How to do your part for World Environment Day
June 5th is World Environment Day, encouraging you and your neighbours to protect the environment. The theme for 2019 is ‘Beat Air Pollution.’ If you want to take part in this event (and we really hope you do), here are a few ways to do it:
- Get your energy from Bullfrog Power – they are Canada’s leader in green energy. If you use the code REAP at checkout, they’ll knock $50 off your first bill.
- Harness the power of the sun with solar energy to heat your home and water to help lower your carbon footprint.
- Get your hands dirty in the garden. Adding more plant life to your living space is a sure-fire way to help improve the environment. It cleans the air and adds a nice touch to your home and backyard.
- Take a look at electric vehicles. Calgary is a large, sprawling city and a car is fairly necessary to get around. GoElectric is Calgary’s only used car dealership that specializes in electric vehicles.
- Look into grocery delivery services rather than continue driving back and forth from the store. Spud specializes in ethical, organic products that have smaller food miles than the average grocery store. This keeps more cars off the road without giving up fresh, home-cooked meals.
- Volunteer with Grow Calgary. This urban farming initiative grows sustainable produce for communities in need.
Continue on the environmental trend by cutting down on your plastic pollution. Check out these tips:
- Buy reusable straws. Many businesses are replacing plastic straws with paper. If you’re not a fan of paper, there are many places you can buy reusable metal or silicone straws that you can throw in your bag so you always have one handy.
- Reusable shopping bags can make a huge difference. Whether they are totes or crates, cutting down on the number of plastic grocery bags you collect will help keep them out of landfills.
- Use reusable water bottles and coffee mugs. These often hold more and keep your drink warm/cold for longer periods of time. Nowadays, most places will give you a discount for bringing in your own bottle or mug.
- ‘Plogging’ is a Swedish trend that combines jogging and picking up. When you’re out for a jog, pick up some litter you see on the ground. It’ll get you into better shape and keep the community clean simultaneously.
- Use compostable plates when camping. These not only break down over time, but they can also be added into your garden.
Some of these ideas may seem too radical for you, and that’s ok. World Environment Day means to help bring awareness to environmental issues and start the conversation about what you can do; even the smallest changes can make a big difference over time. This June 5th, pick a few of these points to try out and help make the world a better place tomorrow than it is today.