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How can I help ?

The first step in reducing your greenhouse gas (GHGs) is understanding your carbon footprint. Individuals and families contribute to the emissions of greenhouse gasses directly or indirectly through our actions and daily living practices. The largest contributors are typically our homes (through heating and air-conditioning as well as well as electrical consumption), our cars that emit CO2 directly into the atmosphere and airplane travel.

Emissions from these sources can be calculated using our on-line calculators. The resulting total is know as your carbon footprint and is expressed in equivalent tons of CO2 (tCO2e).

To achieve a lower carbon footprint consider the following lifestyle changes :

Homes


  • Reduce energy consumption by selecting high efficiency appliances. Check with your local utility for available rebates.
  • Consider supplementing your heating system to include a thermo pump which lowers your overall energy consumption profile.
  • Invest in a quality programmable thermostat that allows you to reduce heating or air conditioning during periods when you are away from your home.
  • Improve or upgrade insulation.
  • Time to upgrade your windows? Consider high quality thermally insulated windows.
  • Switch to high efficiency light bulbs.

Transportation


  • Time to buy a new car? Consider a smaller more efficient model or a hybrid car. Check new government incentive programs for hybrid car purchases.
  • Consider biking or walking where you can.
  • Consider carpooling to work or joining a carpooling club.
  • Reduce your speed. Cutting you speed by just 20 km/h can reduce your consumption by as much as 25%.
  • Ensure that your tires are always properly inflated. Improper tire pressure increases friction and diminishes efficiency.
  • Use trains rather than planes.

Once you have reduced your emissions consider purchasing offsets to achieve a zero carbon footprint or Zero GHG.

Do you have some tips to suggest? Or GHG-friendly products you would recommend? We would like to hear from you.

individuals