10 Simple Things You Can Do

Climate change may seem overwhelming but we are NOT powerless! The 10 action items below, adapted from Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, are simple things Kanata residents can do to reduce their impact on climate change without spending a lot of money. Give it a try and help us make Kanata a better place to live.

1. Change your light bulbs
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb will save 150 pounds of CO2 a year.

2. Drive less and slow down
Walk, bike, carpool or take the bus more often. You'll save one pound of CO2 for every mile you don't drive. If you must drive, don't exceed the speed limit.

3. Recycle more
You can save 2,400 pounds of CO2 per year by recycling and/or composting just half your household waste. For information on Ottawa's recycling rules, click here.

4. Check your tires
Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every litre of gas saved keeps more than 5 pounds of CO2 out of the air!

5. Use less hot water
Install a low-flow showerhead and wash your clothes in cold or warm water. This will save 850 pounds of CO2 a year.

6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of CO2 if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

7. Adjust your thermostat
Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of CO2.

8. Plant or save a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of CO2 over its lifetime. Don't cut down trees on your property unless you have no other choice.

9. Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your lights, TV, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of CO2 a year. This really works! Several KEN members have reduced their electricity bill by more than 25% just by turning things off.

10. Spread the word!
Encourage your friends to do their part, come to KEN meetings, and tell your friends about KEN.