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Solutions to change the world!
Equiterre is looking for socially responsible solutions to everyday activities: food, gardening, housing, shopping and transportation. Fortunately, responsible choices are within everyone's reach!
Where to start?
Incorporating social responsibility and respect for the environment into your daily routine is easier than you think. To start, choose one or two actions to gradually integrate into your routine.
I produce less waste when I opt for reusable bags and products with less packaging, as well as when I reuse, recycle and compost.
- Quebecers are among the largest producers of waste in the world at a rate of 1.5 tonnes per person a year.
- One tonne of recycled plastic saves 600 kg to 800 kg of crude oil.
- Compost helps to avoid the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than C02.
- The average Quebecer buys 27 kg per year of new clothing and throws away almost as much.
I emit fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) when I switch to: biking; walking; taking the train, bus or subway; car sharing; and car pooling.
- In Quebec, the transportation sector accounts for 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions.
- In large cities, a bus replaces 50 cars on the road.
- In Montreal, if every public transit user drove instead, the result would be a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam extending all the way to the Gaspé.
- Half an hour of biking or walking per day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 50%.
- Transportation accounts for nearly 20% of household spending in Quebec, and is the second largest expense, after housing and before food!
I choose certified fair trade tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, rice, spices and cotton.
- When we buy certified fair trade products (e.g., products with the TransFair Canada logo), we are helping improve living conditions for small producers in the South by contributing to a more equitable distribution of wealth.
- According to the International Labour Organization, more than 246 million children are exploited as cheap labour, particularly in cocoa plantations.
- For a bag of coffee that costs $5, only about 3%, or 15¢, goes to the producer.
- Less than 2% of the price of a supermarket banana goes to the person who has grown and harvested it.
- Quebec's social economy is responsible for 65,000 jobs.
- Supporting community-minded organizations helps democratize the economy and support the economic vitality of all regions of Quebec.
I choose food grown locally with respect for the environment, e.g., by joining one of the family farms in Equiterre's CSA network.
- On average, food travels between 2,600 km and 4,000 km from field to table.
- Nearly a third of the trucks on our highways are carrying food.
- An imported fruit uses 10 to 20 times more fuel for transportation than the same fruit produced and consumed locally.
- 16% of all energy used in the West goes to the food sector (production, processing, packaging and distribution).
I lower the temperature by 3 ºC when I leave my home and at night.
- Heating accounts for 60% of our energy use and, hot water, 16%.
- Heating is a major environmental concern because of the high amount of greenhouse gas emissions and because of the dependency on power plants, the two main causes of climate change.
- During a 24-hour period, each degree over 20 °C consumes 5% more energy. Conversely, a decrease of 3 °C for 8 hours at night can save up to 6% in heating costs. In case of prolonged absence, it is recommended not to lower the temperature below 12 °C.
I buy energy-efficient products, e.g., appliances with the ENERGY STAR label, compact fluorescent bulbs.
- If every household replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, Canada would save $73 million in energy costs and reduce C02 emissions by 397,000 tonnes – the equivalent of 66,000 fewer cars on the roads!
- If every household in Quebec replaced its bulbs with compact fluorescents, we would save enough energy to power all the homes in Sherbrooke for a year.
- Household appliances account for 20% of the energy bill.
- ENERGY STAR appliances can reduce energy costs by 30% to 50%.
To use less water, I turn off the tap when brushing my teeth, I take showers instead of baths, and I use a low-flow showerhead and toilet.
- Each Canadian consumes an average of 335 litres of water per day, twice as much as a European. This is the equivalent of almost three baths a day.
- We flush 30% of our drinking water down the toilet, with the bathroom accounting for 65% of our clean water use.
- Every time we flush, we use up to 18 litres of purified drinking water, immediately polluting it and making it unusable until it is retreated.
- To make a single car, it takes 30,000 litres of water, enough to fill one and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools.
When I'm working on my home, I use local or recycled materials, and I insulate and weatherproof as much as possible.
- When we take into account resource extraction, transportation and processing, we see that producing new materials consumes a lot of energy and natural resources, as well as emitting a lot of greenhouse gases.
- Buildings are responsible for 33% of the energy used in Canada.
- Rénoclimat is the Quebec in-home home energy evaluation program, which provides homeowners with advice on energy efficiency as well as financial aid, from power companies and the federal government.
I choose native plants, collect rainwater, and avoid fertilizers and pesticides harmful to human health and the environment.
- According to Environment Canada, water consumption increases by 50% in the summer, mainly because of our gardens.
- There are several easy ways to save water in the garden, such as collecting rainwater and reducing the size of your lawn.
- Exposure to neurotoxic compounds in some pesticides at levels considered safe for adults may cause permanent damage to brain functions during fetal and early childhood development.
- A garden with a variety of native plants is easier and more environmentally friendly to maintain: there is no need for pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers that contaminate the environment and damage health.
I keep up with the decisions of my elected officials and I encourage them to adopt policies that are more environmentally friendly and socially responsible.
A letter from one person to a government or company represents the opinion of 1,000 people, and a phone call, 100.
12 Get involvedI contribute to my community by giving my time or money to a non-profit organization.
Volunteer organizations are the driving force behind societal progress.
Take it even further:
Small, easy tips... That make so much sense that you'll want to share them... See this month’s bonus action!
