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.

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.

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?

Every day, landfills across the country receive truckloads of things that are perfectly good but just not needed anymore.  It’s an inglorious end for stuff that still has useful service to offer.

But there’s a better way.  If you’re looking to get rid of perfectly good stuff that’s cluttering up your basement, garage or office, consider freecycling it.  Freecycling is making it available (via the internet) it at no cost to someone in your community who could use it. 

Check out www.freecycle.org; there’s a good chance you’ll find a local on-line group you can join.  If there’s no Freecycle group in your community, you can ‘be the change’ and start one!

You won’t get rich freecycling, but you can unclutter your life and you’ll do a good thing by keeping stuff out of the landfill before its time.  And maybe, you’ll discover that someone’s giving away something YOU want…

(If you prefer, there are plenty of charities across Canada that can use your used goods: http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/charityvillage/donate.asp.)

In the news:

"It's happening much faster than our most pessimistic projections," said University of Manitoba Professor David Barber last week, releasing the results of an extensive new study of Arctic ice disappearance.

Arg!!  Guess where global warming ranked in a Pew Research Center survey asking people to prioritize 21 social and economic issues... 

Mais oui - bilingual signs for your paper towel and soap dispensers are now available for download here.  (Thanks to subscriber Mariet van Groenewoud for the suggestion!)

For many people, climate change is about a few degrees of warming.  But wait – there’s more, much more!

If you’re anything like us you have a kitchen junk drawer full of spent batteries (or batteries you think are worn out but you really can’t remember where they came from or how long they’ve been in there.) I had been ignoring these batteries until, over Christmas, my brother-in-law asked me what should be done with them. (It was a timely question - 40% of annual battery sales happen during the holidays.) 

Since it is estimated that your average individual tosses about eight single use batteries a year, having a drawer full isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means that you haven’t been putting them in the trash.

Batteries don’t belong in the landfill. Whether they’re single use alkaline (AA, AAA, C, D), lithium, button style or rechargeable batteries, there is a safe place for each of these and it isn’t your household trash. Even though many manufacturers of single use batteries say they should simply be tossed when worn out (which isn’t true) all batteries need to be handled with care. Some are at the very least caustic while others contain heavy metals and other toxic stuff. All can be recycled to varying degrees so it’s important to help them get into their proper recycling stream.

For a one-stop drop off you can take everything (rechargeable batteries, single use alkaline batteries, cell phones, CD Players, MP3 Players, CDs, Portable DVD Players) to Future Shop and look for the Greentec drop box.

As another option, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (established by battery manufacturers) operates a free rechargeable battery and cell phone collection program. In our area look for drop off boxes at The Source, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Future Shop and Staples. Along with the common household rechargeable batteries you can drop off worn out rechargeable batteries from power tools, digital cameras, cellular and cordless phones, laptops, MP3 players and any other rechargeable that won’t hold a charge any longer. Visit their website (www.call2recycle.org ) for a complete listing of local drop off locations.

Now that you know how to dispose of batteries safely, you might want to consider changing your battery habits. A great place to start is to ban single use batteries from your life (except for your smoke detectors) and switch to rechargeable batteries wherever possible. A standard rechargeable battery can replace up to 300 single use batteries.

And one more tip, before you buy something that is battery operated consider other options. Think about it…do you really need a battery powered toothbrush or a battery powered milk frother?

Automatic door openers are in buildings everywhere these days, helping provide access to people with mobility challenges.  But their popularity has led to an unintended side effect: many people with no mobility issues have gotten into the comfortable habit of pressing the button too.

Automatic openers use electricity, and they often hold exterior doors open long enough for a lot of heat to escape.

So to save a bit of electricity and heat, why not leave automatic door openers for those who really need them, and , if you can, open doors the old-fashioned way.

In the News

What are the TOP 10 environmental moments of the past decade?  Here they are, according to CNN.  The last two sentences of number 8 will likely surprise you.

Who - or what - came out on top in Copenhagen last month, and who - or what - lost out?

This time of year the green living talk is all about home energy audits and the things we’re doing to keep the heat in and those insidious cold drafts out. We’re working harder than ever to keep our homes snug and tight, all the while oblivious to what our efficiency efforts are doing to the quality of our indoor air. That’s why this time of year more than any other we need to be aware of what we’re breathing at home.

Indoor air pollution is a concern these days because our homes are much tighter than they were in the past and they’re filled with more synthetic items, including air fresheners, cleaning products, upholstered furniture, carpets, fabricated wood items, scented beauty products and scented petroleum-based candles. These synthetics off-gas – meaning they emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – that are all toxic to varying degrees. It is estimated that indoor air is about five times more polluted than outdoor air. (And that comparison isn’t based on fresh country air it’s based on the air quality in your average city.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to people’s health.

In warm weather it’s easy to open the windows to let a breeze flush out bad air. You probably don’t want to do that on a cool January day so here are a few alternatives to help keep your indoor air healthier this winter. Most are common sense but it's still good to be reminded...

Choose eco-friendly cleaning supplies that are less toxic than conventional products. Look for those with the EcoLogo certification so you don’t have to decipher labels. Better yet, switch to vinegar and baking soda for most of your cleaning needs.

Ensure your stove top is properly vented (especially if you have a gas stove) and avoid cooking with Teflon coated pans since they emit toxic fumes when used at high temperatures.

If you’re painting choose low VOC or zero-VOC paints. Home Depot, Home Hardware and Benjamin Moore all carry lines of these eco-friendly paints that make a newly painted room livable and much healthier.

Avoid room fresheners, especially those that plug in. The chemical fragrances used in these are highly toxic.

Buy fragrance-free beauty products and avoid all aerosols (you inhale all of those tiny spray particles).

Choose soy or beeswax candles rather than regular candles, which are made from petroleum products. And go the unscented route since artificial fragrances are toxic in their own right.

If you heat with a wood stove or wood insert ensure the chimney is properly cleaned annually.

Incorporate house plants into your home decorating - they help to clean the air by absorbing toxins. Spider plants, philodendrons, mums, peace lilies, gerbera daisies and English ivy are some of the best. You need about one plant for every 100 square feet of living space in your home to really take advantage of the benefits.

Being aware of indoor air quality and the simple things you can do to improve it are the first steps to breathing easier this winter.

First of all, Happy 20-10!

The New Year is always a good time to review our assumptions and think about how we want to change our lives for the next year. Umair Haque, in the Harvard Business Review, has a great discussion of how 'leaders' lead makes a difference in how effective our leadership is, with thoughts on building a different paradigm for the 21st century. Here's an excerpt:

"The 21st century doesn't need more leaders - nor more leadership. Only Builders can kickstart the chain reaction of a better, more authentic kind of prosperity.

How can you become one? Here are the ten principles of Constructivism (contrasted with these principles of leadership).

1. The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them. The Builder learns from them.
2. The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will. The Builder depends on good.
3. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The Builder is inspired — by changing the world.
4. The boss says "I"; the leader says "we". The Builder says "all" — people, communities, and society.
5. The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace. The Builder sees the outcome.
6. The boss says, "Get there on time;" the leader gets there ahead of time. The Builder makes sure "getting there" matters.
7. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The Builder prevents the breakdown.
8. The boss knows how; the leader shows how. The Builder shows why.
9. The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes work a game. The Builder organizes love, not work.
10. The boss says, "Go;" the leader says, "Let's go." The Builder says: "come." "
    

It's time to build a better society, with a better system for economics not based on growth, on caring most about the individuals in our community's health and happiness.

It's time for new leadership resolutions!