Last time I wrote about recycling and the role it plays in our daily lives. I would now like to turn your attention to the idea of Smart Consumption. It's a relatively simple idea, use less energy and products. I know many of you already employ this idea in your everyday lives, but I thought I may as well compile a list of ways to increase the effectiveness of your approach.
Smart Consumption can be divided into 2 categories: What you Buy and How you Use it.
The first category is all about knowing what you are buying. Whether the item at hand is efficient, reusable, practical or useful. Here is a list of suggestions:
1. Reusable Containers - Items like Tupperware, lunch boxes or refillable bottles are great for keeping waste like plastic and paper bags out of landfills. A little upkeep is all that is needed to maintain these items and you may find that there is a small financial gain from using these products.
2. Buy Local Products - This one is a no brainer. The transportation of goods across large amounts of land creates tons of emissions and these are not helping the health of our planet. Plus, buying locally injects money into the local community, something that is of need during the present economic downturn. Many cities have already spearheaded events to promote local shopping and many city websites include the names and locations of such shops.
3. Library Books - The idea is to borrow books instead of buying them. Now, I know that it is nice to own your books to put on your shelves as a reminder that you have read them. But think of all the paper that could be saved if a majority of people stopped buying books and simply started taking them out from the library. Also, with the dawn of items like the Kindle or the iPad, ebooks will start to take form. E books are an interesting avenue to pursue for the reduction of paper use and to increase reading rates across developed countries. It is a little known fact that library's have free ebooks to give away. Check out the Thunder Bay Public Library for some of these!
4. Electronics - It is important for our society to progress technologically, but that doesn't have to mean that you go out and buy the next biggest gadget as soon as it arrives! E waste is a big problem and will only grow as our dependency on technology increases. The world reserves for many of the metals used to create these items only have lives of around 100 years. So after then, we are doomed if another source isn't found. The best way to approach this is to simply cut down our spending. Do you really need that new iPad? You know they are only gonna release an updated version of it close to Christmas and then one shortly the next year. Think before you buy.
5. Textbooks - Here is a simple task, buy used textbooks! Not only do you save money, but you reduce the amount of paper used. And then when you are all finished, go ahead and resell them.
6. Thrift Store - Now, I'm not saying to make your entire wardrobe thrift clothing, but I am asking you to take a look and see if you like what you see. Anyways, thrift stores are great for finding costumes for Halloween and parties :)
7. Fix Things - Instead of going out and buying a new chair or other miscellaneous item, go ahead and try to fix it. Or get someone else to fix it. This reduces the consumption of products and extends the life of the ones you already own.
8. Unsubscribe from Flyers/Newspapers - A lot of the flyers we get are unnecessary and wasteful. Simply call up your provider and ask to be removed of the mailing list. In the case of newspapers, that poor dying industry, they can be found online. Like Thunder Bay's The Chronicle Journal.
9. Bring your own Coffee Mug - From my past work at McDonalds, I have had customers come up to me with their own coffee cups and ask me to fill them up and charge them for a corresponding size. I don't know if other restaurants like Tim Hortons do this, or if I was even allowed to do this :P but it is a good idea. The Study at Lakehead University offers discounts on coffee purchased with your own mug.
10. Light Bulbs - Probably the easiest form of smart consumption is to buy CFLor LED light bulbs. These are far more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, which are scheduled to be phased out by 2014 in the States and 2012 in Canada.
11. Use Less at Restaurants - This is for places like McDonalds. When going to the condiment stand, simply take what you need and no more. Don't take 50 napkins, multiple straws for spit balling or tons of ketchup or mayo packets that you are only gonna spread over your tray liner.
That is it for the purchasing side, now for the using part of things.
1. Conserve Energy - A simple task to do is to turn off electronics like your TVs and video game consoles when not using them. Also, around 17% of your energy bill is due to Phantom Energy, energy that is used by items plugged in and still sucking power from the grid. Unplug devices like your computers and hairdryer to avoid this.
2. Water Conservation - Living in Canada, we do not have to worry about fresh water shortages like many parts of the world. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't do our part though. Taking shorter showers and turning the tap off while brushing your teeth are easy ways to conserve water. An interesting approach is to purchase a rain barrel to collect rainwater. You can then use this to water your plants and garden instead of the hose.
3. Turn down the Thermostat - Of course you must be comfortable in your home, but lowering the temperature of your thermostat can go a long way in reducing power consumption. Try wearing a sweater or a blanket next time.
4. Online Banking and Billing - The Internet has opened many doors of ease and efficiency and this is one of them. Instead of getting paper forms and invoices, simply fill them out or pay them over the Internet.
5. Be Mindful of Peak Hours - Try to find out what time of the day has the most occurrence of energy consumption. Energy companies usually charge more for this time slot, so by moving your laundry cleaning to a different time, you may be able to save some money. Also, your move may decrease the pressure on the energy grid felt at Peak times.
6. Plastic Bags - Plastic bags are an annoyance for environmentalists. They take a long time to breakdown and clog up our landfills. So you can do your part by using reusable shopping bags found almost everywhere now.
In order for our planet and our species to survive, we must usher in a new era of technology and understanding to aid us in preserving what "green" we have left and to manage our existing energy supplies effectively.
Hopefully you found this article to be informative and helpful. I will continue next time with my next installment of Ultimate Environmentalist: Activism.
Part 1: Recycling
Part 2: Smart Consumption
Part 3: Activism
Part 4: Giving Back
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