With the realities of climate change getting more and more attention, the Municipality of Highlands East has posted about what you can do to “improve the environment.”
The first three suggestions have to do with electronics. By turning off unused electronics and investing in eco-friendly products, they say that will help reduce your carbon footprint. The third suggestion is to convert your home to renewable energy like solar power. They also suggest using LED-lightbulbs. They also suggest using your microwave more often.
The fourth suggestion is to eat less meat. Reducing the amount of meat that you consume reportedly reduces your carbon footprint as well. Along the same lines as four, the municipality suggests that people do their best to cut back on wasted food. A report suggested that at least 35.5 million tonnes of food are wasted or lost. Sticking with not wasting food, the sixth suggestion is to compost your food waste rather than throw it out.
The seventh suggestion is to recycle as much as possible. On top of recycling, the author of these tips suggests that all recycling needs to be cleaned and sorted so it doesn’t end up in waste. Eighth on the suggestion list is to work towards reducing the number of plastics that you use on a daily basis. This is done by using canvas bags, and refillable water bottles and things like that.
An idea that is well received across businesses across cottage country, is making sure you buy locally as often as possible. This reduces the overall environmental impact of having things shipped around.
Written by Phil McCabe