Rethinking Lifestyle

As a new year starts, we often resolve to do things better. Here are five resolutions to try to do some good for yourself and the planet.

Make Mondays Meat Free

The meat industry generates 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gases that are accelerating global climate change. It takes 40 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 calorie of feedlot beef, and 650 gallons of water per beef burger (compared with 2 calories energy for 1 calorie of plant-based protein, and 150 gallons for the equivalent tofu-burger). You can drastically reduce your impact on the planet by cutting meat just one day a week. Consuming less meat reduces your intake of saturated fats which is beneficial to your heart and reduces stroke risk.

Ban Bottled Water

17 million barrels of crude oil are used annually to produce just the plastic for the bottled water North Americans drink each year – enough to fuel 1 million vehicles for a year. And only 13% of bottles ever get recycled. Try tap-water – it meets a high standard and has less salt in it than some mineral water, and it doesn’t taste that bad. Carry your own re-usable bottle and refill it wherever you go – usually for free.

Halve Your Recycling

It’s easy to think that the contents of our blue-boxes put out for curb-side recycling collection are not waste, but let’s get real! It’s your waste – you don’t want it any more, it’s just we have recognized that some materials have alternative uses. To really reduce waste whether it can be recycled or goes to landfill, we need to think about the things we buy, the packaging they come in and how we can re-use things ourselves. Aim to put your blue box out every other week or if you use 2 boxes, just put out one – see how clever you can be at reducing your waste.

Buy Lake Friendly

Lake Winnipeg may seem a long way away, but it is a Manitoba treasure, and the 5th largest lake in Canada. Every cleaning and cosmetic product we use in our houses and on ourselves ends up going down the drain, and eventually to rivers and the lake. And some of them are pretty damaging to us too, increasing cancer risks and entering breast milk. Buy EcoLogo™ certified/Lake Friendly cleaning and personal care products to reduce harmful chemicals and phosphorus entering our lakes, rivers and streams – see www.lakefriendly.ca for more.

Program Your Thermostat

Setting the timer on your thermostat so that the temperature is optimal during the times when you are home and awake will save you $$$$. Most people sleep more comfortably with the temperature lowered overnight, and if the house is empty whilst you are at work, drop the temperature to 17C/63F and notice the bills go down.

Happy New Year and good luck! Remember, it takes time to develop new habits – about 6 weeks, so don’t expect change overnight, but give yourself a pat on the back as you do any of these things more.