Reduce your carbon footprint by lowering your consumption
As mentioned previously transportation , food and energy represent a major part of our footprint on the planet. Our waste is also part of the pollution in our environment. Household waste is only a small part of all the global waste products. The CO² ccontained in the atmosphere represents 80% of the total waste volume on Earth.
The production of consumer goods causes the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere including greenhouse gas..
By reducing your consumption, you can also reduce your carbon footprint. By reducing a kilo in your consumption of goods, you save about 200 kg in natural resources and prevent the production of about 200 kg of waste and pollution.
Did you know that...?
The average Canadian produces an average of 420 kg of household waste per year. Only ¼ is recycled or composted.
Waste products can finish 3 different ways according to their natures; they can be recycled, buried or incinerated. Recycling is by far the most viable option because it emits less greenhouse gases than landfills or incineration.
The story of a tee-shirt
The cotton of a tee-shirt could come from Texas. The cotton will cross the Pacific ocean to arrive at a Chinese textile factory, where it will be manufactured. Then it goes back to America where it will be worn for a few months (at the most one or two years) and then end up in a dump or charity organization. From there, it will either be recycled or sent to Africa.
Here are some rules to respect: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Compost.
Reduce
- Share, lend your books, CDs, DVDs, electrical appliances that you seldom use.
- Borrow or rent instead of buying.
- Buy products with less packaging and favour bulk foods or family formats.
- Use reusable bags for your groceries and reusable cups for your morning coffee.
- Reduce your purchases of plastic products; they are hard to recycle, so you can favour natural materials like wood instead.
Reuse
Did you know that...?
In the oceans there are over 18,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometer.
- Your coffee cups
- Paper (both sides)
- Refillable printing cartridges
- Rechargeable batteries
- If an object is in good shape and working condition, try to give it away instead of throwing it out.
Repair
- The repair of an object requires less resources and generates less waste than its replacement.
Recycle
- In Canada, 97% of the population recycles at least occasionally. Recycling has many advantages; it consumes less energy, less greenhouse gases, it allows us to accentuate the conservation of natural resources. It creates jobs and brings raw materials to industries.
Did you know that...?
The recycling of one ton of paper prevents the cutting of 17 trees, the use of 359 litres of oil and 31,780 litres of water and saves 2.5 m³ of landfill space.
Compostez
- Compost table scraps, garden waste and torn paper. Composting is an organic process through which organic matter is transformed into a sort of humus. Compost feeds the soil and the development of species living there (ex: earthworms), which makes the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers less necessary. This can be done in the open or in bins. You will find more information on composting in the guide Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Value Waste: a 3RV Guide for the First Nations of Quebec and of Labrador, on page 123.
Did you know that...?
In Canada, about 25% of households compost their table scraps and garden waste.