There is no time like the present to start living a more sustainable and greener lifestyle. Maybe you have been thinking of changing things up this year and are ready to take the plunge. Or maybe changing things up feels daunting. There are lots of things to learn and deciding where to start can feel tough. The Green Initiatives Committee is here to give you some simple ideas to get you started!
The biggest advice we can give is that instead of focusing on the whole big picture narrow it down to one small start. The GIC has gathered ideas that we have all done in our own households to give you some ideas.
Choose one room or area in your house to make greener:
· For the laundry area you could switch over your laundry detergents to cleaner products that can be refilled and consider dryer balls over fabric sheets.
· In the bathrooms place multiple bins in the washrooms to sort out actual rubbish from items that can be recycled or composted.
· Add extra insulation to your front and back door areas to prevent heat loss.
Choose one aspect of your daily routine to make more sustainable:
· Meal planning ahead so that you utilize what you have in your house contributes to less food waste and less trips to the grocery store. Planning ahead also encourages you to take food out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge which helps to keep the fridge cool and uses a microwave less!
· Use distilled vinegar as a multi use household cleaner. It is great for cleaning windows and mirrors and those pesky shower doors.
· Collect left over water from half empty water bottles to use for watering your plants.
Choose one product in your house to make more sustainable:
· Save paper that has only been used once for small notes.
· Use reusable Ziploc bags and containers rather than single use plastic ones.
· Instead of using paper towels to clean up messes purchase reusable cloths, or better yet use old rags.
· Replace all lightbulbs with high efficiency LEDS – (this saves energy and money!)
The idea here is just to start with one step to get you on your way. Maybe it is one change a month or one every season. The important thing to remember is that it does not matter where or how you start but just that you took that first step! It is quite possible that many things will simply snowball from that first choice.
If you want to get involved and be a part of making Mount Pleasant a greener community, we would love to have you join the committee. Please email green@mpca.ca for more information or if you have any questions. As well please check out our Mount Pleasant Green Initiative Group on Facebook! You can find us on the Mount Pleasant Community Association page.
Have a great month,
The MPCA Green Initiatives Committee
