A ROOM WITH A POINT OF VIEW
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN EARTH WEEK
From NEWS CANADA
Millions of Canadians and others in more than 150 countries around the world will recognize Earth Week and Earth Day this month.
The intentions behind Earth Week are to take the time to be more environmentally conscious, and to take action to reduce our carbon footprint at home, school and work.
You can participate too. Here are some easy ways to get involved and contribute to environmental conservation in your community:
Commit to using a reusable grocery bag when you shop. In Canada, 55 million plastic shopping bags are used each week. Store some bags at the office and at home. If you drive, leave some in the car, too.
Many schools encourage litter-free lunches. Join the initiative with reusable plastic or glass lunch containers, cloth napkins and stainless-steel cutlery. At the office, use glasses or mugs for your beverages. For on-the-go, invest in reusable beverage containers.
Take public transit, walk or carpool to get around.
Get the family outdoors and join or create a neighbourhood litter clean-up. Make sure to wear gloves and closed-toe shoes.
Save the planet and save on electricity bills by turning out the lights and using appliances during mid-peak or off-peak hours. The best hours are from 7 pm to 7 am.
Many municipalities across the country plan activities for their residents. Visit your municipality’s website for a listing.
More and more fashion brands are making efforts to create their products in sustainable ways. But beyond choosing to buy from environmentally conscious companies, there is a lot we can do to protect the earth by using what’s in our closets already.
The reality is that Canadians throw away an average of 37 kilograms of textiles every year, most of which can be reused or recycled.
Before you dump your clothes, shoes and other textiles into the trash to end up in landfills, consider these tips on how to create your own sustainable wardrobe:
Reuse: Organize a clothing swap with family and friends and discover new fashion finds without spending a dime. Get each person to bring over a few pieces they no longer wear that are still in good condition and let the swapping begin. Recycle items that don’t get swapped.
Repurpose: Get those creative juices flowing and make something new out of the old. Transform a jean jacket into a vest. Use an old t-shirt to make the ideal rag for polishing wood or cleaning mirrors. Or cut up other old clothing to use for stuffing pillows or making scented drawer sachets.
Recycle: Donate last year’s fashions to an organization like Diabetes Canada, which has recycling boxes specially for unwanted textiles. This includes accessories, bags and clothing, as well as curtains, shoes and even sleeping bags.
But please remember, charities want people to donate, not dump at donation bins.
Many charitable organizations depend on people donating used clothing, shoes and accessories at donation bins to raise funds. Every year, thousands of textile donations are made with proceeds going towards supporting important causes, such as improving health and reducing poverty. But there has been a recent increase in people dumping, rather than donating, unwanted goods.
Organizations such as Diabetes Canada want to remind the public that they do not accept large household items or garbage, and that anything being donated should fit through the chute of the donation bin.
“We are very grateful for everyone who takes the time to sort and donate their used clothing to us, but more and more we are seeing garbage and larger household items such as sofas, broken appliances, soiled or torn mattresses dumped around bins, which are designed to collect textiles and clothing,” explains a spokesperson.
When individuals dump furniture or items not accepted by charitable organizations outside of clothing donation bins or outside thrift shops, the charities must use their own resources to clear the items.
Deposit items at one of its 2,000 donation bins in Ontario, or find out what can and can’t be donated and schedule a free home pick-up at declutter.diabetes.ca.