Green Calgary

Use the Leaf and Yard drop off

Until November 9th, 2008 you can recycle your bagged leaves and pumpkins free of charge at several locations around Calgary.

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Try composting and enjoy a stink free garbage

• Fall is probably one of the best times to start composting because of the ample amount of leaves. Leaves should be collected and stored to add to the bin throughout winter.
• Over half of Calgary’s waste to landfill can be composted and subsidized composters are available for just $25 year-round at Clean Calgary Association’s EcoStore.
• If you already compost and want to know more or to help others compost, sign up for our Master Composter course.

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Remember your Cloth Bag

Many Calgarians have cloth bags and want to do the right thing by bringing them to the grocery store, retail stores and the mall but many of us forget. Here are a few tips to help you remember your bag.

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Take your bike

• Many people are nervous about taking their bikes to the grocery store or to the movies. Try taking your bike somewhere you normally wouldn’t this month and see how you like it.
• Though the amount of cars in the world has grown substantially in the past twenty years, the number of bikes has risen more quickly!
• Biking can get you where you’re going faster; especially if it is less than three kilometers.
• If you have a car 1995 or older, trade it in to Car Heaven for a $300 bike credit. Check out www.carheaven.ca for details.

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Avoid drinking bottled water

• Bottled water costs more per litre than gas for our cars.
• Bottled water often travels hundreds of kilometers to be sold while tap water travels from the rivers to our taps in Calgary.
• Every year, millions of water bottles end up in landfills in Canada.
• Calgary’s drinking water is very high quality and comparable to or even better than bottled water.

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Save water and money with your toilet

• Toilets are the single biggest water user in our homes and account for 34% of our water use.
• 1 in 4 toilets leak so test and fix yours regularly.
• To save water each flush, place a plastic bag full of water in your toilet tank.
• To modify your toilet, install a two-flush handle to give a big-flush, little-flush option (Available at the EcoStore).
• Upgrade to a new two-flush toilet and get a $50 rebate on your water bill.

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Green Spring Clean

• The main sources of human exposure to toxic chemicals are the areas we once thought were safest: our own homes, offices and cars (Scientific American, Feb. 1998). Try to eliminate chemical based products in you home.
• Many companies offer green cleaning options which are usually non-toxic, bio-degradable and phosphate free
• You need just a few simple things to make you own cleaning products; vinegar, borax, baking soda and castile soap.

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Choose to Walk

• Transportation is Canada’s largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Calgary has the highest transportation-generated carbon dioxide emissions of any city in Canada.
• Every year an estimated three million people die and an even greater number suffer serious health effects from air pollution, primarily respiratory diseases, asthma and cardiovascular disease.
• This mortality figure represents about 5% of the total 55 million deaths that occur annually in the world.

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Reduce water use in your bathroom

• Repair toilet leaks.
  • To test your toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl you have a leak.
• Fix leaky faucets. A tap that drips one drop per second wastes about 10,000 litres per year.
• Install water saving aerators on your water faucets and low flow shower heads in the shower.
• Avoid running the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing up and cleaning.

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Save money and energy with your fridge

• Place a jug/container of water outside and let it freeze. Once frozen, put it in your fridge and let the ice, not your motor, do the cooling.
• Set your refrigerator temperature between 1.7 and 3.3°C (35-38°F) and the freezer compartment at -18°C (0°F) for maximum efficiency and food safety.
• Refrigerator motors and compressors generate heat, so allow enough space for continuous airflow around your refrigerator. If heat can not escape, the refrigerator’s cooling system has to work harder and use more energy.

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