40 days of Action - Let's Go GREEN!
40 Days of Lenten Action to Live with Respect in Creation (A modified initiative of Toronto Southeast Presbytery)
Let’s Go Green in 2018
We invite you to participate in this challenge, Feb 14 – Mar 25 by focusing on a new suggestion each day of Lent and then, incorporating these practices into your daily routine.
Here are the top 10 to get you started, but don't forget to click on the full list below!
1. Run the laundry washing machine on cold/cold setting and during off peak times.
2. Unplug electronics that are not in use. Many electronics draw power when off (it’s called
“phantom power” and can account for up to 10% of a household’s energy use). Place
electronics on a power strip and turn it off in between uses.
3. Drink tap water or install a water filter at home (e.g. Brita filter) instead of buying
bottled water. Bottled water produces more than 1000 times more carbon emissions than
tap water (mainly from packaging and transport) and creates unnecessary plastic waste. Of
the total energy use and greenhouse- gas emissions produced by a single load of laundry,
approximately 75% of it comes from warming the water itself.
4. Check the tire pressure on your car. Under inflated tires lower fuel efficiency.You can improve your gas mileage by 0.6% on average—up to 3% in some cases—by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.
5. Consider skipping the dryer when you wash your clothes. If you run the dryer 200 times
per year you could save nearly half a ton of carbon emissions by hanging clothes to dry
instead.
6. Are you separating your waste properly? Check out the City of Toronto guide at
https://www.toronto.ca/services- payments/recycling-organics-garbage/houses/what-goesin-
my- blue-bin/. Do a test check of your recycling and green bins.
7. When driving, obey the speed limit. Higher speeds use up more energy and are more
dangerous. Most vehicles operate at the highest fuel efficiency when travelling between 50
and 80 km/h. Above this range, vehicles consume increasingly more fuel the faster they go.
At 120 km/h, a vehicle uses about 20% more fuel than at 100 km/h.
8. Try a meatless Monday. Lowering meat consumption to within accepted health
guidelines could reduce global food-related emissions by nearly a third by 2050. Widespread
adoption of a vegetarian diet could cut emissions by 63%.
9. Turn down your thermostat by at least 1 degree. This can reduce your energy bill by 1-
3%. Lowering it by 5-10 degrees overnight can lead to even more significant savings of 10-
15%.
10. Take a break from the TV and internet. Unplug your wifi, go for a walk, play a game, read a book.
Full list of 40 actionable items to kick-start the change we long to see in becoming active stewards for the planet.