More To Explore!

Many things we do everyday creates GHGs. But the good news is that there are many ways and places where a student's actions can make a big difference. Exploring these challenges and looking for new ones can be both fun as well as rewarding.

1. Plant a tree.
   Planting one tree to shelter a heated building can save up to 0.1 tonne. Planting an evergreen on the north side of your home can shelter it against cold winter winds and reduce your home's demand for heat. Similarly, shade trees on the south side can help keep your home cooler in summer.
   
2. Compost organic kitchen waste.
   Organic waste, such as fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, etc., as well as leaf and yard waste, when properly composted, are transformed into valuable fertilizer for your garden. If organic waste is sent to landfills, it produces methane gas, a potent GHG, because, when it is buried, it breaks down where no oxygen is present. If your family composts, you will slow the growth of landfills, and reduce your GHGs by more than 1/8 tonne a year.
   
3. Don't buy disposable items that are used once and then thrown away.
   Buying items that can be reused helps to save energy that is needed to manufacture, package and send them to market. Not buying disposable items helps to reduce the amount of landfill space needed.
   
4. Recycle everything that you can - newspapers, paper products, plastics, glass and cans.
   Studies show that about 70% of the household waste we put out for disposal could be either recycled or composted. It takes half as much energy to recycle newspapers as it does to make new newsprint.
   
5. Give your dishwasher a rest. Save on both water and energy by washing and drying dishes by hand.
   If you fill up half of one side of the sink with soapy warm water and the other side with rinse water, you use only half as much water as most dishwashers. If you choose to use the dishwasher, make certain it is full and that you select the no-heat or air-drying cycle.
   
6. Take cloth bags or re-use old grocery bags when you go shopping.
   Reduce GHGs produced in the production of plastic bags, that are made from oil or natural gas and which, once used, may end up in a landfill. Remember, it takes one 15-year-old tree to produce 700 paper bags. Try to buy products that do not have excess packaging.
   
7. Use a microwave to warm up small amounts of food.
   Microwave ovens use about 50% less energy than conventional ovens. However, for larger amounts of food, conventional ovens are more efficient

Now that you’ve started ACTing to save energy, you’ll need to RECORD those ACTions. Click here to see how