Canadian Municipalities Embrace EcoAction Teams Program
Over the past few months, a number of cities and towns across Canada have enhanced their environmental action plan and partnered with Earth Day Canada’s EcoAction Teams program. These municipalities are showing environmental initiative and leadership by promoting a year-round program of conservation actions any citizen can take.
Cities such as Ontario’s Waterloo and Town of Blue Mountains, New Brunswick’s Moncton and Alberta’s Grand Prairie and Sylvan Lake have all signed agreements with Earth Day Canada to use EcoAction Teams to engage their citizens in simple lifestyle changes that add up to a big impact.
It is expected that more than 25 cities and towns across Canada will implement the program by the end of the year.
EcoAction Savings Report
In five months, almost 3,000 participants have joined the EcoAction Teams program. So far the actions they have committed to have resulted in:
- GHG savings of 11,000 tonnes – The equivalent to pulling 1,500 mid-size cars off the road for a year!
- Waste Savings of 530,000 kg – Or, the same as 25 garbage trucks!
- Water Savings of 135 million litres – That’s enough to fill 54 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
- Electricity Savings of 6.5 million kilowatt hours – More than enough to power 550 Canadian homes for an entire year!
- Dollar Savings of $664,000, or about $185 per participant.
Tell-a-friend! Have a friend signup or start a challenge in your community!
The Green Scene: Cool It, Capture It
COOL IT
Alternative Cool
Air conditioners can provide cool relief in hot, summer months. They can also burn you with costly
hydro bills. On average they cost over $70 a month to operate. Ceiling fans use less energy than regular electric
fans, while both use significantly less energy than air conditioners. Ceiling fans cost about 1 cent for two
hours of operation as compared to 17 to 25 cents for a room air conditioner and 67 cents to 1 dollar for central
air.
Idling Gets You Nowhere
Natural Resources Canada reports that Canadian drivers idle their vehicles an average of five to ten
minutes a day! Idling vehicles cause poor air quality and smog, and waste fuel. Idling at a stop light is inevitable,
but if you’re picking somebody up, turn off the engine while you wait. Start your car once everyone (and their
baggage) is ready to go and you’ve checked all your settings.
CAPTURE IT
Leave Them High and Dry Outside
Capture the sun’s rays and turn them into a natural dryer for your clothes and bedding. Among the major
appliances in the home, the clothes dryer is the second-largest energy consumer, costing about $85 to operate
each year. One way to keep our air cleaner while saving on energy costs is to air dry your laundry.
Rain barrel
Outdoor watering makes up almost 40% of total household water use in the summer. A rain barrel will
help you save about 5,200 litres of water in the peak summer months. Place the rain barrel under your eavestrough
downspout to catch rain water. Use the contents on your yard and indoor plants. Rain water is also healthier
for your plants than treated tap water.
Now that you know what to do, get on the EcoAction calculator, commit to these four actions and find out how much you will save!
