Day one
Remove one light bulb and live without it for
the next 40 days. Then, after 40 days, replace
your missing bulb with an energy-saving
lightbulb. Over its lifetime, you will save 60
kg of carbon dioxide per year. Consider changing
other lightbulbs in your home too.
Day two
Check your house for draughts with a ribbon or
feather. If it flutters, fix the air leak or
make a note to address it in the near future.
Day three
Tread lightly – whether that's by foot, by bike,
on to a bus or on the gas as you drive. Find a
way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions when you
travel today.
Day four
Are you recycling everything possible? Really –
everything? Talk about it with your family
members and roommates too.
Day five
Talk about your Carbon Fast at church! Encourage
others to join in.
Day six
Turn your central heating thermostat down by one
degree. (Maybe two degrees overnight?)
Day seven
Say au revoir to standby. Check that all
electrical equipment is switched off completely
when not in use -- such as your TV, microwave,
computer.
Day eight
Unplug your electric chargers for toothbrushes,
cameras, cell phones, iPods, battery chargers,
etc. -- they often use electricity even when not
charging.
Day nine
Climate change isn't a distant threat – it's
affecting poor communities now. Pray for
vulnerable communities adapting to the changing
weather.
Day 10
Give your dishwasher a day off so that when you
run it, it's completely full -- or upgrade to a
Grade A energy efficient appliance.
Day 11
Use local shops or farmers' markets instead of
driving long distances or purchasing foods from
far away. Local shops will thank you;
supermarkets won't notice your absence.
Day 12
Tell politicians to take action on climate
change today. Find out how to write your
politician:
http://www.fairlawnavenueunited.ca/green/letter_writing.htm
Day 13
Put the heat on your electricity or gas
suppliers and ask them if they have a green
plan. Send them an email to express your
concerns.
Day 14
Take a shower instead of a bath: you'll heat
less water. Keep your showers down to 5 minutes
or less.
Day 15
Snub plastic bags. Get into the habit of taking
your knapsack to the supermarket or cloth
reusable bag.
Day 16
Switch off lights as you leave the room. Get
your kids to do it too!
Day 17
Only fill your kettle with as much water as you
need.
Day 18
Cut the air miles. Don't consume any food that
you know has been imported by plane.
Day 19
Ask the store to remove unnecessary packaging.
Day 20
Start or continue to compost. Put the nutrients
from food waste back into the soil – not into a
methane-emitting landfill.
Day 21
Only run your washing machine when you have a
full load.
Day 22
Find one way to save paper today: re-use an old
envelope or print double-sided (put your first
side back in the printer to print on the back).
On the internet, avoid printing unnecessary
parts of a web page by highlighting the content
you want, then click File-Print-Selection-OK
Day 23
Turn the taps off except for the short bursts
when you really need water. Fix drips. In one
day a hot, dripping tap could fill a bath.
Day 24
Give your "unwanted treasures" away. Check our
web site in the lower right for a list of items
needed at CRC (Christian Resource Centre in
Regent Park).
http://www.fairlawnavenueunited.ca
and re-purpose your stuff at Habitat for
Humanity
http://www.torontorestores.com/makingadonation.htm
or other not-for-profits organizations
http://www.toronto.ca/reuseit/orgs.htm
Day 25
Who expends the most energy in your home? Mom? Dad?
No, the fridge and clothes dryer. Keep the
fridge door closed! Hang your clothes to dry,
and only use the dryer sparingly and after 9:00
pm
Day 26
"Love does no harm to its neighbour" Romans
13:10. But while our lifestyles consume more and
more energy, our poorer neighbours on the
planet are suffering. Reflect on ways to have
less negative impact on our most vulnerable
neighbours in our increasingly connected world.
Day 27
Check your tire pressure on your car. Low tire
pressure means high fuel consumption.
Day 28
Book a home energy check. With minor fixes, you
could save big bucks a year on heating and
electricity bills.
Day 29
Run your washing machine with cold water as much
as possible. 90% of the enery use is for heating
the water.
Day 30
Find out a new fact about the impact of climate
change today. Tell your friends.
Day 31
Carry water in a reusable container. Do NOT buy
bottled water.
Day 32
Investigate and save money to replace old
electrical appliances with energy-efficient
models. They could save a third of the energy.
Day 33
Have an embrace-the-silence Sunday. Turn off
everything. No TV, no radio, no ringtones, no
cars, no Facebook, no texting, no email. It'll be good for the soul. Go play with
your kids.
Day 34
Save your archive of electronic photos on your
own computer drive or burn to a CD -- instead of
storing them on an internet service
which requires enormous server farms using an
enormous amount of energy.
Day 35
Try an environmentally-friendly version of a
cleaning product such as vinegar as a mineral
deposit remover.
Find out how:
http://www.fairlawnavenueunited.ca/green/cleaning_products.htm
Day 36
Re-use an item you would have thrown away – such
as a jam jar, an envelope or paper bag.
Day 37
Put a lid on it. That's pans when cooking; and
use a kettle or microwave to boil water. Turn if
off as soon as it starts boiling.
Day 38
Draw the curtains to keep the heat in
Day 39
Could our church be greener? Contact
fairlawngreenteam@gmail with your ideas.
Day 40
Make a personal pledge to serve others by
pursuing a more sustainable way of life.
More ideas
