52 Ways to Reduce Your Emissions
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Maintain proper tire inflation for your car; check your tires weekly.
Environment Minister Barry Penner increases the
tire pressure in his hybrid, which improves gas
mileage at no cost. -
Insulate your house.
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Conserve heat by caulking around vents and window and door frames, sills, and joints (and any objects that penetrate exterior walls).
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Plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings and floors from heated to unheated spaces.
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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 so that heat can circulate efficiently throughout the home.
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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. If you have large windows that don’t receive direct sun, keep the drapes closed.
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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 the damper fits properly, so heat does not escape out the chimney.
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Turn down the heat in your home by two degrees in the winter (and save on home cooling by turning it up by two degrees in the summer).
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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 Energy Star programmable thermostat.
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Use your microwave or an electric heating element instead of a gas element when heating food.
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Buy a high-efficiency furnace with a variable speed motor, such as one certified by EnergyStar.
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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 when possible.
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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 at home 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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“Grasscycle” – leave grass clippings on your lawn instead of bagging them and 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. This reduces vehicle emissions.
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Take transit to work one day a week (or carpool).
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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. This reduces vehicle emissions.
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If 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.
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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 good-quality, long-lasting products that you will not have to replace so soon.
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Plant a tree.
