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Going Green: A guide to
social wholeness
Environment, social
harmony linked
Wednesday February 5, 2003 Roderick Benns
According to Peterborough Green-Up's Donald
Fraser, the environment has to be a holistic word that encompasses the
physical, social and spiritual aspects that come with being a part of
ones community. It has to be about social wholeness, says Fraser.
Fraser, the communications officer for Green-Up,
says the group's 12-year presence in the community has also been important
for helping to connect the dots between "neighbourly" and "international"
responsibility.
"Green-Up is about empowering people to improve
their own ecological imprint," says Fraser.
To that end, Fraser has compiled a best-practices
approach for living more ecologically aware. The information can serve
as a helpful checklist for ways to ensure one is living as responsibly
as possible.
Water Use
• The average Canadian household uses, on average 1000 litres of
water per day. Let's put that into perspective - that's 1000 bags of milk,
1000 big bottles of pop, or 2000 pints of beer.
• Water consumption is 40 per cent used on toilets, 20 per cent used
on showering
.
• A set of toilet dams will save five litres of water on every flush
- a quarter of the amount.
• Showering. Take shorter showers.
• Big savings can come with low-flow showerheads. You can save one
third of the water from going down the drain.
• Check toilet and taps for leaks - a small leak in a toilet can
waste enough water to fill 40 bathtubs per month. Forty per cent of toilets
leak.
• A slow-dripping tap (a drip every second or two) releases about
60 litres per day - or 1800 litres per month - put it into a yearly stat
- 21,600 litres.
• Water-efficient devices include low-flow aerators. You can put
these in your bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room.
• Washing machines and dishwashers use a lot of water. Make sure
washers are full before using.
• Cutting back on dishwasher/laundry use will also cut back on your
energy bills.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Use less water when
washing dishes - you don't need a whole sink full most of the time. If
you want cold water, don't let it run. Instead keep some in the fridge.
Water Use in the Yard
• The average sprinkler uses about 1000 litres per hour. This is
the same water used as your drinking water, and processing this takes
a lot of energy.
• Watering your lawn requires only about an inch of water - in normal
conditions, once a week is enough.
• A tin can placed in the area of watering will measure this inch
for you.
• Watering during the right times also helps - watering during the
heat of the day is terrible - it wastes water and kills your grass.
• Water between 7am and 10am.
• Choose the right type of sprinkler. The oscillating ones lose up
to half its spray to evaporation. Soaker hoses are your best bet.
• Rain barrels
• Washing your car takes up a lot of water - mostly from letting
the hose run - that can be roughly 10 litres per minute. Use a bucket
of soapy water and only rinse with the hose.
Heating
• Thirty-five per cent of our personal greenhouse emissions come
from home heating.
• Get energy-efficient furnaces and replace the doors and windows.
You could plant coniferous trees on the north facing of your house to
block winter wind - and deciduous trees along the south and west to block
sun and keep it cooler in summer.
• caulking
• shrink wrap
• weatherstripping
• wrap hot water tanks and hot water pipes
• duct tape on ducts
• don't overheat - 68 degrees is fine
• turn down your heat at night - five degrees only, because after
that it takes too much to warm up your floors again.
• keep your windows closed
• close your door when talking to someone - invite them in
• curtains
• carpets and rugs on the floor
• blanket on the couch
• wear a sweater and slippers
• keep a blanket on the couch for reading and TV watching
Appliances and Lights
• If you're not using your lights, turn them off
• Use energy efficient light bulbs
• Wash laundry in cold water - hang to dry
• Don't leave your fridge door open
• Use natural light - open the curtains -
sit in a room that faces the sun
• Wash your clothes in cold water
• Close the oven door
Waste
• 3 R's - and in that order!!! The poste talked about saving money
- this will save money
• Composting
• Vermicomposting
• www.peterboroughreuses.com
• waste reduction guide
Transportation
A whopping 45% of our personal greenhouse emissions comes from transportation.
We can easily cut this back. For many getting rid of the car is not an
option - but we can reduce how much we use it.
• car pool
• take the bus
• bike ride
• walk
• rollerblade
Okay, so you've decided to drive - lets be smart about it.
• combine errands - one trip is better than 10
• go when it is less busy - less time in congested traffic
• keep speed under control - going to fast causes your engine to
work harder and consumes more fuel - driving 90 km/hr burns 10% less fuel
than 100km/hr
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