101 Ways to be Green in 2010

 

1.      Turn off the taps while brushing your teeth – this simple action can save you 6,000 litres of water each year

2.      Don’t use your toilet as a waste basket for toiletry items – water is wasted with each flush

3.      Run your dishwasher only when it is a full load and air dry your dishes rather then sending them through the dry cycle

4.      Wash your clothes in cold water, most detergents nowadays work just as well in cold (as a bonus you will save money) – make sure it’s a full load

5.      Repair all toilet and faucet leaks – a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day

6.      Install a low-flow shower head

7.      Affix all your taps with faucet aerators

8.      Take showers instead of baths - A bath uses more than 80 litres of water; a shower uses less than 38 litres every five minutes

9.      Install a low-flush toilet or fill a 2 litre pop bottle with water and place it in your tank to reduce the amount of water used after each flush

10. Conserve water – sweep off your driveway rather than hose it down

11. Wash your car the natural way - wait until it rains

12. In a drought, don’t waste water on a lawn beginning to turn brown, it will revive after normal rainfall resumes.

13. If you must water your lawn and garden, water in the morning or at night to prevent evaporation. One inch of water a week is better than several short showers.

14. Plant native plants in your garden - they need a lot less water and maintenance than introduced species.

15. Put a barrel under your eavestrough downspout to catch water when it rains. You can use this to water indoor plants, your garden and wash your car.

16. Use organic fertilizers on your lawn and garden – stay away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides

17. Pull weeds by hand

18. Reduce garbage – start composting, your lawn and garden will thank you

19. Use a manual push mower for you lawn rather than electric or gas-powered

20. Use natural pest-control remedies in your garden

21. Use mulch in your garden - according to the Clean Water Foundation, just five centimetres of mulch reduces a flowerbed’s water requirements by 70 per cent

22. Plant a tree

23. Be vocal – write to your local, provincial and national governments on issues concerning the environment

24. Be a Green Champion - start up a green team at work to set priorities and  advocate for environmental policy

25. If you think a company is doing a good job by offering eco-friendly products, send them an email encouraging them to keep up the good work

26. If you think a company is offering products which are over packaged or not providing eco-friendly products, send them an email to let them know how they can improve and that it is important to you as a consumer that they change their ways

27. Make donations to charitable or non-profit organizations which champion environmental causes and advocate for environmental issues

28. Do your research, educate yourself on the issues surrounding climate change, global warming, pollution, and sustainability

29. Invest in green funds or donate to environmental charities

30. Purchase from organizations with a good environmental track record

31. Pick up litter in your neighbourhood

32. Say no to plastic bags and be sure to carry your own reusable bags with you to the store each trip

33. Eat less processed food – make your lunches and take them in reusable containers to work

34. Eat less meat

35. Eat local

36. Eat organic

37. Grow your own food

38. Save money - say goodbye to bottled water, municipal tap water is regulated at a much higher rate and standard than store-bought bottled water

39. Brew your own coffee at home or use a reusable travel mug when buying coffee. Chosing organic coffee is also much more eco-friendly way to go

40. Subscribe to newspapers online instead of receiving daily copies on your doorstep

41. Affix a note to your mailbox that says something like "no flyers or unsolicited mail" to cut down on unwanted junk mail

42. If you are receiving addressed junk mail, write an email or note to the company, which sent it and ask them to remove your name from their mailing list - it works! 

43. Request to receive your monthly bills by email rather than by regular mail, paperless billing

44. Print and copy double-sided

45. When buying paper products, choose those made of recycled paper

46. Reuse envelopes

47. Use both sides of every sheet of paper before recycling it

48. Use cloth napkins and refuse paper napkins

49. Save the front half of the Christmas cards you receive and use them as gift tags the following year

50. Don’t idle your own vehicle and start an anti-idling campaign within your organization and/or business

51. Maintain correct tire pressure in your vehicle – an under-inflated tire can mean a 5% fuel efficiency reduction

52. Perform regular tune-ups and check-ups on your vehicle to keep it running at its maximum efficiency

53. Remove unnecessary weight from your car

54. Consider removing your rooftop car rack, the aerodynamics of a roof rack can reduce your fuel efficiency up to 30%

55. Fuel up when it’s cool – in the mornings and evenings to reduce ozone and remember to stop at the click when filling up

56. Reduce your speed on the road – rapid acceleration and braking wastes fuel – this can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town.

57. Carpool

58. Bike, walk, rollerblade, skateboard to work instead of taking your vehicle

59. Make your next vehicle purchase a hybrid or more fuel efficient car

60. Cut down on “phantom power” – turn your computer off when not in use; do the same with your household appliances such as microwaves, coffee makers, tvs, and toasters

61. Turn down the thermostat by 2 degrees in the winter – get out the throw blanket and warm pajamas

62. Install a programmable thermostat.

63. Fix air leaks with weather stripping and caulking.

64. Use a heating blanket to on your hot water tank and insulate your hot water pipes (when using electric heat).

65. Cover pots when boiling water on the stove - boiling 4.5 litres of water in a covered pot uses four times less energy than boiling without a lid

66. Change your incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent, halogen or L.E.D.

67. Do not leave outside lights on unnecessarily

68. Turn off the oven ten minutes before the food is due to be cooked - The heat in the oven will finish the cooking, EASY

69. When you renovating your home, retrofit them with more eco-friendly energy sources such as natural gas, solar, wind, etc. – there are rebate programs for many energy efficient renovations

70. Keep the temperature in your fridge at 3-5°C, the freezer at -17 to -15°C

71. Don’t place your fridge in a warm spot — near a heater or in direct sunlight.

72. For efficient operation clean the condenser coils on the back or bottom of your fridge at least once a year.

73. Keep the door gasket clean to make sure the seal isn’t

74. Check and compare energy ratings before buying large appliances. These tell you how many kilowatt hours of energy it uses per month.

75. Use electric kettles to boil water which consume half the energy needed to boil water on the stove.

76. Cook food in glass dishes which are quicker than metal pans. The bottom of your pan or pot should be the same size as the burner to use the minimum amount of energy.

77. Use pressure cookers which use very little energy and are best for food that is “low on the food chain”.

78. Turn down the heat after water boils. Lightly boiling water is the same temperature as a roaring boil.

79. Cooking frozen foods uses more energy — thaw them out first.

80. Keep your water heater down to 54C. This is hot enough to kill bacteria and still save energy.

81. Keep the outside doors and windows closed during the winter — turn down the heat if you’re too warm.

82. Leave your curtains open during the day to let the sun heat your house and close them in the evening to prevent heat from escaping.

83. Consume less!

84. Buy music online rather than purchasing cds

85. Rent DVD’s and video games rather than buying them

86. Buy a permanent cloth or mesh coffee filter instead of disposable paper filters.

87. Don’t be so quick to throw your old stuff away, pass it along for someone else to use. Instead of a trip to the waste dump, take it to a second hand store, local charitable organization or just to the end of the driveway.

88. Use the public library for books and magazines or give your own copies away to doctors offices, friends, charities when you’re finished with them

89. Recycle your old rechargeable batteries - commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. To find a drop off point near you visit  www.rbrc.org

90. Recycle your old cell phones – again you can visit www.rbrc.org to find a drop off point near you.

91. Recycle your wire clothes hangers – take them to a local second hand store or drycleaners – 3.5 billion wire hangers are thrown away every year in the US alone!

92. Buy products made of recycled materials rather than virgin materials, e.g. cloth and fleece products made from recycled plastics

93. When camping or hosting a party use reusable plates, cups and cutlery, as well as cloth napkins rather than plastic or Styrofoam

94. Buy clothing second-hand – it’s cheaper and it’s fun!

95. Avoid buying clothes which need to be drycleaned

96. Avoid the use of aerosols

97. Cut back on disposable cleaning products – use rags from old clothing

98. Use earth-friendly cleaning products which are non-toxic and biodegradable

99. Use water-based paints and eco-friendly paints

100.         Dispose of paint, paint thinners and any other household hazardous waste at proper disposal locations

101.         Use refillable pencils and pens

 

 Calculate your carbon footprint!

 

 

 

The Department of Environment has developed and launched a website to track and report GHG emission reductions. The website includes information on measuring carbon footprints, tracking provincial emissions, tracking New Brunswick Climate Action Fund projects and reporting on New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan progress. The carbon footprint measurements include three New Brunswick-specific calculators, a meeting calculator, a households calculator and an activities calculator.

 

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