Week 2: Green tips

Week 2: Green Tips

Did you know that the Halifax Regional Municipality is considered a leader in environmental sustainability? There are many initiatives in place, such as the harbour solutions project (which involves the Halifax wastewater treatment facility and resulting improvements in water quality of Halifax harbour), pesticide use reduction program, and effective compost and recycling systems that help make Halifax cleaner and greener.

However, there’s still room for improvement! There are many things we can do every day to help our community be more environmentally friendly. Many of us understand the importance of sustainability, but our lifestyle choices are often consumer driven and create excess waste. The point of this week’s blog post is to provide small tips to help everyone reduce their environmental footprint. Most of these ideas are from various websites, television shows and friends. I tried to avoid the obvious advice (like recycle and turn off lights) and instead include creative eco-friendly tips.

Waste

Did you know that Halifax’s Otter lake landfill holds over 3 700 000 tonnes of waste at capacity? You can help reduce this by:

Having one ‘no spending’ week per month. During this week you avoid all unnecessary purchases, even groceries! Great way to use up leftovers or food overstocked in cupboards.

Tip: Have that annoying bit of jam left in the bottle of the jam jar? Mix with a little vinegar for a tasty salad dressing.

Put a sign on your mailbox that says ‘no flyers’ or ‘no junk mail’.

Opt for online bill payment – go paperless.

Solid Shampoo Bar

Use rechargeable batteries.

Buy products that have minimal or no packaging, like bulk foods. One source of plastic waste is shampoo and body wash bottles- places like Lush in Mic Mac Mall sell solid, unwrapped soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and even deodorant. Bonus: No animal testing.

Research companies that will take and recycle much of what you thought was waste, even fat and oil! The Halifax municipality provides a good start to that list here: http://halifax.ca/wrms/alternatives.html

Energy and Water

Washing clothes in cold water saves 85% of the energy used to do a load of laundry.

Putting a small brick in the back of your toilet tank will reduce the volume of water used every time you flush.

Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until it gets cold every time you want a drink.

Many electronics, such as cell phone and computer chargers, use energy when they are plugged in even if they’re not in use. Unplug electronics or use a power bar with an off switch. 

Use your curtains! Opening them in winter allows sunlight to heat your home, while closing them in summer reduces that heat. Also don’t forget to turn down the thermostat at night and when leaving your home.

One more reason to drive carefully- rapid acceleration and rapid braking waste fuel.

And the #1 tip I got from my friends: Save water, shower together ;)

I encourage everyone to comment and share their tips for minimizing waste, energy and water use!

Amber