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1) Your green garden.
Start by planning a low-impact garden. Choose plants and grasses that are native to your area and look for certified organic potting soil and seeds. Choose flowers, trees, ground cover and vegetables over a monoculture grass lawn.
Once you've created the garden of your dreams, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding gas-powered equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Opt for manual or even solar-powered lawn equipment instead.
Whenever possible, let the rain water your garden. If you must water yourself, water early in the morning or at night to prevent evaporation. One inch of water a week is better than several short showers.
Find out more information on green gardening.
2) Your green parties.
Summer is a great time for entertaining and a perfect opportunity to put green tips into action.
If you're planning a dinner, choose local, organic food. Try taking the '100 mile' challenge - create a menu entirely from food produced within a 100 mile radius of your home.
Consider how and under what conditions food is produced. Whenever possible, opt for fair trade chocolate, coffee and tea.
When it comes to gifts, consider avoiding the world of material things altogether. Consider a gift donation to your favourite enviro activist group (like Greenpeace, for example...).
3) Your green wardrobe.
There are lots of ways to go green with style. The simplest - work with what you already have. You can also craft your own creations, trade with friends or look for vintage finds.
If you do decide to make some new purchases, consider natural fabrics like hemp, bamboo and organic fair trade cotton and avoid synthetic fabrics made from petrochemicals.
Choose clothing made in worker-run co-ops or union workplaces. For more information, visit: www.sweatfree.org/shopping
4) Your green reading.
Believe it or not, your reading habits make an impact on ancient forests. Luckily, writers and publishers in Canada and around the world are making commitments to ancient forest friendly paper.
Look for recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper products. Recycled products made from post-consumer waste have the smallest environmental impact. FSC certified paper contains virgin fibre sourced from logging operations that have met strict standards for social and environmental responsibility. FSC is the only certification endorsed by Greenpeace and most other environmental groups.
5) Your green travel.
There is one, easy way to dramatically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions this summer: don't fly.
Airline travel is one of the planet's fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. It also has by far the greatest climate impact of any mode of transportation. Depending on the criteria you use to calculate emissions, a return flight from Toronto to Vancouver can generate somewhere between one and two tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per person (the average Canadian produces approximately five tonnes of individual greenhouse gas emissions per year).
Always avoid planes for short haul trips - try taking the train. Check out a recent action in which Greenpeace UK gave away train tickets at airports across the country to publicize the issue.
From everyone at Greenpeace, have a wonderful summer!
Start by planning a low-impact garden. Choose plants and grasses that are native to your area and look for certified organic potting soil and seeds. Choose flowers, trees, ground cover and vegetables over a monoculture grass lawn.
Once you've created the garden of your dreams, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding gas-powered equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Opt for manual or even solar-powered lawn equipment instead.
Whenever possible, let the rain water your garden. If you must water yourself, water early in the morning or at night to prevent evaporation. One inch of water a week is better than several short showers.
Find out more information on green gardening.
2) Your green parties.
Summer is a great time for entertaining and a perfect opportunity to put green tips into action.
If you're planning a dinner, choose local, organic food. Try taking the '100 mile' challenge - create a menu entirely from food produced within a 100 mile radius of your home.
Consider how and under what conditions food is produced. Whenever possible, opt for fair trade chocolate, coffee and tea.
When it comes to gifts, consider avoiding the world of material things altogether. Consider a gift donation to your favourite enviro activist group (like Greenpeace, for example...).
3) Your green wardrobe.
There are lots of ways to go green with style. The simplest - work with what you already have. You can also craft your own creations, trade with friends or look for vintage finds.
If you do decide to make some new purchases, consider natural fabrics like hemp, bamboo and organic fair trade cotton and avoid synthetic fabrics made from petrochemicals.
Choose clothing made in worker-run co-ops or union workplaces. For more information, visit: www.sweatfree.org/shopping
4) Your green reading.
Believe it or not, your reading habits make an impact on ancient forests. Luckily, writers and publishers in Canada and around the world are making commitments to ancient forest friendly paper.
Look for recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper products. Recycled products made from post-consumer waste have the smallest environmental impact. FSC certified paper contains virgin fibre sourced from logging operations that have met strict standards for social and environmental responsibility. FSC is the only certification endorsed by Greenpeace and most other environmental groups.
5) Your green travel.
There is one, easy way to dramatically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions this summer: don't fly.
Airline travel is one of the planet's fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. It also has by far the greatest climate impact of any mode of transportation. Depending on the criteria you use to calculate emissions, a return flight from Toronto to Vancouver can generate somewhere between one and two tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per person (the average Canadian produces approximately five tonnes of individual greenhouse gas emissions per year).
Always avoid planes for short haul trips - try taking the train. Check out a recent action in which Greenpeace UK gave away train tickets at airports across the country to publicize the issue.
From everyone at Greenpeace, have a wonderful summer!
