No, not at all! Simple things such as switching off the tap when you brush your teeth (which saves almost 7.5 litres of water), filling kettles with only enough water for the cup you're making and watering your plants during the early morning or evening hours (so you don't lose water to evaporation) can make a big difference. Going green is all about making small, sustainable changes.

This is a commonly held belief, but it's totally false. A geyser with a 150-litre capacity that is switched off over a 24-hour period will reduce its heat by less than 10°C and save you 2.59 kWh of electricity.

Make sure you switch off your computer and any other equipment at the end of the day (make it a daily habit), don't leave cell phone chargers plugged in (they continue using electricity) and only use the lights you need.

Yes. CFLs (energy saving bulbs) may cost more than old lightbulbs, but they last 10 times longer and use up to 80% less energy, so they pay for themselves in the long run.

Please recycle your used CFL’s by taking them to your nearest Pick n Pay store, where they can be safely disposed off through our in-store recycling bins.

If the equipment is still functioning, consider donating it to an underprivileged school or charity that might be able to use it for computer education. If it is broken or not in good condition, dispose of it responsibly through eWASA, the e-waste association of SA for recycling of electrical and electronic waste. Find out more about eWASA at http://www.ewasa.org/

A geyser blanket is an additional layer of insulation designed to be wrapped around the geyser. Re-heating hot water constantly is very wasteful as the energy is simply redoing what was already done before. Installing a geyser blanket (which is simple to do) reduces the speed of cooling of the water inside the geyser, and keeps it at a more constant temperature. Geyser blankets are available at Pick n Pay Hypermarkets.

The most important thing when starting to recycle is to make small changes a habit so that the new habits can become sustainable and make a long-term difference.

Start with separating your paper, glass and plastic from your non-recyclable rubbish. Re-use the paper if at all possible, and take the glass, plastic and leftover paper to your local recycling depot. 

If you have a garden, keep all your compostable waste (fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grinds and tea bags) in a bucket that you take out to your compost heap once a day. This will form a rich compost that you can use to nourish your plants.

The reason organic food is so popular is not only that it tastes better and is packed full of more nutrients, but also because all organic food is grown using organic fertilisers. Inorganic fertiliser can sterilise the natural minerals and nutrients found in soils; they run into our drains contaminating our water and killing fish, and they have high energy costs. Organic fertilisers are made from organic matter; they improve the soil, and they prevent soil erosion by increasing water absorption. So choosing organic doesn't only mean a positive choice for your health, but for your environment too.

Water is one of our most precious resources, and is currently one of our most scarce resources. This is partly because of the large amount of chemicals that we dump into our water, chemicals that don't biodegrade and are toxic to the environment. Eco-friendly detergents, such as PnP's Green range, is not only packaged in 100% recyclable packaging, but also has active ingredients made from sustainable, natural ingredients. The product biodegrades within six days in customary environments (household drains, for example), and is endorsed by the Department of Environment and Tourism's Indalo Yethu initiative. That means no matter how many dishes you have to wash or how many loads of dirty soccer gear you put through the washing machine, you're not harming the environment.

If you want to ease your way into water conservation, try a few of these very simple tips:

• Place one or two bricks in your toilet cistern to cut down on the amount of water you flush.
• Rinse your vegetables in a shallow basin of water instead of placing them under running water.
• Use a watering can instead of a hosepipe to water your plants.
• Plant indigenous! Indigenous plants don't need to be watered as often as non-native plants, and will usually survive long dry periods.