Make a little change that’ll impact life!

May 30 to June 5, 2010 is Canadian Environment Week.  This week is intended to have us slow down and take time to embrace life on earth while celebrating the achievements and initiatives that have been done to deal with climate change and to diminish air pollution. Although it may sound cliché, if each and every one of us made one small change for the environment, the result would be immense!

Commit to changes

Image the positive effect on the environment, not just Canada’s, but throughout the world, if each Canadian committed to one little change in our daily routine. What if we decided to use Canada’s Environment Week to take a few minutes to think of some changes we could commit to, nothing big; don’t tell us you are going to sell your car and your house and live in the woods, we won’t believe you! Think small, but stick to it! Ok, let’s see…daily things, everyday things that we could change. How about turning off the tap water when brushing your teeth, sounds simple enough; did you know that you could save hundreds of litres of water annually by doing that? What else? Start setting aside all those table scraps, putting them in a little bin and composting them. By doing this, you will have a say in reducing a third of all residential waste that ends up in landfills. Remember those bicycle bags you found when cleaning out the garage? What if you put them to good use and commute to work, say, twice a week? Not only will you get fit, you’ll limit your contribution to the largest source of air pollution in Canadian urban centres: vehicles.

Emissions

The combustion of fossil fuels to power vehicles has enormous adverse effects on the environment and the health of Canadians. Carbon monoxide is an important atmospheric pollutant resulting mainly from the exhaust of cars, buses, lawn mowers… Carbon monoxide is colorless, odourless and tasteless, but extremely toxic.

Zero Emission Vehicles

A zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle which emits zero tailpipe pollutants from the vehicle’s power source. Of all the ZEV, bicycles are certainly the best known and the most readily accessible.

So, choose to actively participate in the Canadian Environment Week by contributing to better air quality: dust off your bike rack, fill up your bicycle bag and hop on your bike!

And, if you fall in love with your commute but would prefer to not have your laptop bouncing around, visit Arkel to see their complete line of bicycle bags and laptop panniers.
 

References:

1. Canadian Environment Week 2010
   
2. A Summary of Data from Vehicle Emissions Inspection Clinics held in Canada
   
3. Glossary of Air Pollution Terms: ZEV