• Fill sink with water and environmentally friendly dish soap to wash dishes rather than running the water. The amount you save is staggering.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and/or shaving. Especially, when shaving your legs in the shower: fill a cup to rinse the razor in and you’re set.
• Baths are a treat (a wonderful treat), not an everyday thing.
• In a restaurant, say no to water if you aren’t going to drink it. Seems small, but imagine all the glasses of water in restaurants in the world that don’t get drunk. Small things DO make a difference!
• Don’t fill the kettle – heat only what you plan to drink.
• Gardeners, water in the morning or early evening. Invest in a drip hose – water goes directly to the roots and doesn’t get wasted. Invest in a water barrel to collect rain water. Populate your garden with indigenous plants and trees. They are accustomed to the climate and don’t require additional water.

Toilet matters

• Simple rule: If it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down.
• Some tricks for keepin’ it fresh: flush pee at least once a day (this depends on how many people are contributing), and don’t mellow the toilet paper, put it in the green bag.

Grey water

• The simplest way to use ‘grey water’ in your home is to save your shower/bath/dish water by keeping the plug in. You can then use this water for various tasks around the house such as washing your car or flushing your toilet (dump a jug down the bowl. You will have to try a few sizes of jug before you figure out the quantity that is needed to flush your particular toilet.)

Reducing waste and packaging

• Compost half your waste and, by doing so generate rich fertilizer and mulch for your garden. If you live in an apartment, consider vermicomposting. To learn more, visit the Composting Council of Canada. Click here to learn more about vermicomposting.
• Re-use the containers and jars that you buy food in instead of buying Tupperware
• Wash out zip lock bags and re-use them (tip: just turn them inside out to wash and dry.)
• Don’t use plastic produce bags at the grocery store unless you really need it (e.g. for snow peas or mushrooms). If you do get some, re-use them next time. And of course use your re-useable bags when you’re out shopping (not just for groceries)!
• Buy bulk! You can bring your own bags and containers and fill them up. Packaged food has excessive paper and plastic on it, so avoid it.
• Don’t buy water in bottles. Just don’t do it. Tap water has stricter monitoring regulations than any bottled water company, it’s all marketing.
• Diminish paper products: use rags instead of paper towels, use cloth napkins, use a diva cup and cloth pads instead of tampons and disposable pads (the benefits of diva cups and cloth pads are endless – check them out online).
• Don’t buy things that are over-packaged.  Support companies committed to reduced packaging.
• Always print double sided. If your boss or teacher has a problem with this, challenge them on it.
  

GREEN BUYING POWER

Organic and fair trade

• Organic farms are not only pesticide-free, they are committed to fostering biodiversity, a critical requirement for a sustainable planet.
• Look for certification labels on products where the packaging says ‘organic’ or ‘fair trade’. Companies can put almost anything on their labels, so in order for their statements to be credible, you must see a certification stamp.
  
• Organic and fair trade products are sometimes more expensive than non-organic and unfair-trade products. This is because the price of externalities is accounted for in the market price. Non-organic products are cheaper because the price of chemical contamination is not accounted for. We pay that in the form of cancers, sickness, and contaminated water. Similarly, when you pay a cheap (unfair) price for an item, the workers are likely receiving wages below the poverty line, exacerbating the ‘poor get poorer’ syndrome.

Buying local

• Buying local saves tons of oil and gas in transport and paper and plastic for shipping protection. Furthermore, the produce you get will be riper when it is picked, which means more nutrients and taste for you. Many farmers’ markets now offer local and organic!
  
• When you support your local farmer, craftsperson or shopkeeper you are investing in your local economy. By supporting them, more of your dollar stays within your community than if you were to shop at a big box store.

Buying used

• Consumerism is arguably the most environmentally damaging social norm. Products are made to be used for a short time and replaced with an ‘upgrade’, or trendier version. This is especially the case with electronics where the vast majority is not recycled resulting in enormous waste heaps that release a variety of toxic chemicals. Most other products on today’s market are made from plastic, which is not biodegradable and also not always recycled.
• Buying used items prevents more products from ending up in landfills, while discouraging the unnecessary production of new products.

Buying Less

• Why buy when you can swish? Swishing parties are popping up everywhere. What’s swishing? It’s a group of friends and associates getting together to swap the clothes they don’t wear anymore. You get honest opinions about what looks great on you and you get free clothes! Don’t forget the local organic wine, beer and snacks.
  

GREENER TRAVEL

Saving fuel

• This one is a bit of a no brainer, but due to its importance, we’ll repeat it one more time! Take the bus, ride your bike, scooter, skateboard, rollerblades, whatever. Walk.
  

  VIA Rail à Québec

• If you are able to transit, bike or walk, consider selling your car. Forget paying for gas, paying for parking, paying for insurance, paying for tune-ups. Forget investing in a very expensive product that depreciates in value by 15 percent every year. Consider being a member of a car sharing program when you need to run car-dependant errands.
• Mining for oil and gas is extremely environmentally damaging: road building, clear cuts, soil erosion and water contamination that can last hundreds of years. Of course, this is accompanied by species loss as well as human strife as farmer’s land is destroyed and people suffer harsh health consequences from the contaminated water. So it’s not just about carbon dioxide emissions.
• Depending on your lifestyle, airline travel can make up half or more of your personal greenhouse gas emissions. Please seriously consider reducing it. Vacation close to home and contribute to your local or provincial economy. If you travel for work, commit to video conferencing when you can.
  

GREEN INVESTMENT

Home Energy Audit

• If you own an older home, bring in a home energy auditor to provide you with a comprehensive energy audit. The federal government provides up to $5000 in rebates depending on the work you do on your home. This is matched by your provincial government. Improved insulation, high efficiency furnace, high performance windows and doors and tankless water heaters will make a world of difference to your carbon footprint, the comfort of your home and your pocket book over time.
• Talk to your mortgage broker or financial institution about green mortgages or low interest loans to support your home energy retrofits.

Energy Star Rated Appliances

• Replace old appliances with those that are Energy Star Rated. Ask the retailer about recycling your old appliance.

Green Energy

• Choose an energy retailer that invests in renewable energy.
• Depending on your home and how long you plan to own it, consider installing solar panels on your roof and geothermal underground. Bring in a professional to advise on what’s best for your property.

Socially Responsible and Green Investment

• We get what we pay for. Short term investment is short sighted, and responsible for our current economic crisis. Invest in companies that are committed to the triple bottom line – profit, social responsibility and environmental protection. Sustainability is profitable and our only viable option. Support companies that are leading the way in sustainable business practice.

Carbon Calculators and Gold Standard Carbon Offsets

If you’re really serious about reducing your greenhouse gas footprint, audit your annual travel, home energy and waste activities through a carbon calculator. This will help you determine your footprint, and actions to reduce it on an annual basis. Challenge yourself to reduce it by a reasonable percentage year after year (tip: pick a date that will help you remember to do your annual audit, such as January 1st).

Based on your carbon emissions, purchase carbon offsets from a carbon offset vendor that will invest your money in energy efficiency and renewable energy development (Gold Standard). This way you are investing in a time when it will be more and more easy to live lightly. For more information and a list of carbon calculators and carbon offset vendors, visit the David Sukuki Foundation.