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I love Earth Day and I look forward to it each year. I think it is a great reminder to take a step back from our busy lives and look at ways that we can all make a difference. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is always celebrated on April 22nd of each year.
Some Earth Day Trivia for you today: (answers will be below in the comment section)
1) Which household appliance uses the most energy?
A) Refrigerator
B) Toaster
C) Dishwasher
D) Washing machine
2) “Phantom carriers” is a term used for electronic devices that:
A) Move from room to room
B) Continue to consume electricity even when switched off
C) Are really expensive
D) Are energy efficient
3) What percentage do heating costs rise by for every degree above 20°C that you set your household thermostat in the winter?
A) 2%
B) 4%
C) 5%
D) 7%
4) A typical 5-minute shower uses ____ litres of water:
A) 50
B) 100
C) 150
D) 200
5) How much water is used to produce 1kg of paper?
A) 100 litres
B) 200 litres
C) 300 litres
D) 400 litres
Here are the Top 10 actions to reduce your impact on the environment according to Earth Day Canada:
1) Smart Shopping
• “Buy what you need, not what you want”
• Consider renting and borrowing things that are
seldom needed
• Buy used items from garage sales and second-hand stores
2) Simple Savers
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact
fluorescent bulbs
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- Use aerators on faucets and shower heads
- Weatherstrip windows and doors
3) Transportation Alternatives
• Walk, cycle, car pool and use public transportation
• When driving, reduce idling and maintain correct tire pressure
• Consider car sharing programs or renting
4) Food Choices
• Choose local and organic foods that are in season
• Eat less meat & try out vegan recipes!
5) Washing and Drying
• Wash full loads of clothes in cold water and hang to air dry
6) Heating and cooling
• For summer air conditioning, set your thermostat to 24°C or 25°C
• For winter heating, set your thermostat to 19°C or 20°C
• Install ceiling fans and programmable thermostats
7) Close to Home
• Vacation, travel and work as close to home as possible
8.) Bathroom Basics
• Take short showers instead of baths
• Close water taps while brushing your teeth
9) Careful Cleaning
• Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products
• Make natural cleaners with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and water
10) Don’t Discard
• Donate, reuse and recycle items before throwing them into the trash
• Harmful materials like chemicals, batteries, electronics, etc.
should be taken to local hazardous waste depots or recyclers
I would also like to add one…
11) Set up a a kitchen compost
- You can reduce your waste output by 33% by simply discarding your food scraps and yard wastes into a compost.
You don’t need anything fancy, just a small garbage container or an unused pail you have lying around the house! Then line it with compostable bags or paper bags.
Ours gets filled with green tea quite a bit… :oops:
Our city actually has a wonderful wet/dry garbage system in place (Click to enlarge)
Fun fact: Our compost bin fills up MUCH faster than our regular garbage bin does!
Today’s question: How do you reduce your carbon footprint? Does your city have a Wet/Dry program?
(See the comments below for the answers to the quiz.)
Have a great Earth Day!
I reduce my carbon footprint by walking instead of driving whenever I can.
Not only is it good for the environment, but it’s good for my body too!
These are great tips! Your city is definitely ahead of Washington when it comes to recycling and green initiatives but we’re becoming much more eco-conscious as a city, starting with the 5-cent bag tax that passed last year.
Nothing can compare to the insanity of Korea, which had more than 10 different bags to sort your home recycling. Do it wrong and get a huge fine.
Portland is a pretty green city. We recycle everything. When we go to Costco we bring fabric bags instead of using all those boxes. It’s little things that add up.
Great post today!
I really miss the “green bins” in Ontario- Quebec doesn’t have those as yet. I think my “green goal” for this summer is to get a compost system going!
One question- I’m heading back to the GTA for the weekend and haven’t gone for a real trail-run there in ages- any suggestions?
I love our road side compost pick up that is going on pretty much all over Ontario.
I bring my wet waste home with me every day from work. One day too, my husband brought his banana peel home from work. I might have shed a tear of joy. :)
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
i walk to almost all my destination. and i use the bus if i have a longer distance to go. most people at 21 just rely on their vehicles.. which is fine.. but when u can.. remember those feet were made for walkin’ hehe. xo
My city doesn’t have a program like that. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing. I try to use as little energy as possible by turning off all the lights and trying not to use heat or AC unless necessary. (Though I must admit I do this more to lower my bills than to be green. Sorry, Earth.) We also only have one car and my husband drops me off and picks me up from work so I don’t have to drive, too.
Happy Earth Day!! I’ve definitely done my part this year in trying to be greener for my lifestyle. I ALWAYs turn off lights, I furnished my whole room with used furniture, I bring reusable water bottles/tea mugs to work. Next step for me is to stop using plastic baggies to store my lunch!
xo
Jocelyn
We’ve switched to reusable water bottles instead of disposable.
We use our reusable bags for shopping trips.
We’ve lowered our thermostat in winter.
We’ve switched to cold-water washing for laundry.
We participate in our city’s curbside recycling program.
What do you all do with your compost? I’ve never composted because I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t have a garden and don’t want one. I don’t have flower beds and don’t want them. What is the benefit of composting when you don’t use it as fertilizer?
I am always turning off the lights! People just leave them on all the time, even when they’re not even in the room! I am also a dairy-free vegetarian, so that helps the planet and my body! :) I use re-usable shopping bags, walk to the grocery store when I’m at university, and I walk around outside a lot when ever I can, so I think that gives the earth a little massage! ;) I do need to do more though…chemical wise from cleaning products, and less than natural beauty products. It’s my next step!
Wow, great on all the facts. I ought to be so mindful of the Earth…should make that a more conscious effort on my part!
Love that you dedicated a blog to earth day – I am going to do the same :)
Great tips!
Also, I am a big smoothie person and have made mine more green and have blogged about it and linked to the green monster movement site – Thanks!
I have never even heard of a wet/dry compost system…it took me a minute to realize that your city actually takes the compost pail contents! That is pretty great!
We also have a kitchen compost pail, but our city doesn’t take it. We have a compost bin in the backyard. We have been doing this for at least four or five years…but are finally just planting our first garden with it this year.
Other things we do:
We have the fluorescent bulbs;
Reusable fabric bags for the grocery and we reuse any plastic bags we might get;
Recycle anything allowed in the bin;
I have a bin for scrap paper next to the printer; any one-sided papers go in there to be printed on the other side;
I return in my ink cartridges to be refilled;
All five of us have stainless steel water bottles for outings;
We buy organic produce and other bulk purchases, saving wrapping and produce trays;
We have not bought meat or milk in the house for at least six months now. (I know my husband and sons still eat some when out…but far less than they used to!)
We regularly participate in community clean up projects.
Great post!
i wouldn’t mind having a compost, but in an apartment, i dont’ have a garden, and i have no idea where else it would go.
I buy fresh, local and used.
I set a good example for my children so that they will grow up and consider environmentally friendly living normal.
Thanks to everyone for taking care of our earth!!
A vegan diet….that’s my biggest contribution to a greener planet. I also take cloth sacks to the grocery store and I am obsessed with turning lights off. I was so happy to hear others say that they do this as well. My family jokes that I could (maybe they mean should!) live in a cave! I just do not understand the need for a totally lit house. And don’t get me started on outside lights… oh my goodness does that drive me crazy! Unless you live in a high-crime area and the lights are on for safety, why are you polluting our air with light? Yup… I go that crazy about it.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
What great advice!! I try to be green as much as I can. I use sooo many paper towels at school, mainly because we HAVE to wash our hands/wipe down dozens of times a day. So I try to reduce the impact at home some. I try to use paper towels as little as possible- we use cloths instead, cloth napkins, eco-friendly toilet paper, we recyle, I don’t take long showers & I don’t leave the water running when I brush my teeth, we use green soaps/cleaning products, oh and I am a vegetarian now! It’s the little things that count, for sure!
xo
K
I bike to and from work and wherever else I can whenever the weather allows. I feel like it’s multi-tasking at its finest. Reduce my carbon footprint, save money and get in some exercise! I love it!
Great advice, Angela. We turn off the lights when we leave the room, keep out ac use in check (read: cold house in the winter, hot house in the summer), and we recycle EVERYTHING! There is so much more to do!
Happy Earth Day.