10 things you can do right now to start the transition to a lower-energy future
General: 1. Educate yourself on Peak Oil and Climate change. The Internet (Wikipedia) is a good place to start 2. Think about all the systems and things you rely on everyday and ask yourself how they would change in a crisis situation Housing 3. Take advantage of the EECA subsidies for insulating your house (up to $1300) or installing energy efficient heating ($500) 4. Put systems in place to collect and use rainwater and the free abundant energy of the sun, which you can do a lot using free, recycled materials Food 5. Liberate your lawn ? plant a vegetable garden, keep some hens ? enjoy free organic produce from your own backyard 6. Find out what you can buy locally ? support local business or a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme Transport 7. Take advantage of public transport, car sharing (letscarpool.govt.nz) or commuter schemes 8. Travel less or less far: rediscover family batches in New Zealand for a holiday, combine trips, and teleconference And finally 9. Buy lasting, quality, useful goods - or swap, reuse, repair, recycle 10. Meet your neighbors? and take an active role in your local community
