ENVIRONMENT
TIP OF THE MONTH
march 2010
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: New Ideas on an Old Mantra
First: Reduce
The critical first step of waste prevention has been overshadowed by a focus on recycling.
•Simplify: Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use/enjoy on a regular basis. By making the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturally purchase less/create less waste in the future.
•Reduce Purchases: In general, think before you buy any product - do you really need it? How did the production of this product impact the environment and what further impacts will there be with the disposal of the product (and associated packaging materials)? When you are thinking about buying something, try the 30-Day Rule -- wait 30 days after the first time you decide you want a product to really make your decision. This will eliminate impulse buying.
•Tree-Free Home: As much as possible, create a tree-free home:
◦replace paper napkins with cloth napkins
◦replace paper towels with a special set of cloth towels/napkins (or cut up old t-shirts for great towels) - store the used ones in a small container in your kitchen and just wash and reuse
◦purchase bleach-free, toilet paper that is made from the highest post-consumer waste content you can find (80% minimum)
◦if you print documents, print on once-used paper and/or bleach-free, recycled paper with the highest post-consumer waste content available (or hemp/alternative-source paper, if you can afford it)
◦create and use note pads from once-used paper
◦leave messages for family members/roommates on a reusable message board
◦make your own cards/letters from once-used products or handmade paper
•Bulk Purchases: Avoid products that are packaged for single use (i.e., drinks, school lunches, candy, cat and dog food, salad mixings, etc.). Instead, buy in bulk and transfer the products to your own reusable containers. Many health food stores have bulk bins where they sell everything from grains to cereal to cleaning products.
•Avoid Trash: Avoid creating trash wherever possible: when ordering food, avoid receiving any unnecessary plastic utensils, straws, etc. (ask in advance), buy ice cream in a cone instead of a cup, don't accept "free" promotional products, buy products with the least amount of packaging, etc. Every little bit of trash avoided does make a difference!
•Shopping Bags: While shopping, if you only buy a few products skip the shopping bag. For larger purchases, bring your own.
•Waste-Free Lunches: Pack a Waste-Free Lunch whenever possible.
•Mug-to-Go: Carry a mug with you wherever you go for take out beverages.
Second: Reuse
The media has done a wonderful job of selling us on the attractiveness and benefits of buying "new", "improved", "special", etc. products. However, we already collectively own so much that we could all survive for quite a while on the existing products - if we just reused them a few times!
•Garage Sales: Shop at and hold garage sales - this is a great way to reuse products.
•Reusables: Switch from disposable to reusable products: food and beverage containers, cups, plates, writing pens, razors, diapers, towels, shopping bags, etc.
•Donations: Donate your old:
◦household items - clothes, furniture, dishes, books, sports equipment, magazines, appliances, electronics, business attire, wedding attire, etc. (to charity)
◦computer equipment
◦building material (to companies who specialize in selling used material)
◦cell phones and ink cartridges
◦eyeglasses (to Lions Club, Pearle, or Lenscrafters)
◦extra hangers (to your local dry cleaners)
◦art materials (to a school or cultural organization)
◦unwanted boxed/bagged/canned food (to homeless shelters, food banks)
•Buy/Sell Used Items: Buy and sell your items on sites such as:
◦Ebay
◦Kijiji provides a great free way to buy/sell/give away used items in your local community (select your community from listings on the right)
◦Local second hand stores
•Community Swap: Organize a community swap program (i.e., designate a place where people can leave unwanted items for others to use).
•Packing Materials: Arrange to drop off at a local packing, shipping or moving store.
•Wash and Reuse Plastic Bags: With either a wooden bag dryer or in the washing machine.
•Buy Durables: Buy products that will last and take care of them.
•Kitchen Reuseables: Instead of buying these items new, save and reuse all: paper bags, rubber bands, twist ties, boxes, and packaging material. Reuse your plastic bags with a handy bag dryer.
•Library: Pick up books from your local library or used book store. The library is also many times a great place for finding magazines, CDs, books-on-tape, and videos.
•Rechargeable Batteries: Purchase rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger (some battery rechargers will also recharge regular alkaline batteries). Solar powered battery rechargers are available.
Third: Recycle
•Recycle Bins: Create designated holding "bins" for each type of recycled product and place in convenient locations in your home/garage
• Find out where you can recycle:
◦glass
◦paper products
◦plastic grocery bags
◦plastic
◦aluminum
◦cardboard
◦tin cans
◦scrap metal
◦ink cartridges
◦household appliances such as refrigerators
◦computer equipment and other electronic devices
◦aseptic packaging (square boxes used for liquids)
◦styrofoam
◦tires
◦athletic shoes (contact a local sporting goods or athletic shoe store - some donate used shoes, others recycle them)
•Recycled Content: Ask your local retailers to stock more products made from recycled materials and buy products made from the highest recycled content whenever possible.
•Green Paper: In general, try to buy products/containers made from recycled material as often as possible to support the recycled product market. When purchasing paper products (toilet paper, etc,), look for paper that has been recycled using a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste. Also, purchase from companies that do not use chlorine to bleach their paper products (which creates dioxin waste).
•Natural Fertilizer: Leave grass clippings on the lawn as fertilizer.
•Composting: Start a compost pile with yard trimmings and food scraps.
•Pack-it-Out: If you are traveling and no recycle bins are available, pack your recyclables home with you whenever possible.
•Hazardous Waste: The other key aspect of dealing with waste effectively is to dispose of toxic products at a hazardous waste facility. Products requiring special handling include:
◦Building Materials - paint, varnish, paint thinner, solvents, rust remover, wood preservatives and driveway sealer
◦Automotive products - gasoline, transmission oil, brake fluid, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, power steering fluid, used motor oil, used oil filters, used antifreeze
◦Household cleaners - spot removers, rug cleaners, metal cleaners, bathroom cleaners, oven cleaner, drain cleaner
◦Pesticides - insect killers, weed killers, flea products, moth crystals, fertilizers with weed killer
◦Miscellaneous - photographic chemicals, acids and corrosive chemicals, pool chemicals, compact fluorescent light bulbs, batteries
February 2010
Small Appliance Tips
Fridge:
- Set the temperature for only as cold as you need; check manufacturer's recommendations.
- Don't keep that old, inefficient refrigerator running in the basement for occasional refreshments. It could cost you $150 or more per year in electricity.
- Don't overfill the refrigerator, as this blocks air circulation. Conversely, a full freezer will perform better than an empty one.
- Check your refrigerator's door seal by closing the door on a $5 bill. If it's held tightly in place, the seal's OK; if not, the door should be adjusted or the seal replaced.
- Clean your refrigerator's coils (back) and air intake grill (below the doors) every 3 months.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers out of direct sunlight, and allow at least 5 centimeters all around (or as recommended by the manufacturer) to allow heat to escape from the compressor and condensing coil.
- Allow hot foods to cool before putting them in the refrigerator.
- Don't let freezers build up more than 6 mm of frost. Defrost regularly to keep freezers working their best.
Stove:
-Use an electric kettle to boil water - not the stove, which is less efficient.
-Generally, thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking, unless the label says otherwise.
-If you put aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to catch drippings, make sure the foil does not block any of the oven's circulation holes and don't put foil on the oven racks.
-Turn off the oven just before finishing - the oven will remain hot long enough to complete the job.
-Don't use a bigger pot than you need, and match it to the right size element.
-A general rule: for smaller cooking jobs, use smaller appliances (i.e., instead of your range or cooktop, use the electric kettle, toaster oven or microwave.)
Dryer:
-Make sure clothes are effectively wrung before putting them in the dryer. (Front-loading washers are the best at squeezing the water out!)
-Separate loads into heavy, medium and lightweight items - lighter loads will take less drying time than a mixture of items.
-Dry consecutive loads to utilize otherwise wasted heat from the dryer.
-Clean the lint filter after every load. (A clogged lint filter can increase energy use up to 30%, and may be a fire hazard!)
-Get some fresh air! Consider using a clothesline.
January 2010
Running a Green Business
Here are just 10 easy-to-implement ideas for running a green business, provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Greening Operations guides. You can put these ideas into practice right now to make your office a more environmentally friendly place.
1. Turn off equipment when it's not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 per cent. Turning off computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 per cent.
2. Encourage communications by email, and read email messages onscreen to determine whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, don't!
3. Reduce fax-related paper waste by using a fax-modem and by using a fax cover sheet only when necessary. Fax-modems allow documents to be sent directly from a computer, without requiring a printed hard copy.
4. Produce double-sided documents whenever possible.
5. Do not leave taps dripping; always close them tightly after use. One drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year.
6. Install displacement toilet dams in toilet reservoirs. Placing one or two plastic containers filled with stones (not bricks) in the toilet's reservoir will displace about four litres of water per flush – a huge reduction of water use over the course of a year.
7. Find a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content.
8. Choose suppliers that take back packaging for reuse.
9. Instigate an ongoing search for greener products and services in the local community. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy they use.
10. Before deciding to purchase new office furniture, see if your existing office furniture can be refurbished. It's less expensive than buying new and better for the environment.
Environmentally friendly actions don't have to be large to have an impact. Consistently reducing the amount of energy, water, and paper our businesses use can make a huge difference, both to the environment and to our pocketbooks. How much paper would you save over the course of a year, for instance, if you always ran double-sided copies? A small thing - but a big result!
2009 Tips
