Here are tips to can help you tread a little lighter on the planet--some are even easier than changing a light bulb! You'll be surprised how many ways you can change the little things and make a big difference.
Buy organic cotton
25 per cent of all sprayed pesticides, some highly toxic, are applied to cotton.
Choose natural chow
Certified organic pet food meets strict standards lacking for other varieties.
Melt ice without polluting
Use alternatives to salt, which contaminates ground and drinking water.
Lighten up your brew
Turf paper filters and tea bags for pressers, infusers or permanent strainers.
Brush natural
Many toothpaste brands contain parabens, linked to cancer and estrogen mimicking.
Pucker up
Save fossil fuels by trading lip glosses made with petroleum for beeswax-based balms.
Draw the curtains
Closing drapes at night lowers heat loss, which occurs mostly around windows.
Fix the drip
A water faucet leaking a drop a second can waste 1,000 litres a month, and your cash.
Get outside the bottle
Nix waste-making water, often transported from afar and no safer than tap.
Treat your car
Most car washes recycle their water, so they're greener than soaping up at home.
Shed light on recharging
Use new solar panel technology to infuse gadgets with the power of the sun.
Look for the EcoLogo
Canada's federal stamp of approval for green products in over 300 categories.
Curb drycleaners
Ninety per cent use perchloroethylene, a persistent environmental toxin, on clothing.
Deal with do-do
Abandoned pat waste ends up in the sewer system, contaminating lakes and rivers.
Rev up rivalries
Complete with neighbours to see whose greenest, and then have a BBQ for the winner.
Tone-down tissue products
Reduce 4.5 per cent of Canada's paper production by using cloths to wipe.
Burn wall warts
Use power bars that sense when electronics are unplugged and stop sucking outlet power.
Lose the boost
Turn your dishwasher heater down if it's double-warming water from the hot water tank.
Let the air in
Open windows often especially while cleaning, so fresh air comes in and toxins get out.
Be anti-antibacterial
These cleaners don't beat soap and water, and they can help breed super germs.
Leave your sole at the door
Keep oil, antifreeze, animal waste and particulates on your shoes outside.
Get into grass
Get goods, like furniture, made from bamboo. It's grown fast and (mostly) pesticide-free.
Meet virtually
Skip the carbon-emitting flight and do business around the world via video conference.
Work 10-hour days
Go in four days a week and cut 20 per cent of your commute carbon and stress.
Lead with LEDS
Bulbs, just hitting the market, light for 11 years on one-fifth the energy CFLs need.
Rev down
Emit 45 per cent less by gearing up and keeping the engine between 1,200 and 3,000 RPMs
Don't speed
Half of your car's fuel is used fighting air resistance. More speed means less fuel efficiency.
Lose junk in the trunk
Every 45 kilograms of weight reduces a vehicle's fuel economy by two per cent.
Pump it up
One under-inflated tire can reduce its life by 10,000 km and increase fuel use by three per cent.
Fan year-round
A fan can help make sure heat spreads all over the room, not just up to the ceiling.
Pad your heater
Blankets that don't cost much can reduce your energy bill by 4 per cent to 9 per cent.
Buy EPEAT gold
This stamp is given to computers, notebooks and monitors with a high green quotient.
Rock digitally
Buy music downloads and a media player to get your tunes without the CD plastic.
Wash cool
15 per cent of home energy is used to heat water, so cut down by doing laundry on cold.
Don't idle
Running your stopped vehicle for two minutes burns as much fuel as driving it for 1.5 kilometres.
Want to lead a greener lifestyle? For a list of eco-projects, go to DiscoveryChannel.ca
