Can you cut 1 Tonne of carbon pollution out of your life?
Take the challengeThe harder your refrigerator or freezer has to work, the more energy it will consume.
Reduce what you keep in your fridge and you'll be able to invest in a smaller, more energy efficient one! Here are 5 foods you can remove right now.
Melons:
If you want a melon to sweeten, store it in a pierced paper bag at room temperature for a few days. Only store in the fridge if you are worried about it becoming over ripe... I don't normally let melon stick around to end up in the fridge, it's always gobbled up pretty quick at my house.
Bananas:
I've known quite a few people who store bananas in the fridge for the full life cycle after purchase. Keeping Bananas in the fridge or freezer will stop the ripening process and is great for avoiding food waste... but keep them out on the counter or fruit bowl as long as possible before this for a more efficient fridge and a tastier banana.
Honey:
Honey is easy, it will pretty much last forever and it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes actually taste better stored outside the fridge, who'd have thought? Just make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.
Garlic and onions:
Have you read our post on how to store onions, garlic and shallots to make them last? It doesn't involve the fridge: Check it out here
Bonus tip to make your fridge more effective.
Vacuum the Back of your fridge: A lot of dust ends up behind your fridge and it collects on the condenser coils, making your fridge strain and work harder. Do the planet and your wallet a favour, remember to clean the coils once a month.
Want more?
What you can do
The older your fridge, the more energy it is likely to use, consuming up to three times the energy of new fridges. Putting an old fridge in the garage or a spare room as extra refrigeration may be handy, but running it can add an average of $190 a year to your electricity bill and can put nearly 1 tonne of greenhouse gas into the environment.
Ditch the second fridge to cut back on electricity consumption!
savings pledged