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Make plans for the October long weekend - July 14, 2010
October 10, 2010: a day for local actions and global solutions
If you’re yearning for solutions to climate change and environmental degradation, mark October 10 – 10/10/10 – on your calendar.
That’s the day www.350.org is organizing work parties all over the world to tackle solutions through local actions. From solar panels to community gardens to wind turbines to bike workshops: people will be working together to share information and implement the types of solutions our planet so desperately needs. If you’re ready to turn your good intentions into great actions, why not take part? Your planet needs you!
Register here to join or lead a local activity - in your community, school, workplace, faith community or home.
Click here for great project ideas, big and small.
And click here to see a slideshow about 10/10/10 and learn what the 350 stands for.
Help make 10/10/10 a turning point. Think globally, act locally!
Tired of carrots and cabbage? - June 30, 2010
Fresh local produce will soon be hitting the farmers markets and grocery stores. When you buy local, you’re doing a good thing for many reasons:
1. You’re supporting neighbours and your local economy instead of anonymous, faraway suppliers.
2. You’re helping build local food production capacity because the more local food people buy, the more farmers will produce.
3. You’ll know where your food comes from, and can have confidence in higher standards of quality and food safety.
4. You’ll be doing the environment a favour, because long-distance food has a huge transportation carbon footprint. One article I’ve read estimates that one third of trucks on the road today are carrying food. The average item on a typical dinner plate has traveled more than most people travel on vacation!
So, if you’re getting tired of the limited array of local veggies available, take heart: local produce is on the horizon, and it’s a good choice all around!
Drive two months for free each year - June 16, 2010
Without investing a penny, most drivers can save 15% on their fuel bill - equivalent to almost two months of free driving a year.
It's all in how you drive, and here are the two critical habits for savings:
1. accelerate gently - resist that urge to 'tramp on it', because that's when your engine slurps HUGE amounts of fuel. Then coast as much as possible, and brake gently.
2. limit your speed to 100 KMH or less. Generally, the slower you go, the more you save.
Here's proof these two practices work: my Toyota Echo gave me 60 miles per gallon (21 KM/litre) last week, well above the car's official rating.
For more great fuel-saving tips, visit http://www.ecodriver.org/pages/Fuel-EfficientDriving.php. And take a 2-minute ride (via YouTube) with the 'king of hypermiling': he gets twice his vehicle's rated fuel mileage!!
Just unplug it! - June 2, 2010
Many appliances in our homes and workplaces use electricity even when they are turned off. Incredibly, they were designed that way - usually for convenience. It's called 'phantom power', and dozens of items in a typical home use power 24/365. The phantom power used in Canada is more than enough to power every home in New Brunswick.
What to do? Here are three suggestions:
1. Learn to recognize things that use phantom power: anything with a clock, a remote control, a charger, one of those blocky-looking plugs, or a quick-on feature (IE most televisions).
2. Get into the habit of unplugging items when they are not in use, or use a power bar: when clicked off, it eliminates phantom power.
3. When buying, choose appliances that use little or no phantom power; look for the ENERGY STAR logo, indicating best-of-class performance.
For more info, check out this great overview of phantom power from the Office of Energy Efficiency.
An audacious dare - May 19, 2010
Here's a challenge for you: skip a shower sometime this week.
When I issue that dare to audiences, I often hear a snicker and a murmur that sounds a lot like, "uh-uh". Yet if truth be told, most of us shower every morning not because we're dirty; we shower because it feels good. It's our wake-up therapy.
But our daily shower habit is one of the reasons we North Americans use more water per person than anyone on the planet. And - even worse - much of that water is hot water, heated by fossil fuel-fired electricity. Our morning feel-good isn't very good for the planet.
So here's the challenge again: skip a shower this week, and every week. You can make a big difference for the planet!
Just how much can a clothesline save you? - May 5, 2010
What’s good for the environment can be great for your wallet, and a clothesline is a perfect example.
Clothes dryers are among the biggest power hogs in your home, consuming about 4500 watts of power – equal to six microwave ovens or 350 compact fluorescent light bulbs. If your power rate is 10 cents/KWH, a big load in the dryer adds 45 cents to your power bill. One such load a day uses about $150 worth of power annually.
Then there are emissions. If your power comes from coal or oil (as most of North America’s does), one big load in the dryer equals 4 kilograms of emissions. One such load a day for a year adds over a tonne of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Clotheslines make environmental and economic sense. Springtime is a great time to get reacquainted with yours, or to install one if you don’t have one. Here’s a great seven minute video that explains everything about planning and installing your clothesline (except they use a rope where most clotheslines are plastic coated wire).
The one best thing you can do this Earth Day - April 21, 2010
If you're ready to look beyond light bulbs and recycling, here is the one best thing you can do to help the planet: change the way you get to work tomorrow.
Transportation accounts for 200 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually in Canada and 1.8 billion tonnes annually in the US. Much of that is produced by cars and light trucks. Commuting to work is probably the single biggest environmental offence each of us commits: frustrated and tooting while idling and polluting.
Here are the most eco-friendly ways to get to work, in order:
1. Walking, biking or telecommuting (working from home);
2. Any form of public transit - take the paper or your laptop, and enjoy being chauffeured; and
3. Carpooling, a great money-saving option for people living beyond the reach of public transit.
For the health of our planet (and therefore us), perhaps the whole notion of commuting solo by car needs to be reconsidered.
If you are ready to make a big commitment to a better planet, change the way you go to work tomorrow. Call a friend, take the bus or hop on a bike. The timing couldn't be better: it's Earth Day.
A simple choice that can improve personal and planetary health - April 7, 2010
Taking the stairs is good for your health - but it's also good for the planet.
Many of us use elevators and escalators every day without thinking. But both run on electricity, so they have an environmental footprint. It's estimated that elevators consume 5% of the electricity used in a typical office building. That might not sound like a lot - but there are over 700,000 elevators in Canada and the US, and all those rides add up to quite a footprint.
So if your daily routine includes an elevator or escalator ride, why not consider taking the stairs instead? Good for you, good for the Earth!
The power of an idea - March 24, 2010
Earth Hour is a magnificent example of the power of an idea. It started in 2007, when people in Sydney, Australia were challenged to turn off all unnecessary lights and electrical appliances for just one hour.
Two years later, over 4,000 cities in 88 countries took part. The Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, UN Headquarters and the CN Tower were among the landmarks that turned out their lights. Across Toronto, power consumption dropped by 15%.
Earth Hour happens this Saturday, March 27 at 8:30-9:30 local time. Please take part: turn off lights, turn off appliances and unplug things that use 'phantom power' even when they are off. Find out more at www.wwf.ca/earthhour.
Let's show that, working together, we can make a HUGE difference. And when it's over, let's resolve to make every hour Earth Hour.
An easy way to use less hot water - March 10, 2010
The average person reaches for a faucet many times each day. Without thinking, we often grab the hot water tap - even when we need such a small amount of water that hot water never actually reaches the faucet.
But, regardless of its temperature, every drop that comes out of the hot water tap costs energy (and money). That's because every time the hot water tap is opened, hot water starts moving from the hot water tank toward the faucet. If it is 'stranded' somewhere along the way, it just cools and its energy is wasted.
So when you need just a little water, reach for the cold water tap - and save some precious hot water.
Small gadget, big savings - February 24, 2010
Toilets are huge water users. If you can't change out the old toilet in your home, school or workplace (which probably uses 13-20 litres per flush) for a new one that uses just 6 litres per flush, here's a simple and inexpensive alternative.
It's called a a toilet tank fill cycle diverter - a tiny device that installs in a toilet tank in seconds, and limits the amount of water that flows into the bowl during filling. It saves water every time you flush - potentially saving over 10,000 litres per toilet per year!
Here's a three-minute video showing what a diverter is, how it works and how to install it. You can find plenty of models and suppliers by Googling toilet tank fill cycle diverter.
Two more strategies to save even more water:
- put a brick or bag of water in your toilet tank, so it uses less water every fill-up
- pour a few drops of food coloring into your toilet tank. If any of the color seeps into the bowl before you next flush, your flapper probably needs to be replaced - a small cost for HUGE water savings. Here's a one-minute video showing you how to do it.
Freecycling, a great way to clear clutter and keep stuff out of landfills - February 10, 2010
Every day, landfills across the country receive truckloads of things that are perfectly good but just not needed anymore. It's an inglorious end for stuff that still has useful service to offer.
But there's a better way. If you're looking to get rid of perfectly good stuff that's cluttering up your basement, garage or office, consider freecycling it. Freecycling is making it available (via the internet) it at no cost to someone in your community who could use it.
Check out www.freecycle.org; there's a good chance you'll find a local on-line group you can join. If there's no Freecycle group in your community, you can 'be the change' and start one!
You won't get rich freecycling, but you can unclutter your life and you'll do a good thing by keeping stuff out of the landfill before its time. And maybe, you'll discover that someone's giving away something you want...
(If you prefer, there are plenty of charities across Canada that can use your used goods too.)
Sometimes one IS enough - January 27, 2010
In public washrooms, soap and paper towels are available for free - so it's easy to get into the habit of using lots of both. Yet when it comes to clean hands, one pump of soap and one paper towel are usually enough to do the job.
I believe most people want to do the right thing - but often we need little reminders. If every soap dispenser had a little sign next to it, "Please use just one pump" and if every paper towel dispenser had a little sign "Paper comes from trees - please use as little as possible", I bet a lot less soap would get used and many trees (and dollars) could be saved.
Agree? If so, check out attractive, free signs here: www.changeyourcorner.com/documents.php. Download them, print them and post them in washrooms at your school, office, business or other public place. I'm betting you'll see an instant difference!
(Please e-mail info@changeyourcorner.com for information on mounted or laminated signs customized with your logo.)
Skip the button and pull the door - January 13, 2010
Automatic door openers are in buildings everywhere these days, helping provide access to people with mobility challenges. But their popularity has led to an unintended side effect: many people with no mobility issues have gotten into the comfortable habit of pressing the button too.
Automatic openers use electricity, and they often hold exterior doors open long enough for a lot of heat to escape.
So to save a bit of electricity and heat, why not leave automatic door openers for those who really need them, and, if you can, open doors the old-fashioned way.
For the holidays, an easy reminder: keep that fridge door closed - December 30, 2009
In this season of leftovers, it's worth being reminded of a common sense tip: you can save money and energy by opening your refrigerator as infrequently as possible and opening the door only as widely as necessary.
To help remember, imagine your fridge as being full of water. It comes gushing out each time you open the door. The more frequently and the wider you open the door, the more water that ends up on your floor.
Cold air in your fridge is like that water: it's heavier than warm air, so it comes tumbling out each time the fridge door opens. And the more cold air that escapes, the more your fridge needs to work to replace it. That costs energy and money.
So the next time you open your fridge, imagine that it's full of water and act accordingly. Your fridge will thank you by using less energy!
Snow and Ice can help me save energy and money?? - December 15, 2009
Several years ago, I worked with potato farmers – wise and pragmatic people. In springtime, they would bring some snow into their potato storages. Snow absorbs a lot of heat as it melts, so it kept the storage (and potatoes) cool, extending the life of the potatoes.
Just as snow keeps those potato storages cool, it can help you save a bit of energy and money at home:
If you take snow or ice from outside and put it into your fridge, it will absorb heat as it melts, meaning your fridge comes on less. (That’s how ‘iceboxes’ worked in the days before fridges.)
You can make ice cubes for free outside, giving your fridge’s freezer compartment a break. (When you pause to think about it, it’s a bit odd that we use energy to make ice in winter…)
Take advantage of FREE snow and ice to save a bit of energy and money!
A Critical Two Weeks for a Troubled Planet - December 7, 2009
The long awaited Copenhagen Climate Change Conference kicked off yesterday. It’s a critical moment, one that will test our global community’s ability – and desire – to work together to solve a problem that will impact every single human on Earth.
This week, a few visuals worth watching:
From 1992, “The Girl Who Silenced the World”, a twelve year old’s powerful message to world leaders gathering for the Rio Earth Summit.
“The Story of Stuff”, a frank look at where stuff comes from and where it ends up – worth thinking about during this ’season of stuff’.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to 500 young people about climate change. To me, their bright, young faces represent hope and promise for the future. For their sake and the sake of all youth everywhere, let’s hope our leaders gathering in Copenhagen get it right.
Hung out to dry – in winter even! - November 17, 2009
The clothes dryer is one of the biggest energy hogs in your home; clotheslines can save a heap of money and energy. But what about those cold winter days, when hanging clothes out isn’t very pleasant?
Consider portable or retractable clotheslines: lines that can be set up indoors or in porches when needed, and neatly put away when not in use. There are many models available, from single strands that can be strung above your bath tub to room-length multiple parallel lines that can hold a full load of laundry. (If you have wood heat and a ceiling fan, you’ll be amazed at how fast clothes dry indoors.)
You can see different models here http://www.urbanclotheslines.com/retractable-clotheslines or here http://www.breezedryer.com (note: not an endorsement, just examples).
One important note: it’s good to dry clothes indoors, but beware that you’re not creating excess moisture in your home, because that can cause problems such as mold. In many homes, the natural air leakage is enough to remove moisture. In more air-tight homes, air exchangers usually prevent moisture problems. But be aware, because it's important.
Greener Parking - November 4, 2009
Even something as simple as the way you park your vehicle can have an impact on the environment. Here are small ways you can make a difference:
1. most important: pick the first available spot you come to instead of driving around looking for a spot closer to the door.
2. choose a 'drive-through' parking spot if possible, so you can pull out without having to reverse
3. turn off your engine and coast those last few meters into your parking spot (easier with a standard than an automatic). For safety's sake, be sure the area is clear first, keep your foot ready on the brake, and remember that the steering wheel can lock if you turn the key too far and then try to straighten out the wheel!!
Small actions, but small actions by many = big results.
Happy Green Halloween - October 21, 2009
If your household is like mine, Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year. (It also results in a pillowcase full of treats which tend to last into spring.) But even Halloween has a impact on the planet – mainly through treats, decorations and travel. If you’d like to reduce your family’s ‘Halloween carbon footprint’, here are a few ideas:
1. the best single action you can take is to leave the car home and walk around the neighbourhood. Bundle up, and for added safety consider flashlights, reflective tape, face paint instead of masks, and, if the kids allow it, adult accompaniment.
2. minimize the use of inflatable decorations (they use as much power as 4-6 CFLs) and lights; use timers to turn them off automatically and save money
3. consider ‘greener’ treat options, food or otherwise. Check out www.greenhalloween.org for lots of information and suggestions.
Save on soap while avoiding the flu - October 13, 2009
During this flu season, signs advising proper hand washing technique are posted everywhere: wet hands, apply soap, wash, rinse, dry. I’m no expert in the matter, but it seems to me that the process can be tweaked a bit to get the same benefit with a bit less soap.
Here’s why. When I wet my hands first then get a pump of soap, I find that much of the soap slips off my hands and down the drain unused – and so I need to get another pump of soap.
So instead, my hand washing technique has become: get a pump of soap first, rub it around a bit, then wet my hands lightly and carry on with washing as usual. Lots of lather, clean hands and a bit of soap saved. True, it’s just one pump – but if a million people do it...
Greener napkin etiquette - September 23, 2009
The paper napkin is part of just about every restaurant meal. At fast food restaurants, we can even help ourselves – and it’s easy to grab a handful without thinking, most of which end up in the trash unused or barely used. Our napkin habit consumes millions of trees a year. Millions.
But here are five simple ways you can save a tree:
1. At home, try to get away without using napkins in the first place
2. At restaurants, use just one napkin
3. Give extra napkins and napkins that have been lightly used a second life: use them as tissues (they’re usually a lot stronger than regular tissues), or tuck them into your car’s glovebox for a myriad of end uses.
4. When buying, choose napkins with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content
5. Compost used napkins when possible, so that they can become ingredients for the next generation of trees
Save a napkin, save a tree: it's nature’s air filter.
Discover your inner activist - September 12, 2009
There are less than 100 days until “Copenhagen”, the critical international meeting that will determine the follow up to the Kyoto Accord. Many of the world’s biggest emitters hold positions that are miles apart – yet climate experts tell us a strong successor to Kyoto is critical to solving our climate crisis.
If you’ve never been politically active before, perhaps now’s the time to discover your “inner activist”. After all, could there be any more compelling reason than the well-being of our children?
Here are a couple of ways you can make a difference:
Tell your elected representative(s) what you think. Contact information is available here http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E (Canada) and here (US): Congress: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/index.html and Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
Use the power of technology to organize a ‘flashmob’, a spontaneous gathering to make a point to leaders at all levels. You can use the template of www.Avaaz.org, a global web community planning a network of events September 21.
(Check out this tactic being used in Quebec to put social pressure on people commuting solo: http://www.atsa.qc.ca/pages/encoreseuldanstonchar.asp.)
It starts with an efficient vehicle… - September 4, 2009
When you buy a new vehicle, you’re chaining your wallet to that vehicle’s fuel appetite for as long as you'll own it - and the lifetime fuel cost of an inefficient vehicle can be higher than the cost of the vehicle itself.
For example, Natural Resources Canada estimates the annual fuel cost for a Toyota Prius at $820. For SUVs like the GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Durango, that cost is over four times as high. That’s at today’s fuel prices – sure to rise in the coming years, making the difference even bigger.
Programs like Retire Your Ride or Cash for Clunkers are nice, but the biggest cash advantage you can get when buying a new car is to choose the most efficient vehicle that meets your needs. By chaining your wallet to efficiency, you’ll save every year!
Check out new vehicle ratings here http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/choose_vehicle.cfm?attr=8 (for Canada) and here http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ (for the US).
Ever hear of “Dayburners”? - August 11, 2009
That’s the technical term for streetlights that stay on all day. They’re not supposed to, of course, but occasionally they do. Usually the problem lies with the electronic ‘eye’ that switches them on and off: either it’s defective, or it’s covered by leaves or other debris that fool it into believing it’s dark.
But here’s a downer: a single streetlight burning 24/7 for two months in the summer can result in up to 80 kg of unnecessary greenhouse gas.*
The good news about dayburners is that when you spot one, you can do everyone a favour by reporting it to your utility so it can be fixed. A simple action with a planet-preserving result!
*Assumptions: a 100 watt bulb (the minimum streetlight bulb size) burning 15 extra hours daily for 60 days; and all power generated by coal.
It might be the dehumidifier… - July 29, 2009
…I said to some friends who commented over dinner that their July power bill was much higher than their June bill. And a quick test with a portable power meter showed that that was indeed the case.
Summer is the time of humidity. And while it’s very important to keep humidity at bay to prevent the growth of mould, dehumidifiers – especially older ones – can consume a lot of energy. My own dehumidifier (an oldie) uses nearly 500 watts, or as much power as three dozen CFL bulbs. Ouch!
So what can you do?
1. manage your dehumidifier use: instead of turning it on in June and turning it off in September (as many of us do), set it to operate at a level that keeps humidity levels reasonable. Trying to get humidity levels to zero is like swimming against a river: it takes a lot of energy, and the river always wins eventually.
2. when buying a new dehumidifier, look for the ENERGY STAR symbol, a sign of top efficiency.
Are your electric baseboard heaters turned off for the summer? Are you SURE? - July 14, 2009
It’s summer, but your electric baseboard heaters may still be consuming energy and running up your power bill.
Here’s why. First, in spite of our best intentions, thermostats are sometimes not turned down. We forget, especially in rooms we don’t often use, or they get turned up on a cool day and aren’t set back down later.
Secondly, thermostats often lose their accuracy – so even when you turn them down, they may still click the heat on during cooler periods. For example, a thermostat that’s off by 5 degrees may kick in when it’s 15 degrees, even if you have it set down to 10 degrees. That’s heat you don’t need and money you can save.
There’s a simple way to be sure your heat is not coming on behind your back this summer: go to your power panel and turn off the breaker for your heaters. Then just reset it in the fall when you want the heat. Simple savings!
Air conditioning: a cooler me, but a warmer planet - July 3, 2009
Air conditioning feels great on a hot day – but it comes with a big environmental price. In vehicles, next to driving, air conditioning is the biggest load on the engine. In homes and buildings, air conditioning can be a big part of the summer power bill. In Ontario and most US states, power consumption is actually higher in the summer than it is in the winter because of air conditioning. Considering most power still comes from fossil fuels, well… you get the picture.
But we can stay comfortable, save money and reduce the impact of air conditioning with a few simple actions:
In vehicles, use open windows at speeds below 60 KM/h (about 35 MPH); use the fan with a window open a crack at faster speeds.
In buildings, set thermostats a few degrees higher (this simple action has a HUGE impact), and only cool places where there are people, when they are there. Encourage people to dress for warm weather. (Duh!!)
Reduce, Reuse or Downcycle - June 18, 2009
Most of us feel good about recycling, and for good reason: recycling helps us stretch more life out of resources and it can greatly extend the life of landfills.
But recycling isn’t truly recycling – it’s actually ‘downcycling’, because products sent for recycling are never remanufactured into the same product – they are turned into something of lesser quality, lower down the chain of products. Eventually, virtually everything ends up as trash.
So while recycling is much better than throwing something out, the best thing you can do for the environment by far is the first R: reduce.
You can read more about downcycling here: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/699330, and an excellent book on the subject is “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”.
It’s a matter of faith - June 3, 2009
According to Statistics Canada, eight of ten Canadians count themselves among a faith community. Faith communities – be they Christian, Jew, Muslim or other – can be tremendous forces for change and social progress. Since environmental stewardship is consistent with the teachings of virtually every faith, faith communities can play a huge role in ‘spreading the word’ and ‘being the change’.
If you are a member of a faith community, there are plenty of resources out there to help:
www.faith-commongood.net is an interfaith organization based in Toronto to provide guidance toward improved sustainability
www.theregenerationproject.org is a California-based interfaith group with similar objectives and an information-filled website
More ideas for ways faith groups can combat global warming are available here: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/faith_earth_day.html and a full column on the subject is here: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/magazine/article/684849.
Measure your mileage... then manage it - May 21, 2009
Most of us aren't exactly sure what our fuel mileage is - and that makes it hard to tell if changes to our driving habits are yielding results. Here's an easy way to save 10-20% on your monthly gas bill:
1. the next time you fill up, make note of your odometer reading. A glovebox notebook is best, but a slip of paper works too. For your next fill-up after that, note the odometer reading and the amount of fuel you bought. Then divide the distance you drove since the last fill-up by the amount of fuel it took to fill your tank, and you have your 'benchmark mileage', be it kilometers per liter or miles per gallon.
2. practice this one easy habit: drive as if you have an egg taped under the toe of your right foot, and your aim is to get where you're going without breaking the egg. Gentle on the gas, gentle on the brake, maximum coasting.
3. repeat step one to get your new mileage. If you're a typical driver, you'll see a 10-20% savings - just like that!
You can see your vehicle's official rating here http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/choose_vehicle.cfm?attr=8 (Canada) or here http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ (US).
The difference between recycled paper and... recycled paper - May 7, 2009
Not all recycled paper is created equal: different words, different percentages and different certifications make buying paper a lot more complicated than it used to be. But here's a bit of clarity.
Paper made from Post-Consumer Waste is made from honest-to-goodness recycled paper: material that has gone through one consumer cycle, been collected via recycling centers or blue boxes, and re-processed into new paper. The percentage of Post Consumer Waste in paper varies, but if you find a product that's 100% Post-Consumer Waste, you've got the best - because it's made of material diverted (rescued?) from the landfill.
Paper made from Pre-Consumer Waste is made from scrap paper that never made it to the consumer: trimmings from print shops and newspapers, surplus copies printed, etc. Paper made from Pre-Consumer Waste is better than paper made from virgin pulp, but not as good as paper made from Post-Consumer Waste.
And since most paper available is not 100% recycled, look for an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council - www.fsccanada.org) or Green Seal (www.greenseal.org) logo that certifies that the non-recycled portion of the paper comes from sustainably managed forests.
In praise of Ecotarians - April 23, 2009
Are you an "Ecotarian"? (You don't have to change your citizenship to be one...)
An Ecotarian is someone who considers the environmental implications of their food choices, and selects a diet that has a minimal impact on the planet. Since our food makes up big part of our personal carbon footprint, selecting wisely can make a huge difference. High on the ecotarian menu: local food (especially from your own garden); minimally processed food; food with little packaging; organic food; food high in veggies and low in meat. At the bottom of the ecotarian menu: food, especially produce, from faraway places; meat; highly processed and/or frozen food; food with heavy packaging; food originating from endangered or threatened species.
Be an Ecotarian: you'll do the Earth a big favour by making wise choices at home and wherever else you eat.
Burnt coffee and wasted power - April 15, 2009
I'm guessing anyone who's worked in an office setting knows about burnt coffee: the tar-like stuff that tasted great when it was brewed hours ago.
Not only does burnt coffee taste terrible - it's a symptom of wasted power too. Coffee makers use a lot of electricity - household ones use about 600-700 watts, but some commercial types use over 1000 watts, or as much as about 75 compact fluorescent light bulbs. And they keep using power as long as the switch is left on.
The solution? One: why not plan to make just the amount of coffee needed, and encourage everyone to enjoy it while it's fresh; and Two, just turn the pot off as soon as it's done brewing. Plus - consider swapping that energy-hungry commercial coffee maker (especially the instant-brew ones) for a more efficient one.
For great coffee and great power saving, it's as simple as that!
Precycling, a new word to know - March 25, 2009
Have you ever heard of 'precycling'? It's way better for the environment than recycling.
Precycling is the practice of avoiding waste in the first place by making choices such as buying in bulk, choosing products with minimal packaging, using and reusing your own containers and avoiding throwaway items (such as paper cups, foam plates and plastic cutlery). How much precycling you can do is limited only by your imagination and how far you're willing to go to protect our environment.
Recycling is better than trashing, but it is still an energy-intensive activity, because recycled materials need to be transported and reprocessed. Precycling is simply about thinking a few steps upstream, and making more eco-friendly choices. You could argue it's a fancy name for Reducing, the most important of the three Rs!
Getting the most out of paper - March 11, 2009
Paper is part of everyday life at home and work, but it has a dollar and environmental cost. Here are a few ideas to save on both:
1. Use your photocopier's double sided option. If it doesn't have one, learn how to feed paper in so that you can manually copy one side, flip the paper and copy on the other. Big paper saving potential.
2. Use your printer's double sided option. If you don't know how it works, check with your IT support person or click Print - Properties and look for the options. Or learn how to feed paper so you can print one side, flip the paper and then print the other.
3. Minimize the font on your e-mail autosignature so that e-mails you send that need to be printed out don't spill over onto another page.
4. Instead of discarding paper that's been used on one side (including incoming paper), put it in a bin, file or slot near your printer or copier, so the other side can be used too.
5. Print only what really needs to be printed; e-file when possible.
6. Choose post-consumer (important words) recycled paper to save a tree.
Second thoughts on flying - February 25, 2009
I used to love to fly, but it's not as much fun as it used to be. Why? Because I've learned that from an environmental perspective, flying is one of the worst ways to travel. A round trip from my local airport to Toronto (1:45 each way in a small jet) produces about 450 kg of CO2 emissions - nearly half a tonne! (Note: this is the average of 4 sources)
What to do? The BEST solution is to avoid flying altogether by using videoconferencing, teleconferencing and webinars when possible; and vacationing near home.
And when flying is unavoidable, fly light: critically assess every ounce you take with you, because every ounce has a carbon footprint in the air. Plus buy a carbon offset to counterbalance the impact of your flight - a small premium for the health of the planet.When the trash man saves, we all save - February 10, 2009
When the trash man saves, we all save - February 11, 2009
You probably already know how terrible stop-and-go-driving is for gas mileage; it's the main reason why fuel economy ratings are much worse for city driving than for highway. A lot of energy goes into speeding up, and then it's lost and wasted when we hit the brakes.
The same thing applies to the trucks that pass by your home to collect garbage and recycling. A stop at every driveway means an awful lot of fuel spent on stop-and-go driving.
So what if... What if we all got together with our neighbours, and did one small thing: agreed to put out our trash and recycling at the same spot each week? We could cut the number of stops for the truck by half, or even more. Way less fuel burned, way less emissions, better air for all, a happier trash collector. No financial payback for us, but a warm fuzzy feeling for doing a good thing.
Why not talk to a neighbour, and try it this week - and every week?
Computer power - January 29, 2009
Does your computer run around the clock, 24/7? If so, you're missing out on an opportunity to knock a few dollars off of your monthly power bill.
Just this morning I measured my computer's power use, and here's the result. It uses 45 watts when it's just on - let's call that idling - and 105 watts when it's thinking really hard. My monitor uses 55 watts. Add speakers, printer (off but still using a trickle of "phantom power") and router, and the total power use of my system is 115 watts "at idle", 175 watts when it's thinking really hard.
That means that, if left on constantly "at idle", a system like mine would consume nearly $100 in power per year. If that power came from coal, it would generate almost one tonne of greenhouse gases.
The solution? You can use sleep and hibernate settings, so your system drops into a power-saving mode when not used for a few minutes. (Click Control panel - Power options). And for even more savings, shut down your computer when it is not in use, and plug everything into a power bar that you can click off to completely eliminate those trickles of phantom power.
Carbon-free greetings - January 14, 2009
According to the American Greeting Card Association, 7 billion cards are purchased in the US annually. That's a lot of paper and a lot of trees!
But there's an environmentally friendly alternative: One Tree Per Card's attractive cards with striking natural scenes that are completely carbon neutral - or even 'carbon positive', producing a net environmental benefit.
How is this possible? Simple - photographer/designer Phil Riebel has made a commitment to using only eco-friendly paper and inks. But here's the big reason: one tree is planted for EVERY card purchased. In the battle against climate change, trees are among our greatest allies.
If you enjoy sending greeting cards to family and friends, show your commitment to our planet by going carbon neutral! Check out One Tree Per Card's designs here /www.carbonfreecards.com. (And they cost no more than brand name cards.)
Not about me, but about us - December 29, 2008
When it comes to climate change, there are no exemptions: we're all in it together. If global warming could be compared to a Class 5 rapid on a river, every one of us would be a passenger in a raft headed toward the rapid. Getting through it means paddling together - a job made much easier when we think less about "me" and more about "we".
Christmastime shows us the potential for human hearts to help, share and work together. So may that same Christmas spirit that brings out our best stay with us every day, to help us meet the challenges we will be facing together.
Thank you for being a Green Ideas subscriber, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and GREEN 2009.
How to save on a cold start - December 08
For many of us, plugging in our car is a convenient way to ensure that it starts on cold mornings. But your vehicle's block heater is an energy hog: most use 400-450 watts, as much as 30 compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you plug in your car for 14 hours a night, that's costing you $17-19 per month.
Since it takes just 2 hours for a block heater to warm most engines, anything more is a waste of power. But you don't need to get up extra early each morning - you can just get a timer (available at most hardware stores), and program it to turn your block heater on automatically while you're still sleeping. You can save over 80%, and still be sure that your car will start in the morning.
Based on the above numbers, a $25 timer can pay for itself in about 2 months - an amazing investment! (Plus: a car that's plugged in will warm up more quickly, and produce fewer emissions while warming up.)
Guilt-free Christmas lights - December 08
Bah humbug - these days, it seems even Christmas lights can't escape scrutiny. How green are your outdoor lights?
If they're the old-style lights with the big 7 cm long bulbs, yikes: a string of 25 takes 175 watts of power - equal to 13 compact fluorescent light bulbs.
But if they are the new outdoor LED lights, phew: a string of 75 lights uses 3 watts or less. That's right - three times as many bulbs, a fraction of the power.
In dollars, that means using 75 LED lights 5 hours a night for 30 nights costs just 4.5 cents, compared to $7.95 for 75 old-style big bulbs. And many of us put up a lot more than 75 lights.
Make LEDs a part of your green Christmas. They use 99% less energy than old-style outdoor lights, so you can light up the neighborhood guilt-free for pennies!
A better way to flush - November 08
It sits there quietly, always ready when you need it. But it accounts for 30% of the water used inside most homes. "It", of course, is the toilet.
But not all toilets are equal. Years ago, toilets used 20 ltres/flush. But today's efficient models use just 6 L. Some even have dual flush controls, so you can flush with 3 or 6 L, depending on the needs of the moment.
The good news: you can now get a federal EcoEnergy grant when you upgrade to an eligible low flow toilet (and, in NB, assistance from Efficiency NB too). A list of eligible models can be downloaded from here (beware: there are MANY more toilets out there than you might have thought!). But remember, to get a grant, you need to get an EcoEnergy home evaluation done first.
Replacing an inefficient old toilet is the water equivalent of trading a Hummer for a hybrid - a great way to save!
With one easy click every day, you can help save the planet
Most of us don't think about which website opens when we start our internet browser every morning; it's usually MSN, your internet provider or something similar. But there's a way you can use your first click of the day to help preserve the planet's rainforests.
Make the Rainforest Site, www.therainforestsite.com, the home page you start from every day. Then just click where it says "Click here to give - it's FREE". And with that simple action, you've preserved just over a square meter of the world's rainforests, the lungs of the planet that can absorb back much of the CO2 'exhaled' by our burning of fossil fuels.
It's not much, but those square meters add up - over 35,000 people click the site every day, and over 40,000 acres have been preserved so far. If everyone receiving this Green Idea clicked daily, we alone could preserve an area the size of a soccer field every week.
The land is paid for by sponsors who advertise on the Rainforest Site. If you visit, you'll also see similar sites in support of breast cancer, hunger, literacy and more - all causes you can support with the simple click of a mouse.
You can make The Rainforest Site your home page by going to it, then clicking Tools - Internet Options - General - Use current.
Idling less is 'low hanging fruit'
You've probably heard the expression 'low hanging fruit', referring to something that is easy to do - as opposed to tougher tasks, which are the 'high hanging fruit'. In the big environmental picture, there are some pretty big challenges facing us - the 'high hanging fruit' - that need to be addressed at the very highest levels of authority and power.
But there is also plenty of 'low hanging fruit': there are things each of us can do to make a difference. Among the lowest of the 'low hanging fruit': reducing the amount of time we idle our engines, whether waiting for someone or sitting in a drive-through. It's estimated that Canadians waste more than $2 million worth of fuel a day by idling.
The easy solution? The 10 second rule: it's better to turn off an engine than to let it idle for longer than 10 seconds. A small step to a large solution!
Get Hyper!
High fuel prices are a bitter pill for every driver. But imagine being able to drive the equivalent of 2 months for free every year.
It's possible, without doing a single thing to your vehicle or its fuel - no gadgets to install, no additives to pour into your tank. All you need to do is get into the habit of hypermiling: driving in a way so that you stretch more kilometers out of every liter of fuel. Most drivers can improve their mileage by 10-20% just by changing two key driving habits: 1) drive with a gentle foot on the gas and brake - no sudden starts and stops - and 2) drive a bit slower on the highway. Just these two changes will give most drivers 10-20% improved mileage - the equivalent of 2 free months of driving every year.
You can learn many more tips and tricks here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-tips-ecodriving.php.
Get hyper today, and start saving money, energy and the environment.
A pledge for Earth Day
On Tuesday, April 22, the 39th Earth Day will be celebrated. It's a bit like New Year's: a chance to look back at what was since the last Earth Day, and to look forward to what can be in the coming 12 months.
If you'd like to reduce your carbon footprint, here are the three best things you can do - for the planet, and for your pocketbook:
1. Get an EnerGuide evaluation done on your home, and implement the recommended upgrades. Home renos are a pretty major undertaking, but they can produce VERY substantial savings on your heating bill... 20, 30, 40% or more, depending on the age and condition of your home.
2. Start planning for your next vehicle, and make it the most fuel-efficient that meets your needs. Say no to 4 wheel drives or trucks if you only need their features or capacity a couple of times a year. (Consider just renting a truck for those periodic times you need one - cheaper for you and better for the Earth.) The Office of Energy Efficiency provides fuel economy ratings for all vehicles sold in Canada here: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/choose_vehicle.cfm?attr=8.
3. Drive less whenever possible. Carpool, take the bus, walk, bike, hitchhike. The best (and cheapest) litre of fuel is the one that you DIDN'T use.
Recycling is great, changing your light bulbs is excellent - but since our biggest impact on the planet by far comes from heating our homes and getting around, consider the above 3 steps if you want to make a really big dent in your personal carbon footprint.
"My chimney needs a PILLOW???"
Have you ever heard of a 'chimney pillow' or a 'chimney balloon'? You might want to look into one if you have a chimney in your home. You see, if you have a chimney (especially one with a fireplace), there's a good chance it's running up your heating bill.
Fireplaces can be cozy and romantic, but they are not very efficient at heating a home - most of the heat they produce goes straight up the chimney. But what's worse is this: long after the fire is out, a good bit of your precious home heat keeps going up the chimney. That's because the dampers in chimneys are not very airtight, and they allow much warm air to escape up and out. They often create a noticeable draft indoors too.
To stop this heat loss, you can stuff a 'chimney pillow' or 'chimney balloon' up into the flue when there's no fire on. Well installed, a pillow or balloon will stop drafts and save you significant heating dollars. You can buy one, or make your own with supplies from your hardware store. The internet has plenty of helpful information.
It's easy to stop the draft from your flue or chimney - but remember to take it out before you start a fire!
Where's the cheapest gas?
As consumers, we tend to really pinch pennies when it comes to buying gas. Often, we'll even go out of our way to save a fraction of a cent per litre.
But does this really make sense? Just for a second, consider the math. Saving one tenth of a cent per litre on a fill-up of 50 litres adds up to a nickel. Most of us would see a saving of 2 cents a litre as a big thing, but even that adds up to only one dollar saved on a tankful - about the cost of a cookie and some crumbs at the local coffee shop.
If we have to go out of our way to get "cheaper gas", the savings are usually more than offset by the amount of extra time we spend going for it, and the amount of extra fuel we burn in the process.
So where is the cheapest gas? All things considered, it's usually at the first station you drive past in the course of your usual travels. Even if it costs a few nickels more per tank, it likely will benefit you more than that in saved fuel and time. And saved fuel is always better for the planet!!
Be a 'nudgebreaker'
In stopped traffic, have you ever noticed that when one driver nudges ahead, everyone behind usually does the same thing? It seems we do that in any lineup, whether at the bank, grocery store or airport.
Does this ripple effect get anyone where they're going any sooner? Well, no. But everyone does end up burning an extra shot of fuel each time they nudge forward.
So the next time you're stopped traffic, be the 'nudgebreaker' and resist the urge to edge forward. You'll save fuel for yourself and everyone in the line behind you.
