SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP – THE RESULTS!
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INVEST IN OUR FUTURE THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTION.
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FEASIBLE AND EASY-TO-DO ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY TIPS!
Save money, and get a standing ovation from Mother Nature at the same time!
Heating/Cooling
- Install a programmable thermostat. It is easy! Plus, decreasing the number by one on your thermostat can help you save 2-3% of your heating bill (around $35-$55 a year, which adds up!)
- Use ceiling fans and floor fans (fancy name for the portable fans we all use in our house during the summer) for cooling.
- Using internal blinds and drapes can block up to 65% of the heat that would otherwise come in through your windows. External shade screens can block up to 95% of the heat.
Electricity
- Start using ENERGY STAR appliances. All these appliances are specially made to be more energy efficient and work just as well.
- Use fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lighting is far more efficient than halogen and standard incandescent lights. They consume only 1/3 the energy and last about 10x as long as standard lights. These lights cost only as much as normal light bulbs too!
- Turn off lights when leaving rooms, and turn off computers and monitors when not in use.
- Unplug small appliances (e.g, toaster, coffee maker, cellphone and computer charger) when not in use.
- Turn off all the lights when you leave a room. Don’t leave hallway lights on.
- Hang your clothes to dry when possible (it takes 10 minutes or less to hang it all up!)
Water
- Install low-flow showerheads and faucets, instant water heaters on sinks, and dual-flush toilets.
- Improve your water heater’s efficiency by insulating the pipes, using an insulating blanket, lowering the water heater temperature to 60ºC or installing a high-efficiency water heater
- Collect rain water and use that to water your plants
- After washing your rice/vegetables & fruit/boiling or steaming your veggies, use the leftover water to water your plants (it is nutritious for your plants!)
- Take shorter showers, and take baths less often.
- Turn off the water when brushing your teeth/shampooing your hair/shaving/washing the dishes (cover them with soap first, then rinse them. Or fill a tub with soapy water first to clean your dishes and then rinse them).
- Only do laundry when you have a full load.
- If you dare: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”
Food & Diet
- Stay home to eat rather then dining out (World Watch reports that the ingredients for a meal in the average North America home typically travel between 1,500 and 4,000 kilometres, a 25% increase from 1980 alone).
- Eating meat raised locally, or eating grass-fed meat, also generates fewer emissions.
- Grow a garden for your own vegetables or fruits. It saves you money and is more environmentally friendly.
- At the end of every week, make a list of all your groceries and other necessary household items needed for the next week. This way, you only have to make 1 trip to your grocery store and not waste gas on any successive trips.
Recycling & Waste
- Recycle as many waste products as possible like paper, aluminum, glass, plastics, and electronics.
- Dispose of your electronics properly
- Don’t throw that battery or ink cartridge! Check to see if Staples recycles it first.
- Don’t forget about composting! You can put all your food scraps and tissue paper/napkins into the yard waste bin!
- When buying clothing or paper products, find items labeled as recycled, natural, organic, or made of alternative.
- Buy products with less packaging.
Driving & Flying
- There are many ways of transportation without a car, like walking, biking and public transit.
- One day of the week, take public transit/bike/carpool/walk instead of driving.
- Carpool! Jack Bell Ride-Share for BC helps you find or offer a ride anywhere in BC!
- Think about getting a smart car or hybrid for your next (or first) car! (like the Toyota Prius).
MINI-LESSON #1: PROPER WASTE DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING OF PLASTICS
Plant Operations is responsible for waste management in UBC, so please call them if you have questions!
For plastic resin ID #’s 1-7, UBC accepts: 1-5 for recycling
#1 can be found in water bottles
#2 can be found in milk jugs
#3 can be found in jungle gyms
#4 can be found in grocery bags
#5 can be found in medicine bottles
#6 can be found in plastic eating utensils, and takeout food containers
#7 can be found in all kinds of plastics because they are a mixture of plastics
When in doubt, just look underneath the item for a number in a triangle. If there is no number, then it is not recyclable.
Click here to find out how to properly dispose of just about anything you have! It also tells you where you can go to do it, anywhere within Metro Vancouver!
MINI-LESSON #2: OCEAN CIRCULATION PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CLIMATE CHANGE
Our oceans are stratified according to density (lighter things float on top of heavier things). The density of ocean water depends on 1) temperature, and 2) salinity. Both of these affect ocean circulation in a similar manner. Stratification leads to a very stable situation where no mixing occurs, so one can see different layers of water that DO NOT mix. On the surface water, the existing phytoplankton fix carbon dioxide (they take carbon dioxide – one of the most important greenhouse gases – from the atmosphere and use it for their metabolism, akin to plants). This effectively changes carbon dioxide into marine sediments.
Therefore, when oceans are stratified, no mixing occurs and carbon dioxide is actually being removed from the atmosphere! If you decrease temperature or salinity, an unstable situation arises. The ocean is no longer stratified, and mixing of the surface water and deep ocean water will occur. This causes carbon dioxide to come back up to the surface, where it returns to the atmosphere. Thus, stratification of our ocean is important in controlling carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) levels in our atmosphere, and plays a big role in creating a sustainable future!
