Find all of our ‘Natural November‘ tips here!
Tip 1: An equal amount of lemon juice and water added to an atomizer will create a wonderful chemical-free green air freshener for your home.
Tip 2: By hanging up your laundry on a clotheshorse or line instead of throwing them in the dryer, you’ll save about 950 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. That translates to a whole month’s worth in the average household.
Tip 3: Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car, this can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10%.
Tip 4: By unplugging electronic items when you are not using them you can save up to 1000 lbs of carbon per year – a saving of approximately $256 a year.
Tip 5: Buying minimally packaged goods could reduce your garbage by 10%.
Tip 6: Keeping your tires inflated improves gas mileage by 3%
Tip 7: If every household in B.C. turned off a 100-watt incandescent light for four hours each day, each bulb could save 3.3 cents a day and save the province 227 GWh – which could power Whistler for 12 years.
Tip 8: Make your own furniture polish using 2 cups of warm water, 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of white vinegar (or lemon juice). Shake well and rub on to furniture with a rag. (Thanks to David Suzuki’s Queen of Green for today’s tip!)
Tip 9: Invest in a laptop. Laptops use 50% of the energy used by a typical desktop PC when plugged in and just 1% of the energy when running on batteries.
Tip 10: Washing your clothes with cold water saves 80% on energy used for laundry and an estimated $60 a year.
Tip 11: When using the copier at work always make double sided copies. If your printer also has a double-sided feature, use it!
Tip 12: Keep one houseplant per every 10 square yards of your home to help keep the air clean in that area
Tip 13: Try carpooling! See if you can ride-share with people that work with you, or even people that work around you. You’ll be saving on gas and reducing pollution at the same time.
Tip 14: When shopping, if you only buy a few products skip the shopping bag. For larger purchases, bring your own!
Tip 15: Try to avoid using chemicals in your garden. Many plants repel insects naturally, so try planting Mint, lavender and garlic to ward off some of the most common pests such as aphids, moths and beetles.
Tip 16: Cut down on energy and paper use by paying your bills online.
Tip 17: When washing your laundry, always be sure to use a cold wash. This will reduce the cost of doing laundry as the water will not need to be heated.
Tip 18: For every degree you lower the thermostat, you’ll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. The same applies to air conditioning.
Tip 19: Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Leaving the tap running during the recommended two minutes of brushing can waste up to five gallons of water a day.
Tip 20: Driving 10 kph above 60 is the same as adding nearly 50 cents to the price of a gallon of gas, as higher speeds equal more gas guzzling
Tip 21: Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country.
Tip 22: Driving a small car rather than an SUV can save a total of 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the car’s lifetime.
Tip 23: Using toilet paper from recycled sources helps to discourage wasteful uses of our forests.
Tip 24: Today’s dishwashers are about 95% more energy efficient than those bought in 1972 so your old dishwasher may be costing you more in energy bills than it would cost to buy a new one
Tip 25: Letting your faucet run for 5 minutes uses about as much energy as a 60-watt light bulb consumes in 14 hours.
Tip 26: Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Tip 27: Plant a tree. An average tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Tip 28: A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a 5-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.
Tip 29: Choose low-toxic paints that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can irritate the lungs and cause allergic reactions. Zero VOC paints are also available.
Tip 30: Make your own Natural Cleaning Kit! Find out how on our website here.
