The average person reaches for a faucet many times each day.  Without thinking, we often grab the hot water tap – even when we need such a small amount of water that hot water never actually reaches the faucet.

But, regardless of its temperature, every drop that comes out of the hot water tap costs energy (and money).  That’s because every time the hot water tap is opened, hot water starts moving from the hot water tank toward the faucet.  If it is ‘stranded’ somewhere along the way, it just cools and its energy is wasted.

So when you need just a little water, reach for the cold water tap – and save some precious hot water.

In the news:

Not content with the outcome of December’s Copenhagen climate summit, Caribbean leaders recently signed a declaration urging quicker, more aggressive action on climate change.  The President of Bolivia is hosting the World People’s Conference on Climate Change on Earth Day, and is calling for a ‘Declaration of Rights for Mother Earth’ – an interesting concept.

Weird weather is a precursor to climate change, and Newfoundland and Labrador has sure been getting its share this month: here, here and here.

How can most commuters save hundreds of dollars in fuel and parking fees every year?  By carpooling.

I just spent a few days in New York City with my family - we had a wonderful trip. While there, I had a great conversation with a New Yorker about 'being in touch with nature'. Something struck me during the conversation that made me realize something about the challenges humanity faces as more people migrate to large cities around the world.

It is generally accepted that well planned and clean urban areas are 'green' for a couple of big picture reasons - 1) millions of people travel shorter distances between work, home and play, and 2) less infrastructure is needed per capita. However, for as much as those benefits are apparent, the benefits of human contact with nature dwindles - a connection that is necessary for us to collectively remind us that we are stewards of this planet.

Enter Central Park, and all of the other parks of New York City. Trees are a plenty, and it is even possible in some areas to almost forget you are in a city of 8.6 million people (except for the noise of course). There, in the midst of one of the largest and most vibrant cities in the world, you can remember the value of nature, of a tree, of a garden.

So, I say to the people of New York of who had the in insight to open the 843 acre park in 1859 - good on 'ya. May it stay there forever as a constant reminder of how connected we must be with nature.

There is a young man in Canada who is fasting for climate change, Dante Ryel. I have spoken on the phone with Dante. He is really concerned about climate change. If I did not have children, I sometimes think I would probably be joining him because I know we have 2-5 years to get into motion politically, the economic changes needed to save our planet from runaway climate change.

Here is a description of his fast from Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=361963750008&ref=mf

Canada has an opportunity to take a historic leadership role in solving climate change. That's why I, Dante Ryel, am participating in a water-only fast from March 3rd, the Day parliament resumes, until the day our Members of Parliament vote on Bill C-311. Bill C-311 is also known as the Climate Change Accountability Act and it must pass. There is a huge difference between Stephen Harper's made in USA, weak, greenhouse gas targets and the ambitious targets in Bill C-311. If we want to avoid a more than two degree increase in temperature, a climate change tipping point, then our M.P.s must vote for this historic Bill.

The NDP introduced Bill C-311 and the Bloc Quebecois will support it. We must pressure the leaders of the Liberal and Conservative parties to vote yes on Bill C-311. In fact, all we need is Liberal support! However, many people are scared that the Liberals won't vote yes. That's why we must pressure them. Stephen Harper's Conservatives have consistently voted against Bill C-311, and have prevented any meaningful progress on climate change, but we should still ask them for their support. You never know.

We are so close to making history but we must make sure our politicians do the right thing! You can click the following link to send off an email to each federal party.

http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/10-Dec-09.html

In about a minute you could change the world all at the click of a mouse. You barely have to type! Or contact your local MP. You could Phone your MP, record yourself doing it, and post the video on YouTube.

Bill McKibben, the organizer of the fabulous international movement 350.org of International Day of Action on Climate Change fame, has written a great article called: Climate change skeptics present their case too well. In it, he talks about how the science showing the human causes of climate change are varied and solid, but the deniers have been able to create more doubt in people's minds. James Hoggan and Richard Littlemore wrote a great book called Climate Cover Up: the Crusade to Deny Global Warming and have shown how the spin doctors have shifted the debate from how bad global warming is to whether it is real.

It's really too bad that all our citizens don't  read enough to really understand these important issues: we could save our world if we all took the time to educate ourselves enough to make informed decisions and act accordingly.

Yes, I am a proud Canadian. Sidney Crosby and his teammates just won Canada our 14th Winter Olympics gold medal - a record for most gold medals in the Winter Games by any country ever. Not bad for a country with only 32 million people and lots of snow and ice!

And of that snow and ice?

As was evident early in the games, the planet is warming, Vancouver was the warmest city to ever host the games. Even Whistler was balmy. Even my backyard. We used to build a backyard rink - not so in the last three years - it has been to warm. This year it would have been a backyard slushfest.

So where is the hope in this note? From medals to a slushy backyard?

If Canada can do what we did in these games, then I am hopeful that the global community can do what has to be done for this planet and humanity. Getting there will be no different, but the way in which we reflect on success will be much different.

What do I mean?

We, as spectators, enjoy the MOMENT of the overtime goal, the MOMENT of a skier crosses the finish line or the MOMENT the last curling stone is thrown. What we do not see as spectators is the thousands of hours those athletes spend honing their skills, of perfecting their game and overcoming injuries and challenges along the way. Years of preparation are invested for one moment in time - the moment of victory.

That is where doing right for the planet differs from 'The Games'. For every slap shot or every curling stone thrown there one light bulb turned off and piece of litter picked up. But the reality is that we will never collectively pause as humanes and congratulate each other on saving the planet.

Sure, we may reduce our collective carbon footprint by 80% in the next 40 years, but will be gather as eight or nine billion people and celebrate our success? Probably not, but you know what? I hope so.

Stranger things have happened, like Canadian cleaning up on gold medals. Not bad, eh?

We all know that swapping out old incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) is one painless way to reduce your annual power bill. (Lights account for about 5% of overall household power use). CFLs use 75 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts and last up to 10 times longer. When you do the light bulb math each CFL bulb can prevent more than 450 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. And depending on electrical rates you could save about $80 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

If you’re going to make this worthwhile investment (and it is an investment, considering the cost) you’ll want to ensure each bulb lasts a good long time.

A friend was complaining recently that CFL bulbs in his home weren’t lasting nearly as long as they were supposed to. We were noticing the same thing so I did some research and discovered a few tips to help extend the life of your pricey bulbs:

• In fixtures on a dimmer switch use dimmable CFLs (should be stated on the packaging). Dimmers shorten the life of regular CFLs.

• CFLs are best in areas where they’re likely to be on for 15 minutes at a time or longer. Using them in places where they’ll be turned on and off frequently (like closets and bathrooms) will shorten their life.
• For totally enclosed fixtures buy bulbs that state clearly on that packaging that they’re designed for this use.

• If the bulb has been used according to the manufacturer’s instructions and still burns out early you may be eligible for a refund or a replacement. Energy Star certified bulbs carry at least a two-year warranty (covering manufacturer defects). The catch is that you need to save your receipts and contact the manufacturer directly.

Something else you need to know about CFL bulbs is that they all contain mercury. As a result they’re considered household hazardous waste and cannot go in the regular trash. Spent bulbs can be taken to the Crane Mountain Household Hazardous Waste Facility (Saturday mornings) or to convenient drop-off boxes at Home Depot. The mercury is recycled into new bulbs.

Because of the mercury you should be careful where you use the bulbs. Basically anywhere with a higher risk of breakage is not a good spot for a CFL (ex. lamps in children’s rooms or table lamps in high traffic areas).

If you break a bulb you should open a window, leave the room and close the door, turn off the air exchange system and go looking for a glass screw top jar and a roll of duct tape. After 15 minutes you can go back in (wearing gloves), put the glass fragments in the jar and use the tape to pick up the tiny bits. Put the tape in the jar too and use a damp cloth to wipe the area. Put the cloth in the jar, screw on the lid and take it to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

This is the ultra-conservative clean up method suggested by Energy Star. Apparently the overall the health risk is minimal (each bulb contains just a fraction of the mercury contained in a silver filling).

We live in the Great White North (yes, Canada). It gets cold in Canada in the winter. That said, the last few winters have been depressingly mild - for those of us who like to build backyard ice rinks. And who said climate change is happening?!

Anyway, I digress.

Our home was built in 1983 and was heated until last Fall by a combination electric/wood forced air furnace. We replaced the old furnace last Fall with a heat pump (check out a short video on the heat pump here - video taken with a Flip Camera - very cool!).

A few months later we are pleased to report that it was a good call.

We have equal billing with our electric utility, meaning that we pay the same amount every month and it gets adjusted once a year for the new year. This year's adjustment happened this month. What a pleasant surprise (well, not too much of a surprise)! Our equal billing has dropped enough for our next two and a half months of electricity to be free.

Big picture, I figure we will end up saving just over $1,000 per year, granted the payback is around 12 years, but, hey, it also increases the value of our home.

WWF has a great blog Miracle in your pocket by Zoë Caron (co-author of Global Warming for Dummies with Elizabeth May): It seems that iPhone has come out with another application that makes me drool, this one from Skeptical Science (getting skeptical about global warming skepticism).  It allows you to look at the main arguments from the denier camp and shares the real science in an easy, accessible way. They're asking people to download it and give them feedback, so the next version will be even better!

Maybe now my husband will give in and let me buy an iPhone! Maybe if I beg? Say it's for ClimateSphere (of course I might enjoy it a little)? Please, if I can help to save the world?

I am fortunate in my position to talk about environmental issues, and what to do about them, with a broad range of people from various backgrounds and experience, ranging from scientists to engineers to politicians to entertainers to athletes. All have a different perspective on the problems we face and different solutions.

It reminds me of the joke about four engineers in a car that breaks down (Ok, I am one so I can get away with telling this joke). Joke copied from http://tinyurl.com/yk8c2zo.

Four engineers were travelling by car to a seminar, when unfortunately, the vehicle broke down.

The chemical engineer said "Obviously, some constituent of the fuel has caused this failure to occur."

The mechanical engineer replied "I disagree, I would surmise that an engine component has suffered a catastrophic structural failure."

The electrical engineer also had a theory. "I believe an electrical component has ceased to function, thereby causing an ignition malfunction."

The software engineer thought for some time. When at last he spoke he said "What would happen if we all got out and then got back in again?"

Ok, back to reality…

A colleague this week made an analogy between doing an act of green and voting that is so true.

Picking up one piece of garbage or changing on light bulb or riding your bike to the store may not seem like much, but collectively, they add up in a big way. In that respect, I would venture to state that, as citizens, we are able to do numerous acts of green daily, where we can only vote once in any given election. To take that even one step further, one of our acts of green can even be voting for the best ‘green’ candidate.

So, please exercise not only your right to vote, but exercise your right to do many acts of green, our future needs it. Visit www.onemillionactsofgreen.com today to log your acts of green.