Conservation What Can You Do?

Cause for Concern Global Warming Air Pollution Water pollution (groundwater, rivers, lakes, etc.) Deforestation (habitat destruction) Waste production (sewage, garbage, toxic chemicals) Urban Sprawl (growing population + bigger cities) Extinction

Air Pollution and Global Warming Reduce emissions from transportation: Walk or cycle to nearby destinations - it'll keep you fit, keep the air clean, and save you money! Carpool or take public transit when walking or cycling isn't possible. Buy Local: get your produce at your local farmer's market or CSA whenever possible. Shipping food from Costa Rica for example is a waste of money and fossil fuel - the "product of" labels at your grocery store will tell you how unnecessarily far this food has come.

Air Pollution cont… Cut back on energy use at home: Use a clothesline instead of an electric dryer. Sheets feel especially nice when you let them dry in the wind. Turn off the lights when you leave the room, and turn off the computer when you're not using it. Replace your old light bulbs with the energy- efficient variety, which will pay for themselves and more over their lifetime. Use a rake and a snow shovel instead of a leaf-blower or snow-blower.

Water If you're going to water your lawn, do it in the morning or evening when the hot sun won't make it evaporate pointlessly. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, and turn the shower off while you lather up with soap. Collect water in a rain barrel, and use if for anything that doesn't require crystal cleanliness or clarity. Let the rain wash your car. Save your laundry and dishes until you have a full (but not overfull) load.

Water Cont… Don't bother rinsing dishes before the dishwasher; just scrape off the excess food. If you're doing dishes by hand, start with shallow water and a slow stream that'll let you rinse the first dishes as the sink continues to fill. Use a broom rather than a hose to clean your driveway or deck. Fix leaky faucets as soon as possible.

Waste Choose re-usable products whenever possible. Bring cloth grocery bags or a backpack to the grocery store, fill them up and leave the plastic behind. Buy cloth diapers and sign up for a cleaning service, instead of helping to build a mountain of pooey plastic. Use cloth napkins at dinner. Buy coffee in your own travel mug and drink water from a reusable bottle. Use a hankerchief to blow your runny nose, and save the facial tissue for chunky bits only.

Waste cont… Separate your garbage properly according to your city's by-laws. Find out what the recycling facility will accept and give it to them Start your own compost bin to keep waste out of the landfills and nutrients in the soil. Pick up one piece of litter every day. Eat meatless meals more often. Livestock use 90% of the food energy that they consume, leaving only 10% available to humans; this ensures that our land is used to feed cattle instead of people.

Leave No Trace!

Lifestyle Buy a more fuel-efficient car. Smartcars and motorcycles are excellent. Improve energy efficiency in your home by replacing old appliances with newer more energy efficient ones. Check the Energy Star rating! Install better windows to cut back on heat loss. The cost of both of these investments is often offset by government incentives for energy conservation, as well as by dramatically reduced hydro bills. Grow your own food - it's enjoyable, saves you money, and helps the environment. You can learn to preserve food for the winter and make healthy sprouts indoors.

Lifestyle Get involved. At election times, take the time to research where your candidates stand on things like water and energy policy, urban sprawl, and climate change reduction. Question materialism. Our society and media promote a lifestyle of acquisition, consumption, and waste. If you see though this and realize the greater value of things like good health, positive relationships, and a positive contribution to the world, you'll begin to live more easily on the environment, and you might even be happier with your life.