52 Ways to Reduce Your Emissions
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Maintain proper tire inflation for your car by checking your tires weekly.
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Insulate your house.
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Conserve heat by caulking around vents and window and door frames, sills and joints.
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Plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents.
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Install weather-stripping on windows, doors and attic hatches.
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Apply shrink-film to windows and glass doors.
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Move furniture, rugs and drapes away from air grills and heating vents.
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Install energy-efficient windows.
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Install heavy curtains on windows and glass doors to keep in the heat.
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On sunny days, open south facing drapes and let the sun in, a natural source of heat.
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Close your drapes and blinds at night.
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Close the damper in your wood-burning fireplace, and ensure that it fits properly.
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Turn down the heat in your home by two degrees Celsius in the winter.
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Turn down the heat by three to five degrees Celsius at night and while on vacation.
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Turn off the heat in your garage, and turn it on only prior to using it.
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Install an EnergyStar programmable thermostat.
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Use microwaves or electric heating elements instead of gas elements when heating food.
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Buy a high-efficiency furnace with a variable speed motor.
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Get your furnace tuned up annually.
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Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket.
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Set your water heater to 49 degrees Celsius.
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Install a solar water heating system to heat your water.
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Wash your dishes in cold water.
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Wash your clothes in cold water.
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Install low-flow shower heads and faucets.
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Take shorter showers.
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If washing clothes with hot water, use a front-loading washing machine, which saves water.
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Hang your laundry to dry instead of using a gas clothes dryer.
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Compost organic waste in your garden or with a worm composter if you live in an apartment.
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Use a rake or an electric leaf blower instead of a gas-powered one.
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If planting trees near your house, plant deciduous trees to the south of your house.
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Leave grass clippings on your lawn instead of sending them to the landfill.
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Use your own mulch or compost on your garden instead of buying fertilizing products.
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Walk, cycle or inline skate to work one day a week.
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Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents.
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Buy an electric bicycle or scooter instead of a car.
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Carpool or take transit to work, if possible.
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Join a car sharing co-operative instead of owning a car.
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Walk or cycle with your children to school, instead of driving.
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When driving, do many short-distance errands at once so your engine stays warm.
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Purchase vehicle fuel mixed with renewable ethanol.
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Drive below 90km/hr to maximize fuel efficiency.
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While driving, drive moderately and accelerate slowly.
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Schedule regular maintenance checks for your car.
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Turn off your car instead of idling for periods longer than 10 seconds.
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Travel by train instead of air, when possible.
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Buy products that are recyclable.
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Buy products that are reusable.
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Buy products that have recyclable packaging.
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Recycle as much waste as possible.
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Buy high quality products that do not need to be replaced regularly.
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Plant a tree.
