Lankans with Life insurance care more, says AIA

Friday, 24 October 2014 00:18 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Perhaps it is natural to assume that if someone cares enough about their own and their family’s well-being, they should also care about other things. However, it came as a pleasant surprise to the largest pan-Asian Life insurer AIA that in Sri Lanka, 25% of life insurance policyholders are willing to make lifestyle changes to benefit the environment. A 2014 insurance industry research by the LMRB group found not only that 25% of SL life insurance policyholders were ‘willing to make lifestyle changes that benefit the environment’, but 36% of respondents voiced concern about the rise in pollution and congestion in the environment. As the ‘real life company’ AIA Insurance values understanding the needs of its customers, trends that govern their behaviour and aspects that influence their decisions. It seems that these customers are increasingly focused on not just a long life but the quality of life. One customer also highlighted, “It’s about the world we will be leaving behind for children and grand-children.” So here are three simple everyday environment tips from AIA, which you can do, whether you’re a Life policyholder or not: Turn off all your electronic devices, completely! Though we switch off the TV or radio when we’re not using it, most of us forget about all the other gadgets which still use up energy, even when they are off. Most devices actually continue to conduct electricity through their power cords when you leave them plugged into the wall. This lifestyle change involves the simple act of remembering to switch off when not using. Know about and reduce your ‘food miles’ by eating local and in-season The production, packaging and transportation of food consume a great deal of energy. By shopping at the local market, you’re guaranteed to get food that is fresh, in season and grown nearby – not shipped from hundreds of miles away. Make your own compost More than a quarter of what we send to the landfill is food waste, leaves and garden clippings. We could keep that all at home, compost it and use it as fertiliser. Interestingly, you can even compost newspaper, cotton balls and fish! You could actually enjoy this lifestyle adjustment as you may find yourself more involved with gardening and discovering your green thumb, which could even give you the option of your own little organic garden!