February

Month: February 2022

How to Save Water Every Day

How to Save Water Every Day

Fresh water is one of our most important substances for preserving life. And while our blue planet is made up of roughly 70% water, only about 1% of it is drinkable. With now close to 7 billion people cohabiting this planet alongside other beautiful creatures, we ought to realize that water needs to be treasured and not wasted or polluted. Our survival and those of generations to come all depend on it.

 
A public opinion poll by the POLIS Water Sustainability Project, indicates that water is now the top environmental issue in the British Columbia with 62% of BC residents saying that they are concerned about the pollution of lakes, rivers, and streams, even topping concerns about climate change (59%) and deforestation (55%).

And not surprisingly, the number one way of addressing this issue is by changing consumption habits and lifestyles. And there’s no better time to start than now.

WasteLess Water Saving Guide

This WasteLess Water Saving Guide provides you with many awesome tips to reduce your water consumption and have a positive, earth-aware impact.

$0.00     $15.00

Download

Table of Contents

The Right to Water is a Human Right

In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the right to water and sanitation as a basic human right. This means that every person on the planet has the right to “sufficient, continuous, safe, physically accessible and affordable drinking water.” This is, unsurprisingly, at odds with CEOs of corporations like Néstle who’s CEO Peter Brabeck stated in 2013, that he believes it should be privatized.

We do agree with him that water should carry a value to avoid that is being wasted, but in our opinion, this also means that it shouldn’t be considered a “raw material” that can be “extracted” and sold, but rather that corporations who wish to use this water also have to pay their fair share to reflect the value of water; a share equal to or higher than the amount that citizens are paying, to avoid having water labelled as “raw material” that can be tapped by big corporations for mere cents and then sold back to citizens for a 2,000% profit. 

Why Save Water?

Today, 1 in 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water (Source) and because of climate change and population growth, this number is only going to increase. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, half the world’s population may no longer have access to safe water.

And Canada is not, and will not be spared. According to the Council of Canadians, as of November 2021, there are almost 100 drinking water advisories in effect in First Nations communities. This shows that even in a developed country, such as Canada, not every person has access to safe drinking water. Some of these advisories have been in effect for over 20 years, yet little is done to rectify the issue. Some of the reasons why these persist is the lasting impact of colonization, such as the government prioritising “resource extraction” projects over the water supply to its population.

Here’s a great petition, that needs our help.

 

Water consumption is yet another area where we can, and should, learn from First Nations communities, since water scarcity will at some point impact all of us.

‘Water scarcity’ can refer to:

  • scarcity caused by the government’s failure to ensure a safe water supply, for example by providing or maintaining the necessary infrastructure
  • scarcity due to a physical shortage of water, such as there not being sufficient water available

According to UN Water, the world’s water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of the increase in population, and 70% of the world’s water supply is used for agriculture, 19% is used for industrial consumption and domestic use lies at 11%.

Because 70% of the world’s water supply is used for agriculture, this is yet another reason why we need to ensure that no food is being wasted.

And another petition that needs our help.

How to Save Water

Here are just a few simple tricks to save water at home. For more tips and tricks, feel free to download our WasteLess Water Saving Guide.

 

Water-Saving Habits for the Bathroom 

  • Use a WaterSense® certified or low-flow shower head. “Low-flow” means it uses less than 10 litres per minute. WaterSense certification means that it uses less than 7.5 litres per minute.
  • Alternatively, you may also be able to install an adjustable flow-reducer on your existing shower head. This can reduce water waste in the shower by 25% (according to some manufacturers).
  • If you wait for your shower water to reach a certain temperature before jumping in, you may consider collecting the cold water in a bucket and use it to flush the toilet (bucket flush), water the plants, or for cleaning. 
  • Limit your shower to 3-5 minutes. If you’re having trouble with estimating your time, you can use a timer until that habit is set or listen to about 1-2 short songs while in the shower. Depending on how often you shower, this could save up to 4,000 litres of water per month. Taking cold showers will usually encourage you to reduce shower time, so consider this option.
  • Don’t shower every day. It’s not good for the planet or your skin. According to dermatologists, it’s best to shower around 2-3 times a week.
  • Identify leaks quickly and fix them.

 

Water-Saving Habits for the Kitchen

  • When defrosting frozen foods, plan ahead and defrost in the fridge overnight rather than thawing them in water.
  • Don’t clean and/or peel fruits or vegetables under running water. Instead clean them in 3-5 cm of water in the sink or bowl. You can also simply scrub them with a vegetable brush. 
  • Collect the water you use for cleaning your fruits and vegetables. You can use it to water your houseplants or even to soak the dishes until they’re ready to be washed.
  • Cook your food with less water. Besides the water and energy savings, this also keeps more nutrients in the food. That’s because food that touches water loses water-soluble vitamins and minerals to the water, while these are preserved in food that is steamed.
  • Use your vegetable cooking water, particularly the water infused with vitamins and minerals as mentioned in the previous point, for soups and sauces.

Together, we can all make a difference! Together we can REDUCE water and create a WasteLess Society.

Thank you for being part of our WasteLess Society!

WasteLess Water Saving Guide

This WasteLess Water Saving Guide provides you with many awesome tips to reduce your water consumption and have a positive, earth-aware impact.

$0.00     $15.00

Download

Valentine’s Day: Frugal and WasteLess

Valentine’s Day: Frugal and WasteLess

Canadians spend approximately $37 million on Valentine’s Day each year (Source). 

Each gift that you offer not only impacts your wallet, it also impacts the environment. That’s because each item needs to be produced, transported, distributed, and ultimately discarded. That compounds to a massive environmental footprint just to say “I love you.” 

So, let’s look at just how high that environmental impact is and then explore some WasteLess Valentine’s ideas. 

Table of Contents

The Environmental Impact of Roses

Consider, for example, that a total of 140 million roses are grown annually for this special day (Source), which requires a tremendous amount of water per plant. (Source) Most of these roses aren’t grown on our footsteps but rather flown in from Ecuador, which means that they’ll travel close to 7,000 km just to reach our borders, and then even further from warehouse to warehouse to distributor to store, until they ultimately reach your sweetheart.

And growing these messengers of love also requires a large amount of water, fertilizer, energy, and space. It is estimated that globally roughly 405,000 ha of land are dedicated to greenhouses for the cultivation of roses. Especially for days like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, the energy consumption of growing roses in northern countries increases significantly, as greenhouses need to maintain a constant temperature of around 22°C (70°F) during the day and 16°C (57°F) during the night. For a more optimal supply it therefore indeed makes sense to import roses from Ecuador, where rose production is among the most efficient world-wide due to its proximity to the equator. However, Ecuador is close to 7,000 km (4,350 miles) away. The National Energy Foundation estimates that for each hour of flight time, at around 850 km per hour, a plane emits around 150 kg CO2 (Source). So to travel 7,000 km, the freight plane would be in the air around 8.2 hours, thus emitting around 1.2 tonnes of CO2, although the actual number will likely be much higher because it is unlikely that these roses are shipped directly and each take-off, landing, and additional kilometer of flying would add to these emissions.

A total of 224 million roses are grown annually for Valentine's Day.
(Source)

The Environmental Impact of Chocolates

Offering chocolates may seem like a more environmentally friendly way, however, I will have to disappoint you again.

Most chocolates that you buy in heart-shaped boxes at the grocery store are imported from afar. For this example, we’ll look at a popular Swiss brand. A quick glance at the back of the box indicates that it was manufactured in Italy. To reach Canada’s East Coast, this box of chocolates had to travel 5,000 km (3,100 miles); to reach the West Coast, we’re looking at 8,500 km (5,300 miles). And that’s just for its transportation and distribution.

Among the ingredients of the chocolates themselves are listed sugar, cocoa butter, milk, coconut oil, cocoa mass, palm kernel oil, barley malt, and artificial flavour. Each of these ingredients had to be shipped to the manufacturer from wherever it was grown and it usually doesn’t get there on a direct route. While Italy is a large producer of cocoa, it is also possible that the chocolate actually came from West Africa, where an estimated 70% of cocoa beans are grown (Source). If the ingredients came from their top producing countries, the sugar would have come from Brazil, the cocoa from the Ivory Coast, the milk from the United States, the coconut oil from the Philippines, the palm kernel oil from Indonesia, and the barley malt from Russia.

Now you can quickly see how transportation emissions quickly add up for those little chocolates that melt on your tongue.

And we haven’t even looked at the packaging yet. That box itself needed to be produced also and its life will continue on long after the sweet taste of its contents have faded, particularly because it is lined with a glossy finish, which renders the underlying cardboard box unfit for recycling.

WasteLess Valentine’s Day Ideas

So, now that we’ve looked at two of the short-lived gifts, let’s see what alternatives exist to celebrate your love.

  • Make love not waste! Caring gestures and thoughtful words can go a long way. Consider offering your sweetheart self-made breakfast in bed, a head massage, an elaborate self-cooked candle-light dinner, or anything else that is not a daily treat.

  • Buy a potted plant rather than cut flowers. If you’re unsure how to pull this off, add a little note that reads “May this plant continue to grow, just as my love for you grows stronger every day.”

  • Share some time and local wine. Besides supporting a local business, this treat can serve up some memorable hours in a cozy atmosphere. Cut out any distractions and make sure to reuse (or if not possible at least to recycle) the bottle once it’s empty.

  • Opt for local pralines, if Valentine’s Day is not complete without satisfying the craving for chocolates. If you choose this option, don’t forget to bring your own container to the chocolaterie.

  • Enjoy nature together. You love the environment and you love your partner… What’s better than combining the two. One of the nicest ways to spend a day about love is to embark on a romantic stroll or the first picnic of the year in one of the many local parks.

Now that we have provided you with some suggestions, feel free to download our Valentine’s Day Guide for more ideas.

Have a Happy, WasteLess Valentine’s Day!

WasteLess Valentine's Guide

This Valentine’s Guide provides you with many awesome tips to showcase your love without creating waste. 

$0.00     $15.00

Download

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