I happen to live in what is known as the "greenest town in Ontario". This honour comes in part as a result of our community's efforts with regard to our natural resources and the responsibility assumed by individual citizens to do their part.
The Region of Peel provides residents with the tools required to make recycling easy. We have a bin for pretty much everything from newspapers to lawn clippings to kitchen compost to rainwater for plant watering. I am proud to say that I am down to half a bag of garbage per week and have been for over three years.
Continuing with the bin theme, I also purchased these nifty "Greenboxes" (love the name...Bin Shoppin') for my expeditions to the grocery store. I also have begun using the reusable tote bags for smaller purchases.
What else???
Two years ago, my furnace passed on and I decided to invest in a high-efficiency replacement with a programmable thermostat. As the One Million Acts of Green website suggests, I have also cut heat to the rooms of my home that are rarely used.
I use both low voltage and solar lighting outside the house. I wash the majority of my laundry in cold water. I have become quite accustomed to hand washing dishes and usually only use the dishwasher when I have company for dinner. My home was one of the first on my street to be installed with a "Smart Meter".
One thing my 'green' community does not have is public transportation and depending upon where you live in the town, ammenities are quite spread out. When I need to do errands, I try to bunch them together so that even if I have had to drive my car to location, I can walk from place to place. I also keep my tires properly inflated and the car goes for a yearly tune-up in the spring.
So, what's your act of green?
4 comments:
I found when I first moved to Toronto the recycling was confusing and for a big city they only pick it up twice a month? I could not believe that.
But I make the effort to remember if it's recycle Wednesday or garbage Wednesday because if i miss it I can only throw it out two weeks later. Guess where is stays while I wait. The storage room right beside me. So I don't forget the next time because the flies and smell remind me. Not everyone has a garage where they can store all these bins. I count on my landlord having room in his bin for my stuff(when he remembers to drag it out of his garage and drag it down the drive). Too many rules about bins if you ask me.
I do like that half my stuff gets recycled though.
I like how NB set it up. (I think it is province wide?)
I have green garbage bags for all compost-able material and blue bags for all recycle-able and other materials. (Called the wet and dry program)
Both get picked up on the same day, once a week.
The blue bag stuff is sorted at the waste facility and the green bag stuff is handled at the same site as well.
Pop cans, bottles, etc. can be taken to a recycle depot if you want to collect the refund... if not just chuck them in the blue bag and it still gets recycled.
No need for a lot of bins or space... : )
Special "hazardous waste" days are set-up a couple of times a year in each community or you can deliver it to the waste facility anytime you like.
It surprises me the number of bags of garbage that people put out. My city's limit is 4 per week and some complain about that being too few.
I admit - I hate sorting and binding cardboard. I complain everytime. I set aside a half hour a week and get it done and out.
Well said Steph....
I also live in Peel but I do wish there were better recycling plans for Condo's...I have to go to this dark place at the back of the my building to put my recycling and as a single female not to crazy about going back there even in day light.
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