Whether you’re a MEC-wearing treehugger or a Hummer-driving urbanite the start of the new year is an ideal time to challenge yourself ecologically.
• Self assess: Find out what impact you’re having on the Earth using the University of British Columbia’s eco footprint calculator (www.sustain.ubc.ca/eco-survey) and set a goal to reduce your footprint. Mark your calendar for December 31 2008 to reassess and see if you’ve met your target. The average Canadian’s footprint is over 4.8 hectares meaning we would need three Earths to provide the energy and materials necessary for everyone to live like most Canadians do. No matter how big or small your footprint there’s likely ways to reduce it.
• Divorce your garbage can: Calgarians have one of the lowest waste diversion rates in the country with only 20 per cent of our waste being diverted from landfill. Make use of a private curbside pickup operator or use one of the city’s recycling depots to reduce your waste. Whether you live in a house or an apartment composting is also an option. Clean Calgary offers resources to help you get started. Forty per cent of the average household’s waste is made up of yard and kitchen waste — these organics don’t break down in a landfill environment and instead create harmful methane gas. We’re so bad at diverting our organics that our city dumps are currently the city’s number one source of greenhouse gases. Each household in P.E.I. (the leading province in Canada for waste diversion) is only allowed to throw away one garbage can of waste every two weeks — make that your goal.
• Park it: In 1907 the Ford Motor Corporation declared that “everyone will be able to afford [a car] and everyone will have [a car]. The horse will disappear from our highways and the automobile will be taken for granted.” Today the automobile is taken for granted and most everyone has one or two. We casually use one-tonne machines to transport ourselves one at a time from place to place. As a result cars account for 21 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If you find yourself addicted to your car reduce the impacts of your dependency by keeping your car well maintained (an out-of-tune car increases fuel consumption) don’t idle (idling is unnecessary even in winter according to the Alberta Motor Association) drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle that will fit your lifestyle and make use of alternate modes of transportation at least once a week (walk cycle carpool telecommute or use public transit).
• Launder responsibly: A study from Cambridge University looked at the ecological footprint of clothing — evaluating the type of material used manufacturing process shipping and lifetime care. It concluded that 60 per cent of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent in laundering it. There are detergents designed to clean your clothes using cold water — use them. About 85 per cent of the energy used to wash your clothes is spent on heating the water. Since clothes dryers are typically the second highest consumers of electricity in a household using an indoor drying rack during the winter and a clothesline in the summer is a simple way to save money and reduce your footprint.
•Experience the environment: Make the time to get outside and enjoy our parks pathways and other natural spaces. Not only will you come away feeling rejuvenated and less stressed you’ll also have a greater passion for preserving the environment.
• Participate in your world: Become a more engaged citizen by keeping up to date on key environmental issues (public transit investment city pesticide use waste management urban planning etc.) connecting with your elected representatives (write a letter to express your opinion about environmental policies) and accessing the services of local environmental groups (groups like the local chapter of the Sierra Club have informative websites chapter meetings wilderness outings and public presentations). Calgary will not have green policies until residents get involved and demand them.
Eat a local in season and organic diet: Inputs like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers make conventional foods environmentally destructive (to waterways soil air and animals) and less healthy when compared to organic foods. Eating locally whenever possible will help to build our local economy and reduce your food miles. The average meal travels 1610 kilometres before it reaches your plate producing unnecessary greenhouse gases along the way. Choosing in-season foods will also reduce the distance your food needs to travel and build your awareness of where food comes from. Farmers’ markets and health-food stores are excellent resources for local organic and in-season foods.
Ditch the bottled water: While municipal water may contain fluoride and/or other unwanted additions bottled water is not guaranteed to be any better or even different from municipal supplies and it generally costs up to 10000 times more. Bottled water is a multi-billion-dollar industry uses millions of barrels of oil each year for packaging and creates tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its transport. Resolve to focus on clean water for all by getting involved with local watershed protection. If you feel you must have cleaner water than the municipal supply purchase a quality water filter unit from a local health food store.
Go chemical free: Switch to natural cleaning products inside your home and get your garden off drugs. Replacing conventional chemical cleaning products with natural alternatives from companies like Seventh Generation or Simply Clean is one of the easiest ways to reduce your toxic footprint. Most homes are far from healthy with an average of 62 toxic chemicals found inside. Using safe alternatives to chemical pesticides in the yard can also help to improve the quality of our waterways and improve our health as well.
Green your mind: Make a point of learning more about environmental issues this year. Sustainable Calgary and McNally Robinson Books have partnered to start up the Sustainable Calgary Book Club. Once a month the club will join to discuss a book with the aim of opening new possibilities for environmental sustainability social justice and peace. Some of the books on the list include Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things and The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need .