Garbage Output – The Update

Well it has been just over a month since we began our commitment to reduce our family’s impact.  I can say that the journey has been both enjoyable and enlightening.  We learn something new everyday!  Well I have been meticulously making sure non-recyclables land in the garbage can, and items that can (or should be) recycled in the blue can.  I have also weighed every bag as they go out to the curb each garbage pick-up day.  The 1st month’s results are in!  You’ll find them in the graph below.  It should be noted that the very first garbage day was days after Christmas (a lot of gift packaging). We have improved from a total of 90.5lbs of curbside trash in the first week of Jan to 38 lbs the first week of Feb. Not bad, if I say so myself.

Some of the things that have helped:

1. Get off junk mail lists. We used to receive pounds and pounds of paper fliers every week that we would not even read. See how in our article “Junk Mail” down below.
2. Compost. We compost some (not all) of our kitchen scraps with a worm composter bin in the basement.  It’s time for a second bin to compost more of our scraps.
3. Use cloth bags for every store purchase, or simply refuse to take a bag to carry items out. Better yet, use a travel mug and a Tupperware container when going  to Tim Hortons for a coffee and Tim Bits for the kids.  We don’t need their cardboard box, we have our own reusable container!
4. Less Packaging. Try to choose products with less packaging than the next. Fewer layers, if possible. Or when possible choose packaging made of aluminum, tin, or paper, these are easiest to recycle. Plastic is more difficult to recycle and many types of plastic are not recycled at all.

We have succeeded so far in cutting the garbage/recycling load in the 1st month.  Wish us luck for February.

Keith

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Our “Acts of Green”

Well its been 12 days since our “New Year’s Resolution” to act more green.  I have to be honest by saying it can be intimidating trying to continually find new ways to reduce our “impact”.  Well Tracy came across a website that helps you quantify what your carbon footprint reduction is (theoretically). Check out www.GreenNexxus.com

Here I checked off all of the things that our family has already put in place and are doing from a long pre-determined list, and others that we pledge to do in the near future.  Here is what it came up with!

 

Fortin Family Contribution

Your carbon footprint is being reduced by 4761 Kg/Year

 

Completed Acts of Green

 

	Check Your Tire Inflation	50 KG
	Take Public Transit Instead of Driving	50 KG
	Install A Programmable Thermostat	300 KG
	Caulk, Seal or Weatherstrip Drafty Areas and Windows	250 KG
	Do Laundry In Cold Water	100 KG
	Install Motion Detectors Or Timers On Outdoor Lights	90 KG
	Recycle Old Cell Phones And Electronics	10 KG
	Recycling at Home	1000 KG
	Composting at Home	150 KG
	Turn the Tap Off When Brushing Your Teeth	50 KG
	Avoid Using Disposable Plates, Glasses, and Cutlery	12 KG
	Avoid Excess Packaging, by Giving Gift Alternatives	12 KG
	Only Run The Dishwasher When It’s Full	200.5 KG
	Start or join a community group	0 KG
	Insulate the Basement	300 KG
	Set Your Thermostat to 18C (65F) or Less in the Winter	200 KG
	Clean or Replace Your Furnace Filter Every Season	44.2 KG
	Turn Lights Off When Not In Use	200.5 KG
	Replace an Incandescent Light Bulb With a Compact Fluorescent Bulb	1250 KG
	Use the washer as little as possible	50 KG
	Run The Clothes Washer On Its Shortest Cycle For A Week	50 KG
	Use A Stainless Steel Water Bottle	0 KG
	Use A Refillable Coffee Cup	0 KG
	Use Non Toxic Cleaning Products At Home	1 KG
	Replace Plastic Bags With Reusable Bags	1 KG
	Purchase Locally Grown Produce	50 KG
	Use a Power Bar	100 KG
	Drink Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water	2 KG
	Use Recycled Paper	2 KG
	Pick up Garbage	0 KG
	Pack a Litterless Lunch	100 KG
	Donate Clothes and Other Used Goods	120 KG
	Print on Both Sides of the Paper	10 KG
	Paperless Banking	5 KG

4761 kg/year!!  I have nothing to compare this figure to, but I figure that’s not bad for kicking of the year.  We will continue to find ways to reduce our impact further as 2010 unfolds, but I thought it was important to take stock in the positive measures we already have in place.

Happy Environmentaling Everyone!

Keith

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