Green Living: leave it off

Tomorrow night is the start of E-day. This isn't a drug fuelled dance party in east London, but a chance to show what we do together, no matter how small, can make a big difference.

E-day, or Energy Saving Day, is an experimental action by an independent organisation that aims to tackle climate change in a "fun, positive, evidence-based and inclusive" manner. It is made up of many familiar groups, businesses and individuals including Christain Aid, City of London, National Trust, National Grid, Tesco, us and, oddly, power companies.

Everyone who wants to take part is being asked to leave household electrical items off for as long as possible, or altogether if you don't need them. Lights, mobile phone charges, printers and items on standby are all to be turned off if you don't need them.

Given the number of non-essential household items that are left on, if there is broad uptake of this call to action it has the potential to result in a 1-3% drop in the UK's electricity demand.

So the idea is if we all do it together, we can see the results of working together and get even more people to join in. If repeated regularly, leaving off of unnecessary electrical items would equate to permanently turning off a medium-sized coal-fired power station.

This nationwide experiment will start at 6pm tomorrow and finish at 6pm on Thursday and include a candle-lit vigil for the planet, games, a pedal-powered cinema, world premiers for a small number of fun and factual films and an opening address by the Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral.

Leave it off:

• Televisions on standby
• Mobile phone chargers
• Laptops and desktops when you're not using them
• Lights when you don't need them
• Unused printers
• Lights and computer at work
• Can you get your office building to turn off all the lights for the night?
• Radios
• Turn down the heat at night
• Turn your fridge down (or is it up?) to 3-5 degrees
• Use a warm wash and a cold rinse on your laundry - as much as 90% of the energy goes into heating

Find out more on the E-day site and share your tips with others by leaving a comment below.