CULTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY BLOG SERIES
As we enter another province-wide lockdown many of us are managing the best we can, and I am sure you are looking for normalcy where possible. As much as it is important to manage expectations for yourself and others, you may also be looking for ways to add more purpose to your days, and feel like you are making progress towards meaningful change after such a difficult year.
One way you can do this, whether you are working from home or not, is to look at your everyday activities and think about how you can incorporate more sustainable practices, not only during lockdown, but beyond. Thinking back to the summer, we saw all kinds of sustainable living ideas. Some people took to building vegetable gardens in their backyards while others took up new forms of active transportation such as cycling and walking. These are great ways to practice sustainable behaviours at an individual and/or household level and it doesn’t need to end with the warm weather!
If you need inspiration, here are a few sustainable behaviours and activities that you can do from the comfort of your own home, so you can not only be safe, but sustainable.
| INDOOR |
| Turn off the lights, and use daylight whenever possible, or even better review your lighting and fixtures, and see if they are costing your more money than they need to. |
| Try to have a zero waste day… or week… it is easier than you think! When you run out of a product, do a quick google search to see if there is a more sustainable replacement. You can ditch your usual tooth floss for a zero waste one or try beeswax wraps and silicon bags and say goodbye to ziplock bags. |
| Start an indoor garden to have fresh budget friendly ingredients even in the winter. |
| Plant based meals are an easy way to make a difference that benefits not only the environment, but your own health.You don’t have to change the way you cook or lean a bunch of new recipes either, it can be as simple as a substitution in baking and cooking! |
| Try lowering your thermostat a degree or two, and add a layer to keep cosy. |
| An average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute. If you shorten your shower by 2 minutes, you can cut your water use by 10 gallons! |
| OUTDOOR |
| Connect more with the outdoors, and try a new sustainable winter activity, like snowshoeing and get the added physical and mental health benefit. |
| If it makes sense for your fitness level and overall health, try to shovel instead of using a snowblower, just make sure you are doing it safely. The average snowblower creates about one pound of carbon monoxide emissions per hour! |
| Download the Region’s Waste Whiz app and research the best recycling practices and get the most out of your blue bins. |
| If you have the space, instead of just putting all of your compost in your green bin try experimenting with making your own compost. |
| Don’t idle! Many of us are using curbside pick up and it can be tempting to keep warm, but if you turn it off you can save about 10 cents worth of gasoline and 270 grams of CO2 in 5 minutes. And you don’t need to warm up your car – driving it works more efficiently for warming! |
It’s Your Turn
We challenge you to come up with your own list of sustainable actions, for you and your family. Small actions make a big difference.
Connect with us on social media to tell us about how you live sustainably on Instagram @culture.of.sustainability or Facebook!
| What is the Culture of Sustainability? The Culture of Sustainability is an evolvGREEN program that seeks to leverage the unique opportunity the evolv1 building provides and build a community that has sustainability embedded in its identity. Follow us on Instagram @culture.of.sustainability or Facebook to learn more! |