Quick Tips

By making some of the following changes, you can reduce your use of electricity, water and generation of waste.

Energy Saving Quick Tips

• Unplug unused appliances, chargers and electronic equipment
  
• Turn down your heat and your refrigerator when you travel
  
• Invest in a timer for your thermostat and apply the appropriate settings at night to have the heat reduce and increase during winter and summer, respectively
  
• Replace incandescent bulb with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs)

Water Efficiency Quick Tips

Indoor Water Use

• Turn off tap while brushing your teeth and fill a cup for rinsing
  
• Plug the basin drain for face washing and shaving
  
• Check for faucet leaks. Even a slow drip can waste up to 75 litres (16.5 gallons) a day! You may only have to invest in a washer to save hundreds of litres of water
  
• Install faucet aerators. Aerators mix air with the water, reducing water flow and minimizing splashing. Water-efficient devices can save you up to 5% of your total indoor water usage!
  
• When washing fruits or vegetables, plug the sink drain or use a small pan of water, rather than running water
  
• Use a small amount of water and a lid on the pot when cooking. This method uses less water. Save water from cooking vegetables for soups or gravies, or use it to give your plants a drink
  
• Check your toilet tank water level twice a year
  
  • For toilets larger than six litres (1.3 gallons), place a shampoo bottle filled with water into the tank. This reduces the volume of water in the tank, but still provides enough for flushing. Never use a brick in your tank, as it will eventually crumble and damage
• Install water-efficient showerheads and flow restrictors. A showerhead should have a flow rate less than 11 litres (2.5 gallons) per minute to be water-efficient
  
• Insulate all hot water pipes to reduce the delays (and waste water) experienced while waiting for the water to “run-hot”
  
• Be sure the water heater is not set too high
  
• Use cold water for washing machines as often as possible to save energy and to conserve the hot water for other uses. (This is also better for clothes made with today’s synthetic fabrics)

Outdoor Water Use

• Water early in the morning, or late at night to avoid waste due to evaporation
• Avoid using a lawn sprinkler. A single lawn sprinkler spraying 19 litres per minute uses more water in half an hour than 10 toilet flushes, two five minute showers, two dishwasher loads, and a full load of laundry put together!
• Depending on the size of your property, consider using a drip or trickle irrigation system, which uses 25-75% less water than conventional methods, and is best for your lawn. Drip irrigation is a porous tubing with baffled openings which allow water to reach targeted root areas
• If you must use a sprinkler, use a low rise sprinkler head. Make sure you’re not watering sidewalks and driveways!
• When reseeding or planting, consider drought-resistant grasses, which are often more resistant to insects and disease
• Place mulch around trees and plants to keep moisture in, and reduce evaporation

The preceding information was derived from the Region of Waterloo website

The Town of Okotoks

• For ten practical, affordable actions YOU can do to make a difference please visit the Town of Okotoks website

Tips and Advice from Friends and Clients

• Call or email billing companies and switch to e-bills
• Rule of thumb for keeping files:
  • Seven years for taxes
  • One-year credit card statements and pay stubs
  • Two months for receipts (unless there is a warranty)
• Switch to organic cleaners and products
• Have your child decorate a Clementine box and use it as a bookcase. This way you are reusing, keeping organized and having fun making a craft. It also works towards Brownie badges!
• Use old egg cartons for storing Christmas ornaments
• Fill 2-litre bottles up with water and freeze them for future use of cooling packs for picnics and camping. They do not leak and they are free!
• Lids from margarine and yogurt containers can be used for a drip tray while painting, craft palette or water tray under plants
• Use empty wines bottles as salad dressing containers. Add oil and vinegar, lemon juice and your favorite spices.
• Always employ the five R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair and Rethink!

Being organized reduces stress and increase free time!