Take the Eco-challenge. Try to incorporate as many of these ideas into your life for a week.
- Carpool, take transit, bicycle or walk.
- Spend ten minutes enjoying the beauty of nature.
- Ask two people to participate in this eco-challenge.
- Replace a food in your diet that travels a long way with something closer to home.
- Pack your lunch every day for a week.
- Replace a non-organic food you eat with an organic one.
- Bring your own mug to school or work.
- Host a 100-mile dinner.
- Plan an eco-friendly activity in your community.
- Recycle your old electronics.
- Recycle your old tires.
- Investigate the origins of a food item you eat.
- Take a dog for a walk.
- Savour a sunset.
- Watch a film about the environment.
- Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Change your furnace filter.
- Lower the thermostat in your home.
- Start a compost pile or drying rack.
- Use a clothesline or drying rack.
- Work in your yard or garden.
- Note the bird species you see in one day.
- Discuss a book or an article about the environment.
- Install a rain barrel to collect water for garden use.
- Plan a vacation that does not involve traveling long distances.
- Rent or buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle.
- Plant a tree.
- Drive the speed limit for a week.
- Donate all clothing you have not worn in a year to a thrift shop.
- Attend an eco-friendly activity in your community.
- Find out what can be recycled in your municipality.
- Request an expanded recycling program in your community
- Find out where you can safely dispose of hazardous materials.
- Buy a used item.
- Fix an item instead of replacing it.
- Don’t eat meat for one day per week.
- Every day for a week, take the stair at work or school.
- Re-pot a plant.
- Introduce yourself to a neighbour.
- Check pressure and tread on your tires.
- Drink tap water for a week.
- Join a community group.
- Apply for a community garden patch.
- For a week, take a cloth bag with you when you shop.
- Take a walk in the park at lunch break.
- Unplug small appliances when you’re not using them.
- Buy eco-friendly products.
- Cancel your newspaper subscription.
- Buy milk in a glass bottle.
- Pack your lunch in reusable containers.
- Buy locally produced goods.
- Buy recycled paper.
- Buy nothing for one day.
- Choose an eco-friendly cleaning product.
- Choose an alternative to disposable diapers.
- Support green charities.
- Quit smoking.
- Pick up litter.
- Join a car pool.
- Double-side your photocopies.
- Do not print your email unless you have to.
- Do not leave your car idling.
- Say no to take-out food containers.
- Attend an environmental educational event.
- Donate time or money to an eco-friendly organization.
- Call your MLA or MP to let them know where you stand on environmental issues.
- Spend a day enjoying nature.
- Replace an energy inefficient appliance in your household.
- Wash dishes by hand for one week.
- For a week, at home do not flush every time.
- For a week, shower instead of bathing.
- For a week, keep your shower under 3 minutes.
- Shut off all unnecessary lights at home.
- Do without one vehicle in your household for a week.
- Phone into to a talk shaw and ask questions about the environment.
- For one week, turn the lights off in your office when you leave.
- Write a letter to the editor about the environment.
- Invite neighbours or friends to help you effect changes in the community.
- Block/seal drafts in your home.
- Use pads of reused scratch paper from the print shop instead of buying a new pad.
- Turn the TV off for one day.
- Find out the location of Farmers Markets in your community.
- Limit your shopping in Big Box stores.
- Visit a local farm.
- Buy food that is in season.
- Make something from scratch.
- Eat somewhere that you can walk to from home.
- Tell your produce manager you want local fruits and vegetables.
- Replace chemical pesticide for your lawn/garden with a non-toxic alternative.
- Buy an organic coffee.
- Bring more plants into your air space.
- Include native species in your landscaping.
- Use coach buses or hybrid taxis when travelling.
- Take a child on a transit ride to show them how to use public transportation.
- Find out where you can recycle drink containers.
- Donate used goods to charity.
- Take a transit ride with a friend.
- Borrow a book instead of buying one.
- Learn what is going on in your community through newspaper or radio.
- Recycle all your paper from school and work.
Source:
Modified from the Douglas College Environmental Sustainability Task Force Eco-challenge