Green Calgary

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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If you chose to have Christmas lights, make them LED

• In Alberta, the majority of our greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity generation. Any steps taken to reduce electricity use are beneficial especially during the 5pm-10pm peak hours.
• LED lights use only 0.04 watts per bulb; 1/10th the energy of mini-lights and 1/100th the energy of C-7 bulbs.
• LEDs last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lights.
• If you can’t make the switch to LEDs this year, seek exchange programs next year (i.e. Home Depot Holiday Light Exchange).

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Purchase green gifts for Christmas

The season of giving is upon us and though reducing the amount of gifts purchased during the season will have a great impact, so will buying green gifts.

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Help to stop idling and idling myths

• Idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine.
• Frequently turning off and restarting a vehicle has little impact on a vehicle’s battery or starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting an engine adds little to annual repair costs – and can be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.
• Idling produces more emissions per minute than driving.
• Driving is the best way to heat up your engine. A vehicle’s catalytic converter needs to be hot (400 to 800 degrees Celsius) before it can effectively clean pollutants from its exhaust.
• Traffic areas around schools – where vehicles are often left idling – often show significantly higher pollution levels outside – and inside – their buildings.
• Calgary has the highest transportation-generated carbon dioxide emissions of any city in Canada.

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Drop off old, unwanted cell phones at Clean Calgary

• Cell phone recycling programs, including one set up by the Clean Calgary Association, attempt to prevent cell phones from fouling our soil and water by keeping them out of the landfill.
• According to INFORM Inc., cell phones are replaced every 18 months and less than 5% are recycled. This means that, in Canada alone, roughly 14 million cell phones enter the waste stream every 18 months.
• Call Clean Calgary to set up a cell phone collection week at your workplace or school.

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Start Grass Cycling

Grasscycling is the process of recycling grass clippings by leaving them on your lawn.

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Unplug all your electronics and appliances, especially before you go on vacation.

Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off.

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Have a container of water in your fridge for cool summer drinking

• Letting the faucet run to get cold water is a big water waste. Keep a water jug or water bottle in the fridge will ensure you have cold water when needed.
• Water use doubles in Calgary in the summer putting extra pressure on our water treatment and wastewater treatment plants.
• For other tips on water conservation visit www.cleancalgary.org

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Purchase chemical free cleaning products

Buy chemical-free cleaning products that are better for the environment, cheaper, and healthier for your home.

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Purchase a rain barrel to harvest rain water from your roof

Conserve water by harvesting rain water from your roof.

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