The Impact of Change

Don’t let your car idle for more than 10 seconds.

If every driver in Canada reduced idling time by five minutes each day, according to Natural Resources Canada, in one year we would save 680 million litres of fuel, over 1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and millions of dollars in fuel costs. Turning off and restarting your engine when you’re stopped out of traffic takes less fuel than idling it for more than 10 seconds. To warm up your vehicle without idling, let the motor run for a maximum of 30 seconds and then drive at lower speeds for a few kilometres.

Lower the temperature in your house by a few degrees while you are sleeping or out for the day.

You can save two per cent on your heating bill for every 1 C (2 F) your thermostat is lowered, according to Natural Resources Canada. A programmable thermostat can adjust the temperature automatically and can be purchased for as little as $40.

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.

This simple action can save you 6,000 litres of water each year.

Take old and unused medications to a local pharmacy for proper disposal.

When you throw old medicine in the garbage or down the toilet, you are contaminating groundwater and rivers. A pharmacy can dispose of medication properly without polluting water sources.

Cover pots when boiling water on the stove.

Boiling 4.5 litres of water in a covered pot uses four times less energy than boiling without a lid.

Install aerators on your faucets.

Without affecting water pressure, an aerator dispenses water at six to nine litres per minute, compared to 13.5 litres per minute from an ordinary faucet. You can get one for as little as $10.

Take your own reusable bags or bins to the grocery store and when shopping.

In Canada, we use about 10 billion shopping bags each year. Fabricated in a few seconds and used for about 20 minutes each, they take 400 years to disintegrate. Helpful tip: keep your bags close at hand for whenever you need them (in your car or backpack, at the office, in the garage, etc.). Many grocery stores offer reusable alternatives for very low fees.

Avoid opening your oven door to check on cooking food.

Opening your oven door while something is cooking releases about 20 per cent of the heat inside. If you can’t see through the window, wash it more often so you can peek at your food without wasting energy.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones.

Even though they may initially cost more, fluorescent bulbs pay off by using 75 per cent less electricity, which means lower hydro bills, and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Just make sure to dispose of them properly -- fluorescents contain mercury and, just like batteries, shouldn’t be thrown out with your regular garbage. Contact your municipality for information on proper disposal in your region.

Pull your curtains and blinds closed at night, then open them again each morning.

This reduces the loss of heat at night and can save you the equivalent of 100 kWh of electricity each year. (In the summer, do the opposite: keep your blinds closed during the day to keep out the hot sun.)

Buy locally grown food when given the option.

If more people supported local growers, we could save (and create) more jobs for Canadians. Products from out of province and from other countries have to travel hundreds, even thousands, of kilometres by truck to arrive at your community grocery store, so buying locally reduces the pollution caused by transportation. Local produce is always fresher, too!

Put a full bottle of water in your toilet reservoir to displace the water level.

An ordinary toilet uses between 15 and 22 litres of water for each flush, although newer models can use as little as six. The installation of a one-litre water bottle will reduce the daily volume of water used by one litre per flush -- which could mean saving up to 40 litres or more, depending on the size of your family and how often you’re at home.

Earth Day on Sunbird Trail

What:
An opportunity to invest time into the beauty of our street and surrounding area and to show we care. Our goal is to remove all garbage, recycling and junk that is scattered on and around
Sunbird Trail.

Who:
Anyone that is interested in cleaning up our neighbourhood. Children should be accompanied by the parents. Any amount of time you have would be appreciated.

When:
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007
10:00 a.m.-noon

Where:
We will meet at the mailboxes on Sunbird Trail that are closest to White's Road at 10 a.m.

What to bring:
Garbage bags and gloves are being provided by the City of Pickering, as is the pickup of garbage.

Comfortable clothing that is weather appropriate is important and rubber boots or hiking boots would be an asset.

A rake may come in handy if you plan on getting close to the forest or to make picking things up a little more easy.

Why:
The earth is changing daily and it is up to us to help to make a difference. One person can impact it and the environment needs us to be that person.

A rain date will be posted if the weather is not cooperating.

We thank you in advance for your time and efforts.

Coming Soon

Welcome to Sunbird Spa.

Opening Soon, For more information please send us an email at:

info at Sunbirdspa.com