Emit Less Greenhouse Gases
We saw the TV commercial, Take the One-Tonne Challenge. Every Canadian was asked emit less greenhouse gases by taking the One-Tonne Challenge. The commercial talked about a changing climate, about the greenhouse gases. One-Tonne sounded like a lot; how could we reduce our greenhouse gases by One-Tonne? We telephoned and requested the book, "Your Guide to the One-Tonne Challenge". The subtitle of the book is,"Take action on climate change. Use less energy, save money, improve air quality and protect our environment." Some of the practices mentioned in the book we were already doing, but some were new to us. We were surprised at the little things we could all do to reduce our greenhouse gases by one-tonne. We all could make more of a difference when it comes to greenhouse gases.· Reducing your driving by only 10% a year has an impact. A 10% reduction isn't much!
· Rather than using your car's air conditioner all the time, open the window or turn on your fresh air vents. Not only will you help reduce greenhouse gases but you will save money because running your air conditioner in your car uses more gas
· We didn't realize that idling for just 10 minutes produces about a quarter tonne of CO2 emissions each year. We no longer idle our vehicle. Even if we are only going to be a few minutes, we turn off our vehicle.
· We have a block heater in our car and we use it when temperatures get cold. We used to plug the vehicle in all night; however, we now only plug it in a couple of hours before we are going somewhere.
· Keeping your vehicle maintained by replacing worn-out oil and filters allows your vehicle to run more efficiently, reducing your gas consumption, and thereby, reduces emissions.
· A simple thing like checking your vehicles tire pressure on a monthly basis can save on gas consumption. Maintaining the correct tire pressure can also save you money on gas
· 20% of air leaks are due to doors and windows in your home not being airtight. Install caulking and weather stripping around all doors, and windows.
· By lowering your thermostat you are saving money. Reduce your thermostat setting by 3 C (5F) at night, and when you are away in the daytime.
· Install a ceiling fan. In the summer, it will help keep your house cool, and, in the winter, change the direction of the fan so that the warm air is pushed down.
· Turn off the heat-dry cycle on your dishwasher; let the dishes dry themselves.
· Don't over dry your clothes. They should be dry in 40-60 minutes. Better yet, install a clothes line for summer drying.
· Wash your clothes in cold water. If you want to use warm water for your wash, rinse in cold water.
· For outside lights use motion detectors rather than living an outside light on all the time.
· We didn't realize that the light bulb for one Canadian family results in almost one third of a tonne of greenhouse gases a year. By replacing only 5 of your standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, you help reduce gases, and you also save money on your electric bill.
· Turn off lights when you are not in the room.
· Turn off your computer when you are not using it.
· Reduce your paper consumption; only print what you really need. And, recycle the paper once you have finished with it.
· We now pay attention to the packaging of goods. Whenever we can, we buy products in bulk.
· Composting your organic kitchen waste will also help reduce greenhouse gases. And, by composting, you are saving money by not having to buy as much fertilizer.
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