During the Holy Month of Ramadan, we focus on doing good and creating a positive impact. This must not be limited to our loved ones and members of the community, but also to our environment and limited resources. Respecting resources shared by all and thinking of a sustainable future for the coming generations is a very noble act that we should all work on. Some practical steps to conserve energy and water especially during Ramadan are discussed below.
Food is highlight of this month with a lot of preparations, sharing, distribution and storing. While food is being served and distributed, a lot of disposable containers are used and discarded. It takes a lot of water and energy to produce each one of these containers. We must be frugal with them and reuse them as much as possible. An excellent alternative is to invest in metal, glass or long-term use plastic containers.
With so much food being produced and stored, there seems to be barely any space in our refrigerators during this month! The best practice would be to let freshly-prepared, hot meals to cool down before packing and storing it in the refrigerators, in order to reduce the energy expended by the machine when cooling these down.
After Iftar, there are a lot of activities that consume a lot of energy and power. Iftar tents should be properly insulated to prevent the warm breeze from entering, which in turn, increases the load on the air conditioners. Using appliances and electronics that are energy-efficient is the best way to reduce the consumption of power, and decrease the electricity cost in the coming month.
Peak hours change during Ramadan due to the drastic increase in activity at night. We must be careful to use only those appliances that are absolutely necessary to help minimise the load on the electricity supply in the Kingdom. Switch off all lights, appliances and gadgets when not in use, and additionally, switch the power sockets off as appliances utilise power even when they are left idle.
Energy conservation is every individual and corporation’s responsibility and should be practised throughout the year for a sustainable future.