Top Ten Tips on Being Green in Portugal

1. Buy a 'Green' Property

Although governments will tell you there is a desperate need for new housing for the growing population. STOP, THINK AND LISTEN. Much like you do for a pedestrian crossing. Think before you act. There may be a larger global community in the world now, however it is migrating. It is not necessarily increasing in your local area.

Governments are often prone to instigating projects before thinking, wiping out green belt zones in the name of progress. Then years later realising they didn't just wipe out a community but a way of life. 

Take an interest in your local community, and ask why a disused building is not being re-designated for use when a green belt planning application comes up.

2. Shop Locally and Sensibly

Most Portuguese towns and villages host a weekly market. Fresh, weekly produce grown locally has a smaller carbon footprint than that of a supermarket which uses unnecessary cellophane packaging (not biodegradable). Weekly markets in Portugal are not just a place to stock up on goods, they are also a social event. Get to know your neighbours, give them a lift and have a gossip. - Good for you, the environment and your social life.

Use your own  basket or shopping bag(s) when getting the weekly/monthly shop. Although most supermarkets in Portugal have bio-degradable shopping bags, these are still an environmental hazard. Most of our grandmothers and mothers used the same bag or basket to do their shopping every day of their lives. It wasn't a fashion statement, just a receptacle to carry goods. Buck the trend, be your own fashion icon and refuse to make refuse for the world and help us to make a change for the future.

3. Recycle

For many of us recycling in a new thing. However go back 30 or even 50 years and your grand mother/father would have cursed you if you threw away a coffee jar, bottle or piece of paper.

After the second world war people were used to 'make do and mend' lessons we should all now take heed of, not just for the thriftiness of it, but for the environment. Your neighbour will most likely bottle either tomatoes, olives, onions or all in a chutney. Glass jars are a valuable commodity in Portugal during the spring summer. Give them to a neighbour, but don't smash them in the trash.

Utilise the 'Ponte Verde' recycling bins for your waste plastic and paper/cardboard waste. If you are having a party (or not) purchase bottles by the crate from the local supermarket. Though you will pay a glass deposit, this will be returned upon receipt of an empty crate of bottles.

Paper and cardboard is also re-cycled in Portugal and while the inner tube of a toilet roll may not be important to you, it is important to the rain forests of the Amazon which are being destroyed to produce such items.

Try where you can to reduce as much of the material waste as possible going into the communal bins. If you do have to deposit rubbish, take your waste basket and empty directly. This will reduce the amount of plastic deposited, which can lead to a built up of noxious gases in a landfill site.

4. Compost

One of the keys to a good garden, whether as an ornamental flower garden or as a productive vegetable plot relies on good soil. Enlivening your soil with your own compost not only saves money it saves the environment. Separate your waste and save vegetable peelings, food stuffs (aside from those containing meat)

5. Conserve Water

Portugal is often hit by drought periods. Given that most of Portuguese are conservative by nature, water shortage only occurs in the most severe of droughts. To help combat droughts conserve water usage. Utilise a borehole or a well for your water supply, but be aware of the water your use. Have a shower not a bath. Turn the tap off while you are brushing your teeth and only turn on for rinsing.

If you can fit a rain water bowser-system onto you property do so. A rain water bowser system can reduce your reliance on mains water supply for toilet flushing, irrigating of a garden or if you want to wash your car during the summer.

Dual Flush sanitary ware: There was once a time when you visited the toilet, pressed a button and everything just disappeared, however there are now even options on how to flush away your waste more efficiently. 

Given the option most people wouldn't waste water on flushing away their waste, so when you have the option install a dual flush system to ensure minimal water loss. Or alternatively you could install a composting toilet like our ancestors in the country used to use.

6. Switch off to Tune In

If you do not use an appliance turn it off the at the mains. Machines which are on standby, draw electricity and can not only be costly to run, but can drain nearby essential recourses in times of emergency (power cuts etc)

Use energy saving light bulbs and turn off lights when you are not in a room.

7. Renewable Energy Sources

Where possible install renewable energy sources. If you can fit solar panels for water or central heating do, investigate geo-thermal heating and

8. Use Pencils Not Biros

The cost to manufacturer pencils and the environmental impact a pencil has is ten times less than the a plastic sleeved ink pen uses.

9. Rechargeable Batteries

Put them in your cameras, remote controls (tvs, videos, dvds, Ipods and all other items which require them). Batteries contain corrosive materials and can be difficult to dispose of, causing damage to the environment.

10. Energy Values