It is our responsibility to be respectful to the Earth that we live in, and part of that respect includes awareness of some of the small things we can do to help maintain and restore our environment. Let’s make the effort to add these little changes to our daily or weekly schedule to give many generations to come a beautiful and clean world.
Did you know that residential water consumption in BC is an average of 490 litres per person per day, not including industrial or agricultural water use?
Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth and fix any leaky faucets in the kitchen and bathroom.
Give up plastic (and paper) bags...millions of barrels of oil are used every year to produce plastic bags, and it costs 4 times the energy to produce paper bags. Keep a few reusable cotton or nylon bags stored in your car or purse to use at the grocery store.
Did you know it takes 25 bottles of water to produce the plastic needed for a 1 litre bottle of water? Buy reusable water bottles made of aluminum or stainless steel, or if you have to use plastic, choose plastics numbered 1,2,4 or 5 as they are less harmful.
Only 10% of the energy used by a typical washing machine powers the motor...90% goes to heating the water! Most clothes will come clean in cold water. For heavily soiled clothes, change it from hot to warm.
Use household items to clean with...baking soda’s mild abrasive action and mild deodorizing properties make it a powerful replacement for harsh commercial scouring powders. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge for bathtubs, vanities, kitchen sinks, etc. For tougher stains, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the area and let it stand for 10-20 minutes before washing. For slow-running drains, pour 1/2-3/4 cup baking soda into the drain, and dribble just enough hot water to wash the solution down. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight and flush thoroughly with hot water.
I know most of us, especially those living in Whistler, are very conscious of making good choices when it comes to our environment, but let this be a friendly reminder we can always do more. Happy Earth Day!