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Actions your community can take

 

Actions you can take today

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Low cost actions

  • Promote the Energuide for Houses program in your community. The Office of Energy Efficiency in cooperation with Canada Mortgage and Housing developed this program to give Canadians access to trained professionals who can give them independent, expert advice about energy efficiency in their houses. You can find out more about this program by visiting Manitoba Hydro’s It All Add’s Up website or visit the Green Communities Energuide for Houses.
  • Choose from one of the over 50 Actions Local Governments Can Take to Reduce GHG Emissions or conserve energy.
  • Host a Tire Pressure Clinic such as EcoPerth does. They reduce GHG Emissions while helping residents save money. One of the best ways of maximizing your fuel efficiency is to keep your tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can lower your fuel efficiency by 5% or more, cause premature wear, and cause safety concerns.
  • Go “paperless” at community or municipal meetings. The Town of Morden has switched to paper-free council meetings. They have leased a projector and screen so that all agendas and meeting documents are viewed electronically. This small change will reduce 600 kilograms of paper at an estimated savings of $4,500 annually.

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Well-worth-the-cost actions

Some climate change projects and programs will require a greater degree of financial commitment but these actions are well worth the cost!

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) created a document called Quick Action Guide: Municipal Action on Climate Protection. This guide describes twenty corporate and community actions that you can take to make your community more climate-friendly. This guide also provides resources, case studies, and contact information for community leaders who have taken these actions.

Examples from the guide include:

  • Retrofit municipal buildings - Municipal buildings account for an average of 48% of the GHG emissions generated by municipalities.
  • Change traffic lights to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures - Lighting accounts for an average of 15% of GHG emissions from the corporate sector, with traffic lights accounting for approximately 10–25% of the total energy used for lighting. LEDs (lightemitting diodes) are 80–90% more efficient and last ten times longer than ordinary lights, reducing energy and maintenance costs.
  • Launch an awareness program about the importance of clean water and sell rain barrels at a reduced cost.
  • Start a community wide-compost program