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• Seek out other options. Use public transit, travel by bicycle or walk whenever you can. Consider carpooling for recurring trips, with coworkers for example. If each Montrealer went to work once a week by bus or metro, it would be the equivalent of taking 120,000 cars off the road. |
| • The smallest vehicle possible. When your lifestyle demands that you have to drive a vehicle, make sure it consumes as little energy as possible, that its energy consumption characteristics offer the best fuel consumption, and therefore lower CO2 emissions. |
| • Drive with the windows closed and remove unused roof racks. By reducing wind resistance you will use less fuel and reduce your CO2 emissions. |
| • Keep your tires properly inflated. You reduce rolling resistance, burn less gas and reduce your CO2 emissions. Check your tire pressures and adjust them as necessary when planning long trips. |
| • Avoid pointless acceleration and braking in traffic and shut off your engine when your car is stopped. Acceleration and idling engines use fuel and increase your CO2 emissions. And contrary to what is commonly believed, letting the engine run for more than ten seconds when stopped burns more fuel and generates more emissions than shutting it off and restarting it. |
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• Wash in cold water rather than hot. By changing two washings in hot water with two washings in cold water each week, you reduce your CO2 emissions by 12 kg per year. And what’s more, you save: a cold water wash costs on average $0.02, while a hot water wash costs $0.47. |
| • Choose composting. You reduce the methane emissions generated by organic matter as it decomposes in landfills, as well as the GHGs generated by transporting the waste. Not to mention that compost is an excellent natural fertilizer. |
| • Mow your lawn differently. A conventional gas lawn mower emits as much GHG in an hour of operation as 40 new cars! Why not choose a manual or electric model? |
| • Install programmable thermostats. They cost about $50 and you will save much more than that in the first year. |
| • Buy Quebec. The average transportation distance of food, from field to table, is 2,600 km. A more ecological option is to buy products from here, which also supports local agriculture at the same time. |
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• Save electricity. Remember to shut off unnecessary lighting during the day or when you leave at night.
• Print front and back. This will considerably reduce your paper consumption. Ask yourself, do you need to print that document?
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| • Make your corrections directly on your computer. Most word processing programs let you make comments and corrections directly in your file with the help of the Comment and Track Changes functions. |
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• Opt for recreational activities that emit little CO2. A snowmobile emits as much CO2 in an hour as 100 cars! Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are alternatives that allow you to admire the landscape and the wildlife while having a minimal impact on the environment. |
