At Home and Play
Tips about how to be greener in your home...
- Limit use of the air conditioner. Use drapes and blinds to help cool your house by closing them during the hottest parts of the day or when you aren't at home. Using ceiling fans or floor fans can also help keep your house cooler without having to use the air conditioner as much.
- Boil water with an electric kettle. Electric kettles use half as much energy as stove top kettles and are often faster.
- Start a compost pile in your backyard to help divert food waste from the landfill. Backyard composting is easy and can reduce your waste by up 1/3 every week. For more information check out the Fredericton Region Solid Waste Commission and the City's composting page.
- Indoor plants can clean the air in your house. Having plants in your house can cut indoor air pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene by up to 50% and help to keep your house cool.
- Do an energy audit on your home to identify energy inefficiencies. A few changes can lower your bills and reduce your emissions. Check out the federal government's ecoEnergy page for more info.
- Get a rain barrel for your garden. Using rain collected from a rain barrel underneath the downspout of your eavestrough reduces both your water bills and the load going into storm sewers.
A made-in-New Brunswick approach to efficient products . . .
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick
has launched an exciting new website for New Brunswickers called 'All Things Efficient', that will help you make informed decisions on everything from the most water-efficient toilet to buy, to the most energy-efficient windows to install in your house. This website is a valuable resource whether you are just 'greening' a few easy things in your home, building a new home, or renovating an old one. Check out All Things Efficient!