FMSS

Encourage your school choose office paper with the highest recycled content you can find… and look for wood alternatives.

When buying paper for printers and copiers at home, look for paper that is at least 30% recycled content (the minimum recycled content for a paper to be classified as “recycled”) and

“Processed Chlorine Free” (PCF).

When paper is bleached using chlorine, dioxins are created which pollute the air, soil and water and poison fish and other wildlife. Dioxins are fat soluble so they end up in grazing animals – which means they also end up in the milk we drink and food we eat. No big deal you say? Well, it is a big deal because dioxins are can cause cancer and various kinds of deformities.

When paper is PCF, it has been bleached using oxygen or hydrogen peroxide which does not create the same harmful effects that chlorine does.

Better yet, look for “papers” that have been produced from cotton, flax, hemp or kenaf. These non-wood agricultural fibres come from three primary sources:

•	Fibres diverted from agricultural farming waste;
•	Industrial by-products from other manufacturing processes; or
•	Crops grown in an environmentally-responsible manner for the sole purpose of creating paper pulp. These crops yield more pulp per acre than tree farms (or forests) and mature faster than trees, so they are better for the environment in many ways.

To see an interesting video about the impact of paper usage and production on the environment, View Video.

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Use two-sided printing.

Depending on which study/ report you read, you’ll find that the average person in North America uses somewhere between 300 and 350 kilos (660 – 770 pounds) of paper each year. That is the equivalent of about 20 trees that are as wide around as telephone poles and two stories high.

It is estimated that by using both sides of the sheet for note taking, presentations, etc. millions of trees could be saved each year – not to mention the savings in water, fuel and other resources needed to produce the paper. And the resources used in shipping the paper – often thousands of kilometers from where it has been produced to your local store.

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Recycle all junk mail, old files, paper and cardboard packaging.

In many industrial countries, paper-based products represent nearly 40% of municipal solid waste – and most of this could be diverted to recycling facilities if we took the time to sort our trash. Recycling paper can save 20 trees per ton of paper.

Recycling can save you money as well as our planet. In some parts of Canada and the US, recycling paper products can reduce your garbage haulage costs because it is picked up at no cost – or at greatly reduced rates. In some areas you can even get paid for your scrap paper.

When looking for things to recycle, don’t forget about the rolls inside toilet paper, labels on cans, cardboard coffee cups, etc.

Just remember, not all paper is recyclable, so don’t wreck a load of good repurposeable paper by throwing in your foil wrapping paper and other paper items that can not be recycled in your community. Not sure? Check the public services websites in your area for a list of what can be recycled and what can not.

In addition, you can reduce the amount of junk you receive by subscribing (or getting your parents to) to “Do Not Mail” programs and by signing up for e-billing wherever possible.

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Avoid foil paper for wrapping gifts.

This kind of paper can not be recycled and ends up in landfills – and if you add it to your recycling bins, some municipalities discard the entire load. Instead, use wrapping paper made from recycled content. Better yet, use gift bags which can be used over and over again.

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Use toilet paper made from 100% recycled content.

According to US statistics, and Canadian ones are similar, over 95% of toilet paper used in North America is made from virgin wood fibre. In Canada, the primary source of the pulp used to make fluffy white TP is our boreal forest – that precious resource which is home to myriad ecosystems, and which helps sustain our planet by scrubbing the air clean of the carbon dioxide responsible for global warming.

It took centuries for the boreal forest to grow – and we are flushing it away, piece by piece by piece. Sounds dramatic, but when you consider that it takes about 384 trees to make the toilet paper that one person uses in a lifetime, you can see why we are advocating the use of toilet paper made from 100% recycled content.

If every home in Canada replaced even just one roll of regular toilet paper with 100% recycled content tissue, 47,962 full grown trees could be saved – trees that take decades and decades to grow. If every American household did the same, that would save another million trees!

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Use paper towels made from 100% recycled content – or switch to cloth, or the new re-usable paperless towels.

Luckily fewer homes and businesses use paper towels these days, but the impact on our forests is still pretty significant.

Every year 3,500 tons of used paper towel end up in land fill (not having been recycled). If every home in the US replaced even just one roll of regular paper towel with 100% recycled content paper or cloth, +1.5 million trees would be saved.
Just imagine the impact you could have by getting your family and friends to switch to recycled toilet paper and paper towels alone.

1 paperless towel: 17 rolls of regular paper towels, so most North American households would recoup the cost of switching to paperless kitchen towels in about two months. Added bonus: They don’t leave the little bits of lint behind that you get with paper

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Use real cloth napkins for the same reason.

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Use permanent, non-disposable dishes and cutlery.

There are times, however, when real cutlery just won’t cut it, so to speak. For these occasions, look for the cutlery that is made from 100% recycled materials and/or the biodegradable brands available now.

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Plant things!
Volunteer your time to plant trees. Go online and find a group in your area that helps to reforest our planet. There are hundreds of these groups. In Toronto, an active volunteer group is Ten Thousand Trees for the Rouge. Even if you only plant one tree in your own back yard, that will still help our planet.

So will planting drought-tolerant native plants – or any plant that needs less water, so you can let Mother Nature take care of all your watering needs. Many native plants will also attract bumble bees, butterflies and other pollinators that we need for flowers and fruit trees to continue to bloom, grow and propagate.

Save Landfills

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Use 100% bio-degradable garbage bags (visit www.polyethics.com).

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Avoid bottled water

In many cities, the water out of the tap is actually cleaner than the stuff in bottles. Don’t like the taste of the water near you? Try a water filter or a few drops of lemon juice.
Either way, filling up your own metal water bottle from home will save you money and time, keep you from ingesting a lot of nasty chemicals – and help keep a lot of plastic out of our landfill sites.

Americans put 29 billion water bottles into landfill sites every year. These plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels. In fact, it takes 17 million barrels of crude oil every year to make the number of bottles used for water alone – and there are pop bottles on top of that! To put that in perspective, that is enough oil to keep one million cars driving around for 12 months without stopping.

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Compost or use your city’s green bin / compost pick up programs.

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Return your laser and ink-jet cartridges using the manufacturers' recycling programs.

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Recycle your computers, cell phones and other office equipment.

Don't throw out your old computers and other electronics because they will end up in land-fill sites which are already straining to accommodate everyone’s trash. Not only that, the batteries in many products can leak when exposed to the elements causing harmful chemicals, including mercury, to leach into the soil and, eventually into our water supply.
Instead, make use of your community’s hazardous materials depots, return them tot he manufacturer for disposal if possible, donate them to school and training centres, etc. Buy smarter – or don’t buy at all.

Before you purchase an item that you may not use often, find out if it can be borrowed or leased. This is particularly true of books – remember that library card you had when you were little?

Also, try going online to see if you can buy a gently-used second-hand product instead of something new. Think this tip is more about saving money than the environment? Think again. Manufacturing uses energy, natural resources and water – and then there is the fuel needed for whatever vehicles are used to ship the item from where it is made to where it is sold.

Save Water

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Install an inexpensive low-flow toilet, or adapt your existing one.

Standard toilets can use as much as seven gallons of water per flush. Low-flows, however, use on average only 1.6 gallons. When you think of the number of times your family or office flushes in a single day, you’ll see why that one simple act could save you over 12,000 gallons of water per year for every person in your household.

Just image the savings on your wallet and our planet.

Don’t want to install a new toilet? In 30 minutes or less you can install an adjustable flapper (average savings of 3 gallons per flush), a tank bag (saves an amount equal to the size of the bag), or fill cycle diverter (saves a half-gallon or more per flush). Checking for leaks (and repairing them, too, of course) also helps.

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Fix dripping taps in your kitchen or bathrooms: these can fill up to 55 one-litre bottles in a day.

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Take shorter showers and/or install a low-flow showerhead.

Despite what our society has come to believe, many people can get away with showering every other day and still smell fresh. Try it on for size – and moms, your kids will love it if they don’t have to take a bath every day!

Save Energy

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Replace incandescent or track lighting with energy efficient bulbs.

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Unplug appliances when you are not using them.

Even when an appliance is not being used, many still draw power. This is especially true of computers. So, don’t leave your computer sleeping when you leave it for the day (or night when at home), turn it off and unplug it.

As you start unplugging appliances or pieces of equipment that are not in use, don't get too carried away. Remember that things, TVs and DVDs for example, will lose their programming if you disconnect them.

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Set your thermostat a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer.

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Install a programmable thermostat to run your heating and cooling when you really need it most.

Also, look to see if your neighbourhood has introduced time of use monitoring; this can help you lessen the toll on your community’s power grid and save you money.
There are also devices for businesses and manufacturing facilities that help to regulate the flow of electricity, saving you money by removing the spikes in usage.

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Wash clothes in cold water (doing full loads) and hang as much as possible to dry.

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Walk, bike, car pool or take public transit whenever possible.

Not only will this save fossil fuels, money and our atmosphere, you may even find yourself getting in better shape.

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Buy food and supplies locally to avoid unnecessary shipping

25 Easy Things You Can Do To Go Green

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Encourage your school and your parents’ offices to choose green printing options.

•

Use toilet paper made from 100% recycled content.

•

Use paper towels made from 100% recycled content – or switch to cloth, or the new re-usable paperless towels.

•

Use real cloth napkins for the same reason.

•

Use permanent, non-disposable dishes and cutlery – or choose ones made from 100% recycled content.

•

Choose office paper with the highest recycled content you can find… and look for wood alternatives.

•

Recycle all junk mail, old files, paper and cardboard packaging.

•

Avoid foil paper for wrapping gifts.

•

Plant things.

•

Use 100% bio-degradable garbage bags (visit www.polyethics.com).Avoid bottled water
Compost or use your city’s green bin / compost pick up programs.

•

Return your laser and ink-jet cartridges using the manufacturers' recycling programs.

•

Recycle your computers, cell phones and other office equipment.

•

Buy smarter – or don’t buy at all.

•

Install an inexpensive low-flow toilet, or adapt your existing one.

•

Fix dripping taps in your kitchen or bathrooms: these can fill up to 55 one-litre bottles in a day.

•

Take shorter showers and/or install a low-flow showerhead.

•

Replace incandescent or track lighting with energy efficient bulbs.

•

Unplug appliances when you are not using them.

•

Set your thermostat a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer.

•

Install a programmable thermostat to run your heating and cooling when you really need it most.

•

Wash clothes in cold water (doing full loads) and hang as much as possible to dry.

•

Walk, bike, car pool or take public transit whenever possible.

•

Buy food and supplies locally to avoid unnecessary shipping.