Investing      Traveling       Around the House     Food      Using and Choosing Appliances

Spending and Investing:

By law, corporations must work to provide a profit for their shareholders. Because of this, corporate practices have historically had abysmal environmental and human rights track records. Increasingly, CEOs are realising that there is a segment of consumers who care about these issues, and they are recognising this by improving their policies. There are also some very lucrative new companies working towards environmentally sustainable ends in the areas of agriculture and energy as well as others.
The next time you invest, consider ethical funds for your portfolio. There are many options out there to match your financial situation as well as your own personal values.

Of course, another important way to make a difference is to use your consumer power to support environmentally friendly businesses, and avoid those with poor environmental practices.

Traveling:

• do not idle your vehicle
• go into the nearest public building if you are too hot or cold
• park rather than use a drive-through
• when you will not be moving for more than 12 seconds, turn off your vehicle
• walk or cycle when you can
• participate in a "walking school bus" if your child's school offers one; if not consider starting one
• if you must drive, choose a hybrid vehicle, the smallest that will fit your everyday needs
• consider renting that minivan, van or pickup for the bigger jobs rather than buying one and using it for everything
• keep your tires well inflated
• anticipate traffic light changes to avoid braking hard at each red light
• if you must commute, use public transit or carpool, investigate whether working from home is an option for you, or consider moving closer to your place of work; Canadians who commute recieve receive a tax break for their monthly passes
• teach your children how to use transit, use it with them and give your teen a bus pass (or bike) instead of a car
• as much as possible, limit your air travel
• purchase carbon offset credits for car and air travel, but do your research--some popular companies are unfortunately not very reputable (claim repetitive credits for a single tree planting project)

Around the House:

• line dry your clothing rather than run your dryer (this is easier on clothing than using a dryer, and your clothes will smell much better too!)
• hand-wash your dishes, or at least turn off the drying option when you run your dishwasher
• only run your dishwasher and clothes washer with full loads
• choose and use environmentally friendly cleaning products
• use compact flourescent or LED lighting
• turn off your porch light when you go to bed, and install a photosensor so that it will not be on during daylight hours
• use a push mower on your lawn (much easier to do if you plant shade grass seed / drought resistant grass seed)
• turn off your power bars when not in use (bigger savings that you'd guess!)
• instead of running your central air nonstop, consider just running the furnace fan to circulate cool air from the basement
• open your windows when the outside air cools down
• unplug appliances when not in use
• plant trees around your house; coniferous trees on the north side, deciduous on the south; the conifers will provide a wind barrier in the winter and the deciduous leaves will block sunlight in the summer and let it in during the winter
• when planning a party or holiday celebration, take waste into consideration
• if possible in your area, purchase power from a green power supplier, such as Bullfrog
• instead of using a screen saver, set your computer to revert to sleep mode when not in use, or turn it off
• pay your bills electronically rather than with "snail mail", or arrange for automatic witdrawal from your bank account
• replace your written correspondence with email or telephone calls

Food:

• defrost frozen foods in your refrigerator rather than with the microwave
• wait until all (or most of) your ingredients are prepared to preheat the oven when baking; bake several dishes in succession (or together) to make best use of the heat
• buy locally whenever possible; support your local farmers and reduce the distance your food travels
• save those tropical fruits and veggies for the times of the year when most produce is imported anyhow
• choose whole, natural foods and avoid purchasing processed foods as much as possible
• try growing some of your own fruits and veggies, and buy organic whenever possible
• if you really want to make a difference, try out the 100-mile diet
• limit or eliminate your use of the following products: coffee, chocolate and sugar
• if you must drink coffee, buy organically grown fair-trade certified coffee and replace your disposable paper filters with a permanent filter; use a thermal caraffe to keep it warm

Using and choosing appliances:

• consider a front-loading washing machine which saves water and energy, and can be gentler on your clothing as well (but do your research--brand alone is no guarantee of endurability, as we have recently discovered)
• when possible, choose gas over electric appliances, unless your electricity comes from solar or wind power
• if you must drink coffee, choose a thermal coffee caraffe rather than one with a bottom element
• unplug appliances when not in use
• choose the most efficient appliances you can, being careful to consider the way you and your family will use it as compared with the "average" usage
• do your research! Read consumer reports and reviews on different models to avoid purchasing a lemon
• don't be fooled by guaranteed parts--be sure that the service charges are also covered, but best of all, be sure the appliance won't break down in the first place!
• rather than just turning off your appliances when not in use, unplug them (you'll be surprised with the difference this makes to your electricity consumption!)
• consider carefully whether you really need a basement freezer or extra refrigerator--the energy cost to run these are quite high and often negate the savings you may have had on buying large quantities