What you can do

What can your one thing be? Anything you want! Buy local. Replace all light bulbs in your home with LEDs. Make one day a week car-free by using transit or cycling. As a consumer, you can choose to buy produce locally, or buy a piece of fruit that has travelled tens of thousands of kilometres by air and truck to get to you. Your daily decisions about energy use, transportation and waste are affecting the climate because of the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. Everything we use – from electricity to buying food has an environmental footprint. By living sustainably and making green choices you have the power to help limit the affects of global warming for future generations.

There are many steps you can take to help protect the environment by reducing these emissions in your home.

At Home

Around 26 per cent of our electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas which emits carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere. To reduce these emissions, we need to think about to use less energy and to use energy more efficiently. Making your home more energy-efficient will also save you money on your energy bill. Just heating and cooling your home accounts for about 60 per cent of your energy costs.

• Install ceiling fans and use them to supplement or even as an alternative to air conditioning – ceiling fans generally use very little electricity. Make sure your fan is blowing air downwards in summer.
• To save money on heating costs, reduce the temperature of your home a few degrees at night and when you’re away.
• Keep blinds, shades and drapes closed during the hottest part of the day in the summer. (And open south-facing blinds on sunny winter days!)
• Use area rugs on cold floors – if your feet are cold, your body will feel cold.
• If you feel cool, put on a sweater rather than simply turning up the thermostat.
• Clean or replace the air filter on your furnace every month to improve efficiency.
• To save more on central air conditioner costs, try cooling your home to only 24 or 25 C instead of the low 20’s. Each degree below 26 C will noticeably increase your electricity use!
• Turn off unnecessary lights in the house (they produce a lot of heat which works against the AC.)
• Lighting consumes around 10 per cent of the power in your home. Replace your lightbulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescents.
• Conservation can be as easy as planting a tree. Plant leafy (deciduous) trees on the sunny side of your house. During the summer they provide shade, and in the winter they will shed their leaves to let the warming sunshine through. Pine or fir trees on the north side provide an energy-saving windbreak.
• Turn off lights, appliances & computers when you're not using them.
• Make sure you switch off equipment on 'stand-by' (with display lights and clocks visible) such as televisions, VCRs, DVDs, stereos & microwaves at the wall.
• Wash clothes in cold water (try to wash full loads) & hang clothes out to dry instead of using the dryer.
• Close windows, doors and curtains to keep in the heat.
• Use the dishwasher only when you have a full load.

Transportation

In Ontario transportation contributes more than 30 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

You can cut fuel consumption, which will help save you money.

• Walk, cycle or use public transport instead of your car when possible.
• Get your car serviced regularly and keep tires inflated.
• If your car has a roof rack, remove it when you don't need it - the air drag from a roof rack means your can use 5 per cent more fuel.
• Air-conditioning can add 10 per cent to your fuel bill - try using the air vents instead.
• Go easy on the pedal to reduce fuel use - heavy braking and accelerating uses a lot of fuel.
• Choose a fuel-efficient, low-polluting option when buying a car.
• Organize or join a walking school bus in your area.

Waste

Nearly half of every bag of garbage that we throw into the garbage could be composted. That's a huge waste of space in our landfills. When garden waste and kitchen scraps are send to the landfill, they break down into methane, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.

• Compost organic material as much as you can (this will reduce methane emissions from landfills and your garden will love you for it!).
• Recycle glass, plastic items and tins.
• Buy products with less packaging.
• Take a recyclable shopping bag to the supermarket instead of using plastic bags each time