Londoner's share their City Green Stories
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.
Energy
A Story About Green Purchasing
Walking and using public transportation
No air condition I open windows
Using dishwasher and oven after 7 pm ,
Stopped smoking , don’t use bottled water ,
Using newspaper to clean windows and mirrors ,
I take my bags for the grocery , donate clothes and things monthly to Goodwill ,
And i make at weekends some cakes and cupcakes and let my son and daughter to give it for kids and families at the park
The Hidden *******
A Story About Reducing Waste
Starting a a few years ago, my partner and I, examined the little plastics we were constantly throwing out. After a few months we realized groceries and our lunches were creating almost 60 pieces of plastic per week for two people, most of which was plastic bags and wrappers.
We hopped on Amazon to see what we could find. Our best reusable purchases have been some mesh bags for grocery shopping and buying the small (125ml) Bernadin jars for snacks in lunches. We also made sure we used our Bin Shopping Bins more.
eco ride
A Story About Biking
I decided to try to change my foot print on getting to work. The only way possible to me that was efficient was to get ang to ECO friendly Electric Bicycle...... Leaving absolutely no Green House Gasses to make the air polluted I ride like the wind to and from work with ease, Now i go everywhere with the bike to the store, work, Mall, and even out for a nice ride across the park system of London. With that in mind it even has me losing weight with all the riding i am doing.....My Blood Sugar is lower and I feel Great.
Birds and Butterflies
A Story About Gardening
As a renter, I am unable to do much with the home I live in. I do recycle everything I can. The one thing that has become my passion is our birds and butterflies. I plant perennials that they love, including the butterfly weed attracting many butterflies. This year has been exceptional. I had five monarch caterpillars and am waiting for them to become butterflies. I plant tons of cone flowers for the birds, and also have several bird baths. I dont spray anything! Yes, the skunks dig up my front lawn looking for grubs, but thats okay.
Century green
A Story About Home Improvements
We moved into a house built in 1891, it had a full reno about 15 years ago so it’s much more efficient than when it was first built. Since we moved in we have done the following to improve our footprint:
- high efficiency furnace
- R50 attic insulation
- replaced an old garden door with a brand new one
- replaced the biggest window in the house with a triple-paned fixed window
- rain barrel that we use to water all our plants as well as occasionally wash our car with
- installed an electric car charger in the garage for our EV
Changemaker
A Story About Green Purchasing
In my experience, I’ve noticed that walking, biking and using public transportation to get around the city really has made a positive impact on the environment and in how I feel physically and emotionally . I also use cloth bags when shopping locally and subscribe to a CSA box from a farm in the County. Our house drinks water that’s not bottled and has eliminated paper towels, plastic lunch bags and even composts organic waste from the kitchen . Our home has energy efficient lighting and appliances. By collecting rain water, I minimize the use of fresh water on the garden and lawn.