Londoner's share their City Green Stories
The Difference Was Clear
A Story About Building Improvements
Some time ago, my office installed new windows, with the help of a Downtown London facade improvement grant. While it was difficult to part with the beautiful patina in the half-century-old glass, I also recognized we were losing tremendous amounts of heat in the winter, and that our AC was working very hard - too hard - in the summer.
School-friendly
A Story About Reducing Waste
I used to think that my family did a fairly good job at reducing waste in our household. We like to recycle, and we do our best with water and energy consumption.
Recently, my oldest child started kindergarten. It wasn’t until I began packing her lunches for school that I realized how many single use plastic products we actually used (plastic bags, plastic wrap, etc).
Now, we strive very hard to eliminate these products from our lives.
Just some healty stuff we have been doing for a long time.
A Story About Home Improvements
Kethes81@hotmail.com
Hi, my name is Avishan Ketheswaran. I am 11. I live in 325 Lighthouse Rd. There are four members of my family my little sister, My mom, my dad and of course me and we care about the earth a lot. .
We only use light when it is dark and not in the daytime. If we are in one room then the light is not on in the other rooms. To save energy we use the clothesline to dry his clothes instead of drier in the summer. We don’t charge stuff when we sleep.
My Ways of Reducing Environmental Impact
A Story About Reducing Waste
- I block the vents in bedrooms that are not being used and keep the doors closed so air conditioning or heating won't be overused. In summer the thermostat is set at 23 degrees and winter is 19.
- I only run the dishwasher when it is full and I only do laundry on the weekends.
- I use plastic food containers like peanut butter for buttons, screws and any other small things.
-I am gradually changing over all the bulbs in my home to more efficient LEDs.
We try our best....
A Story About Home Improvements
We really try our best to be environmentally conscious in our home. We buy local produce & bring it home in reusable bags. We try not to package our produce into clear plastic bags. We make sure that we buy just enough food & always use up our leftovers, so there is little to no food waste. Our daughter has a lunch box that is reusable, including a reusable water bottle that she takes to school daily. We use a filter in our home, which means that there are no water bottles coming in/out.
Worms
A Story About Reducing Waste
What does one do when you live in a condo and the rules don’t allow composters in the back. Well you research how to compost with worms. It is fabulous and easy to do right in my basement! And the kids in the neighbourhood are fascinated with my worms!
Thanks for reading
Waste Not
A Story About Reducing Waste
I reduce waste in lots of ways.
I compost all organic waste, including fruits, vegetables, coffee grinds etc. This makes a big difference in what goes to the curb every week.
I avoid buying fast food, as a lot of waste is made through packaging and presentation.
Buying local generally involves less packaging than at a grocery store.
Avoiding unnecessary purchases is a great way to reduce waste.
I commute to work and school by bike and bus, reducing emissions.
Off to a good start
A Story About Reducing Waste
We have almost gotten our family down to no straws, no plastic water bottles and we use environmentally friendly detergent and cleaning products. Also we have a great friend who introduced us to Norwex products and they are amazing and reusable!!
Environmental Education in Action
A Story About Education & Awareness
While action is key, education is a huge part of environmental protection. Not only am I active on social media for small business clients, but I also promote environmental awareness on my own pages too. I let friends know about tree giveaways and share event pages for community cleanups. Want to know more about native trees and plants that grow in our area? I have written many articles about them. Plus, I share ways to reduce plastic use, and local places to purchase reusable items. You can't help if you don't know how.
Reducing my personal carbon footprint
A Story About Education & Awareness
It all started in highschool.
I went vegetarian for a month to test how well my body could adapt to a low-carbon diet. I enjoyed it, and eventually transitioned to veganism (for environmental protection). I am not fully vegan but I eat very minimal foods that emit high amounts of carbon to produce such as meats and dairy.
I only invest in "socially conscious & green" ETF's. All my investments are based on finding companies and funds that produce medium-high returns with little to no carbon footprint.