate change.
This is just one of 10 Greener Pledges that Scots are being encouraged to sign up to in 2008.
Visiting a nursery class at St Leonard's Nursery School in Edinburgh, which is an Eco-School, Minister for Environment Michael Russell said:
"Water is an extremely valuable resource. Even in a country that is as wet as Scotland we must do all we can to conserve water.
"It requires a lot of energy to treat and pump water to Scotland's homes which in turn contributes towards climate change as more carbon is released into the atmosphere.
"Every day around 2.5 billion litres are supplied by Scottish Water so it's important to use less water wherever possible. One of the 10 Greener Pledges we are encouraging Scots to sign up to is 'turn off the tap when brushing your teeth'. By doing this you can save around five litres at a time.
"This is just one way that Scots can reduce their impact on the local and global environment. I would like to encourage all Scots to do their bit for the planet's future by pledging to go green in 2008.
"The children who attend Eco-Schools such as St Leonards are learning about the importance of saving water every day. These young people are the future for Scotland and it is vital that they are learning about the impact they can have on the environment."
Scots are being encouraged to sign up to one or more of the Scottish Government's 10 Greener Pledges. They are:
- Recycle household waste using locally-provided facilities
- Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth
- Switch to using energy-saving light bulbs
- Leave the car at home at least once a week and cycle, walk, share a car or use public transport more often
- Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones
- Reuse carrier bags when you shop
- Buy more seasonal and unpackaged food
- Hang your washing up to dry rather than using a tumbler dryer
- Organise or volunteer in an environmental project in your local community
- Pay back the environmental impact of any flights you take and choose not to fly when there's a suitable alternative
There are currently 3072 schools affiliated with the Eco-Schools programme - which includes saving water as a core topic area - with 523 of them having achieved the Green Flag status.