Do you have any green wishes/resolutions for 2024? Here at Clean North, we hope for local industry to pollute less, all of us to use less fossil fuels, litterbugs to clean up their act, fewer people to grow invasive plants and more to grow native plants, and more people to embrace all the Rs: Reduce – reuse – recycle – refuse – repair – repurpose – re-gift – etc.
Key ways you can help green our world in 2024
Eat more plant-based protein
Did you know that beef is by far the most environmentally damaging protein source? If you can’t go totally vegetarian, try reducing how much beef you eat. Read how plant-based eating can help save us from climate change
Get an energy audit
Doing so can help you find out the best ways you can reduce energy use and heating costs. For example:
- Get a heat pump
- Upgrade your insulation
- Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
- Dial your thermostat down and put on a sweater!
Drive less
Ride share, take public transit more, pool your errands, and walk/cycle more.
Buy more stuff secondhand
When it comes to environmental impacts, the less new stuff we buy, the better. Check out all the places you can donate stuff to (or acquire it secondhand).
Reduce food waste
- Plan meals in advance
- Always shop with a list
- Buy only what you need
- Resist the urge to buy large quantities of something simply because it’s on sale
- Learn best practices for buying, washing, and storing produce to extend its life (for example, some types of produce should be stored away from others because they give off gases that lead to faster spoiling)
Visit the David Suzuki Foundation website for lots more on how to reduce food waste.
Practice green gardening
- Switch to electric or manual yard tools (manual mowers have come a long way since your grandparents’ day)
- Eliminate use of lawn/garden chemicals
- Compost
- Plant more trees
- Rid your property of invasive plants
- Choose native plants instead
Check out Clean North’s wealth of resources on the above and many other green gardening topics
Buy less plastic (especially single use)
- Refill containers
- Choose glass, wood, paper/cardboard, or metal instead of plastic
Check out lots more tips for going plastic-free
Choose more benign personal care/cleaning products
- Avoid ones filled with toxic chemicals
- Stop buying non-essential chemical-laden products like fabric softener, dryer sheets, and air fresheners
- Seek out less toxic health and beauty products (avoid ones with plastic microbeads!)
- Choose cleaning tools made from 100% biodegradable materials, for example, natural fibre scrub brushes
Check out the Environmental Working Group home health guides
Report pollution when you see it happening
Visit stackwatchssm.com for details on how to do this. The more people who report, the more likely polluters will be held accountable. FYI here in Sault Ste. Marie, provincial air pollution regulations are breached on a daily basis!
Donate to or volunteer
…for a local conservancy (Lake Superior Watershed, Algoma Highlands, Kensington), the Sault Naturalists, or us! Our donation page and our volunteer page
