Clean Air Day is here, and you’ve probably asked yourself what you can do to help. There are many ways in which you can ensure cleaner air and a healthier climate, and the more of us that help, the better the results will be.

People account for roughly 28% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. That is almost six tonnes for each person, per year! Think about it before you turn on that light, drive to a local store, boot up a computer or do anything else that uses energy. We can help lower the total greenhouse gas emissions.

You can start in your home. The average house has various cracks and gaps in the caulking, around the windows, doors and vents, etc. That makes about 1.50 square feet per house. Use weather stripping and caulk to seal all the leaks in your house, and you can not only help the environment, but also save about 20% on your energy bill!

Insulation is a sound investment, particularly in our Canadian climate . A small amount of money spent on insulation will pay for itself in only a few years.

You can use an automatic thermostat, too, to regulate your air conditioning and your heating, when you’re not home. And clean out or replace that furnace filter, to keep a good flow of air and to allow your furnace to work at peak efficiency.

Installing low flow showers and fixing leaky faucets will save you money on your hydro bill. And purchasing a new energy-wise refrigerator will allow you to consume much less energy than owning an older model, or one with bad seals. Be sure to check the EnerGuide label on refrigerators and any other appliances you buy, and get one that is energy efficient, so it will cost less to run.

Use cold water whenever you can and let your dishes air dry, which will save the heat generated when the dishwasher dries them.

Think ahead, think about the environment, and think about how we can help.

Congratulations to Anne-Marie T. She is the winner of our “Keep Earth Day Alive” giveaway.

Here are 10 quick tips to get your started on saving energy.

Tip#1 Unplug electronics when not in use and save up to 15% on energy use. Use power bars with a timer or auto shut off.

Tip#2 Use energy efficient light bulbs. When replacing appliances look for ENERGY STAR® appliances.

Tip#3 Do your laundry in cold water. Hang your clothing to dry rather than use a dryer. Wash only full loads of laundry. Wash laundry during off-peak times or on weekends.

Tip#4 Install a smart thermostat that adjusts the temperature automatically depending on your schedule. Turn your thermostat down 2° in the winter. Turn your thermostat up 2° in the summer.

Tip#5 Don’t overfill the refrigerator, as this blocks air circulation. Conversely, a full freezer will perform better than an empty one.

Tip#6 Change your heating/cooling system air filters regularly and have your heating and cooling system tuned up by a professional.

Tip#7 Rinse dishes in a tub of clean water instead of under hot running water. If using a dishwasher, let the dishes air dry rather than using the dry cycle.

Tip#8 Use area rugs on cold floors - if your feet are cold, your body will feel cold. If you feel cool, put on a sweater rather than simply turning up the thermostat.

Tip#9 Install ceiling fans and use them to supplement or even as an alternative to air conditioning - ceiling fans generally use very little electricity. Make sure your fan is blowing air downwards in summer.

Tip #10 Turn off unnecessary lights in the house especially in the summer as they produce a lot of heat which works against the AC.

Earth Day is one month gone. It is easy to forget all the ideas that filled our heads on how we can do better, make more of a difference. To inspire us to keep living green, The Ontario Power Authority, WWF-Canada and the AIR MILES Reward Program have launched an energy conservation program called The Power Pledge. To motivate you to take part, we have a giveaway sponsored by the Power Pledge program.

Here’s what you can win…
* A power bar with automatic shutoff to reduce phantom power
* 1,000 Bonus Air Miles (this could get you $140 in grocery gift certificates, movie tickets or even a 3 piece luggage set)
* A cute & cuddly toy panda from WWF-Canada
* Cold water laundry detergent

I would like to thank all of our sponsors who have graciously provided these amazing prizes.

To win this fabulous prize pack, just comment below letting us know what you do to conserve energy. We will be offering some suggestions over the next few days via Facebook and Twitter so stay tuned if you would like some ideas. Don’t forget to leave us your email. (We will only email you once to say that you did/did not win the prize. We will not share your email with anyone.)

Here is the small print. Commenting indicates that you have read and agreed to the small print.

1. Enter online at www.ethicalconsumer.ca/blog/ by commenting on what you do to conserve energy. No purchase necessary
2. Contest only open to residents of Canada with a Canadian shipping address. Not open to residents of Quebec.
3. All entries must be received by midnight PST on May 31, 2010. Maximum one entry per person. Estimated retail value of the prize $250.00. Prizes are non-negotiable and may not be exchanged or redeemed for cash.
4. Prior to receiving the prize, the winner will be required to answer a mathematical, skill-testing question.
5. One entry per person. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries submitted to the contest.
6. By commenting on the blog post, entrants agree to the rules and regulations of this contest and agree to the use of their name and city of residence for the purpose of announcing the prize winner.
7. Winner will be notified by email after the contest closing date of May 31, 2010.
8. Entrants must be the age of majority in their respective province to enter this contest.

Good luck!

Wise words from Carl Sagan to give us some perspective this Earth Day.

As Earth Day approached ,my inbox was bombarded by press releases letting me know of all the new and improved products and services that I should tell my readers about. Some were truly innovative and I might mention them somewhere down the line. However, tomorrow is Earth Day. It is not buy more stuff day.

Last year we moved into a duplex with a front and back yard. We didn’t have that much space before and we were not allowed to compost where we lived previously. Since moving, we have set up a compost, a rain barrel and we have recently turned a portion of our front yard into a vegetable garden using the square foot gardening approach. I think on Earth Day, I’ll take time to take stock of what we have done, and what more we could do to take care of the planet.

This will not include buying anything new no matter how much the product has improved over the last year. It’s all marketing. And when I do need something, I am going to stick with the companies that I have taken years to find and add to the directory. They are not spending millions on Earth Day advertising to sell me something that they have formulated just to market on Earth Day in order to capture more market share. They all sing the same song, day in and day out, all year long. I want to support their efforts for the long term.

If we are really celebrating Earth Day we will do something toward improving the planet. One thing I keep meaning to do is to learn what plants to put in my garden to attract the native birds and butterflies. They seem to need the support and they are a vital part of our ecosystem. I took a couple of books out of the library the other day just for this purpose. There is also a great site, Evergreen that lists native plants all over Canada. They recently profiled the Pacific Bleeding Heart, which attracts hummingbirds. I would love to see hummingbirds in my garden. I will ensure that some of these plants make it into my garden this year. I think this would be a good way to celebrate Earth Day.

I would love to hear what you will do (or did!) to celebrate Earth Day.

There is a new business in Vancouver: Growing City. They drop off a compost bin at your place of work and then pick up the contents and clean it out weekly. We wanted to know more about what Andrew and Lisa do so we asked them for an interview.

EC: Thanks for taking time to tell us more about yourselves. We love the idea of a composting service. Tell us your story. When was your ‘aha’ moment?

Andrew & Lisa: The idea for Growing City was sparked by a trip to Desolation Sound. We were staying on this beautiful island where composting was mandatory and we experienced firsthand how powerful composting can be in reducing overall waste. The garbage we ended up having to boat off the island was minimal.”

We returned to our work lives in the city with a new awareness and sensitivity to the amount of organic waste we were throwing in the trash. We knew that the most effective way to get people composting would be to make it as simple and easy as possible.

EC: What types of clients do you service? Do you service schools? Residential? Or just business?

Andrew & Lisa: Our clients include large mining companies, small creative start-ups and everything in between. We also service schools and high density residential.

EC: I think teaching kids to compost and recycle is incredibly important to our future.

Andrew & Lisa: We totally agree. At the school events we’ve serviced, we’ve seen serious composting commitment from the kids. We also speak at schools and let students know that they have the power to educate and make a difference. Kids get it right away and are excited to tell their friends and families about composting. Youth are some of the strongest green ambassadors we have.

EC: I notice that you have been running a ‘beta’ program. What are some of the challenges you have faced? Has this trial period allowed you to iron out the details?

Andrew & Lisa: We wanted to be sure our clients were getting the ultimate service, so we spent time tweaking bin sizes and collection procedures to see what worked best. We’re constantly striving to impress our clients, so we’ll always be interested in their feedback and ideas.

EC: Sometimes it is difficult to get people to wash their own coffee cups at work. Have employees embraced the program, or is it an educational process to get people to compost at work?

Andrew & Lisa: (laughs) We know what you mean - however composting with Growing City is even easier than washing a cup - no cleaning or washing required!!

We do offer introductory presentations for our clients, where we introduce their new green initiative, explain how it works, showcase the benefits of composting and answer any questions their team may have. We also provide our clients with monthly diversion updates that showcase how much waste they’ve diverted from the landfill. These impressive diversion figures reinforce the positive impact they’re making and encourage usage. We also find that because our service is a tangible environmental initiative that employees participate in everyday, teams are quick to adopt the good composting habits. We also accept a variety of organics, which makes it easier for the client. Coffee grounds, food waste, cut flowers, paper towels, paper plates, stir sticks are all compostable and Growing City friendly.

Andrew and Lisa of Growing City

EC: What happens to the food once it is collected?

Andrew & Lisa: We take the waste to a local composting facility to be composted.

EC: What happens to the resulting soil?

Andrew & Lisa: The waste is processed by a local composting facility and is distributed to farmers, landscapers and gardeners. Businesses have the option to acquire the compost they helped create and use it to fill their planters in the spring - a great example of a complete waste reduction cycle!

EC: Thanks for taking the time and we look forward to seeing Growing City grow like a weed.

Andrew & Lisa: Thanks so much for the support and for the work you do!

We also wanted to let your readers know that throughout the year we volunteer with a diverse range of inspiring organizations and friends. We invite you to join us! Give back to your city, meet some fun people and experience something new. Get in touch with us to learn more - GrowingCity.ca.

Our official launch is taking place April 17th! Please see all the information below.

Growing City’s Flower Power Party
Place: The World in a Garden
located at the corner of West 57 and East Blvd., Kerrisdale, Vancouver, BC.
Date: Saturday April 17th
Time:10am-3pm

On Saturday April 17th we will be celebrating Growing City’s official launch with the folks from World in a Garden. There will be community garden organic flowers for sale as well as other garden goods. Seeds of Plenty’s Tricia Sedgwick will be giving tours of the remarkable urban sanctuary she helped design. Get to know the garden even better by working on it! Guests will have the opportunity to plant, shovel and weed from noon until 3pm. BBQ will be served care of Choices Markets, with all the proceeds going to support urban agriculture. So come hungry and leave healthy!

Earth Hour is upon us once again. This year, while turning off the lights, also unplug all of your electronics as they also suck needless energy even when not in use. What will you do during Earth Hour  at 8:30PM your time? We decided to brainstorm as many ideas as we could. Here are twenty of them to get you started.

20. Experiment with a black light flashlight.

19. Change all your light bulbs to more energy efficient alternatives.

18. Take some time for yourself. Do what you enjoy most, unless it’s TV. In that case, find a new hobby.

17. Invite friends and family over and figure out as a group a project you could work on together that would make a difference in the world.

16. We have friends who have a fire pit in their backyard. So if you are as lucky, roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Sing campfire songs.

15.Let the kids build a fort in your living room and camp out for the night.

14. Find an event near you and meet new friends.

13. Play strip poker, with or without the soy candles. Or if you want to relive your youth, play spin the bottle.

12. Write a journal entry by candlelight. What’s happened over the last year? What have you done well? What are you proud of? What good things will come in the next year?

11. Have a piano, a guitar, or any other instrument? Invite over friends and neighbours, tell them to bring their instrument, and host an old fashion sing-a-long.

10. Go out and star gaze. With all those lights out you will be better able to see the stars.

9. Have a candlelight dinner to start off a romantic evening. While you are at it, try a raw food dinner so you don’t use any electricity. Or have a chocolate fondue by candlelight.

8. Tell ghost stories. Invite a bunch of friends over and see who can tell the best original ghost story. That’s how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. She won.

7. Family game night by candlelight. Or find a great puzzle to put together. Tell stories and jokes. Read to one another.

6. Listen to the sounds of the night. Go for a walk along a river, or along the beach near you. Lie down in the middle of a field and close you eyes and just listen.

5. Practise candle light yoga or meditation. Indoors or out.

4. Start a neighbourhood game of hide and seek, tag or another local favourite.

3. Hold a seance. Invite your intuitive aunt/uncle to do readings.

2. Enjoy a good bottle of wine (or 2) with good friends. Exchange ideas of how to go green until you are too drunk and silly. Forget to turn on the lights.

1. Candlelight bath. It’s been way too long since last time you sunk into a hot bath and just relaxed for an hour.

What are you doing for Earth Hour?

Happy days, spring has arrived! With it come buds, blooms, leaves and green, grassy lawns. Keeping the latter lush, verdant and the envy of all your neighbours requires some serious upkeep, including lots of watering. For guilt-free maintenance, here are some water-friendly ways to keep your lawn cool.

o Remember: evaporation – Watering in the cooler morning or evening will keep the ground more moist than in the middle of the hot afternoon sun.

o Wind also increases evaporation, so avoid watering on windy days.

o Longer grass also keeps the soil more humid, so set your mower blade one notch higher (added bonus: you can leave short cuttings on the lawn – they make a great, natural fertilizer).

o If you can, hand-water instead of using a sprinkler, you will use half as much water this way.

o Blend family fun with lawn care: let kids play with the hose, sprinklers or water toys on a drier part of the grass.

Credit: Simon Howden

o Direct the water drain line from the air conditioner to the lawn, flower bed or tree base. Another option: put a bucket underneath, use gathered water in the garden.

o If you are willing to shell out a few bucks, use a drip irrigation system instead of a hose or sprinkler. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and widely available online from great Canadian companies like Northern Garden Supply of Smithers, BC.

o Splurge a little more and get a rain sensor for your automatic sprinklers. These devices detect rainfall and shut down sprinklers, avoiding unnecessary watering. They are also available online and across the country, including at Waterworks Irrigation and Illumination Ltd of Bowmanville, Ontario. A free alternative to the rain sensor: turn off automatic sprinklers on days when rain is expected.

o Finally, for goodness’ sake, the sidewalk and driveway DO NOT need to be washed or watered! Please put away the hose and make sure your sprinklers are set up so that they are only spraying the lawn, garden, flowers…

None of these alternatives requires much time or effort, but go ahead - pretend that they do. Now sit back, relax, rejoice and enjoy the sun and your beautiful surroundings after a hard day’s work!

You have to eat and you have to drink, that is true. However, you do not have to overuse or waste an abundant amount of water to do so.

From store to stovetop, here as some tips to help you feed yourself using as little water as possible.

o At the grocery store, opt for whole foods like vegetables and rice while avoiding processed foods like chips, pre-made meals and soft drinks. Besides being bad for you, they take a lot more water to producethan products that come straight from the farm.

o Also consider limiting your meat and dairy servings; the amount of water used to produce these is much greater than the amount used to grow vegetables or grains.

o Try to plan your meals ahead – That way, any food in need of defrosting can be thawed in the fridge instead of the sink, under bucket-loads of running water.

o Wash fruits and vegetables in the sink or large bowl of water. Here’s a homemade, eco-friendly cleaning recipe: add ¼ cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of salt to your water, let soak for a bit, then scrub with a vegetable brush.

o Boil your food in as little water as possible; you only need enough water to cover the pasta or potatoes, not to drown them. As an added bonus, less water means more flavour and nutrients.

o Another boiling option if you are steaming vegetables to accompany your starches: put your vegetable steamer on top of your rice or potatoes. You’ll also get twice as much done with half as many pots to clean!

o When all the boiling is done, use left over, cooled-down water to water your plants.

o A drink with dinner: keep a pitcher of ready-to-drink water in the fridge, eliminating the running of the tap each time you want a fresh glass. A great option (and eco-friendly alternative to those lousy water bottles) is a Brita pitcher, which retails for around $25.00. Terrific news: their filters are now recyclable!

They say, “Eat, drink, and be merry”. Now, with a few simple and painless changes to cooking and grocery shopping, you can say, eat, drink, be merry and environmentally friendly!

Between the toilet, sink, bathtub and shower, the bathroom might just be the most water-unfriendly room in the house. Today is World Water Day, so here are some easy, conscientious and FREE ways of conserving water in the bathroom. We will follow up with two more water wise articles, one for the kitchen and one for the yard.

o “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down” - Once just a humorous guideline, now a motto to live by… in your own home, anyway. Let your recycled toilet paper sit there for a while and flush only as needed.

o Finally, a good use for a plastic water bottle - If you don’t have a low-flow toilet, fill one with water and add to your toilet’s tank; this will help reduce the amount of water drained when the toilet is flushed.

o Put a bucket under the tap while you are waiting for your shower water to heat up; use collected water for your plants, to mop the floor, to cook your Mac and cheese, or anything else that comes to mind.

o Once you are in the shower, get out! Rather, don’t dilly-dally. Lather, rinse, repeat, and then turn off the tap.

o If you opt for a bath, keep the water low and again, reuse; graywater systems are becoming increasingly popular, but you don’t need expensive new plumbing to reuse your gray water – sprinkle your lawn, your garden, or use to flush the toilet.

o “Please don’t flush sanitary products or paper towels down the toilet” – The sign posted in your mall’s public bathroom applies to your home as well. Dispose of your household paper products in the garbage; this will help eliminate the overuse of gallons of water.

o Finally, for the love of whomever you pray to, do not keep the water running while you are brushing your teeth, washing your hands or shaving! So simple, so self-explanatory, so do it.

Incorporate one, two or all of them into your routine, because for all our good intentions, sometimes the most obvious things are the ones that get passed by.

Do you have any other ideas that we have missed? Add them to the comments.