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Earth Day: Six things you can do right now to help the environment

piles of garbage on Ward's Island in Toronto
(photo by Hans Neleman via Getty Images)

The headlines about the state of the environment make for grim reading. 

Canada is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the world, , and it鈥檚 falling short of its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 70 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030.

It鈥檚 easy to think a single person can鈥檛 make a difference when it comes to a problem of this magnitude 鈥 but that鈥檚 not true, says Chelsea Rochman, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto. 

鈥淵es, there鈥檚 high-powered industry underneath it all, and there鈥檚 government that needs to help us,鈥 she says, 鈥渂ut the reality is we vote with our wallets for industry and we vote for government.

鈥淲e have a voice, so if we change our habits and spread the word to other people we actually can make a difference.鈥 

With Earth Day coming up Monday, 茄子直播 News asked three 茄子直播 researchers for their tips on what people can do to help the environment.

Each of the researchers approaches environmental issues from a different angle. Rochman鈥檚 research focuses on the sources, fate and consequences of contaminants in marine habitats. Jessica Green is an associate professor of political science and author of a book on non-state actors, such as NGOs, in global environmental politics. Kent Moore, of 茄子直播 Mississauga, is a professor of physics whose research touches on the impacts of climate change in the Arctic.


1. Think before you bin

(photo by Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

According to a City of Toronto report last year, about 25 per cent of items tossed into Toronto鈥檚 recycling bins don't belong there. The trend spoils otherwise recyclable materials and costs taxpayers millions each year. Some of the biggest culprits? Food scraps, plastic-lined coffee cups and the black plastic used to make take-out containers.

Coffee pods 鈥 even those marketed as recyclable 鈥 should also go into the trash or be taken back to stores with a return policy.

How do you know what should go into each bin? Rochman suggests using the city鈥檚 or , which explain how to sort items.

It鈥檚 not always obvious. 鈥淵ou want to avoid compostable greenware that a lot of the 鈥榞reen restaurants鈥 give us, because they go to the landfill,鈥 Rochman says. 鈥淯nfortunately, we don鈥檛 have an industrial compost facility so those go in the trash.鈥

2. Reduce your use of plastics

(photo by Michel Ponomareff via Getty Images)

鈥淧lastics are so ubiquitous in our society and they require quite a bit of energy to produce,鈥 notes Moore, who is in 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 department of chemical and physical sciences. He brings reusable bags to the grocery store and makes the greener choice whenever possible.

鈥淚鈥檒l choose things that aren鈥檛 triple-wrapped in plastic to minimize that carbon footprint,鈥 he says. 

3. Carry a mug or water bottle

(photo by Natalie Board via Getty Images)

Single-family homes in Toronto throw out more than 1,000 tonnes of paper cups each year, according to the city. Canadians use about 1.6 billion cups annually. It鈥檚 a small gesture, but carrying a reusable cup or water bottle can help make a difference, according to Rochman.

4. Help your neighbours clean up trash

(photo by Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

In 1994, employees and volunteers helped clean up a beach in Vancouver鈥檚 Stanley Park. What started as a small conservation effort has since become a national campaign: the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Volunteers have collected 1.3 million kilograms of trash, including more than 244,000 cigarette butts. People interested in taking part can organize their own clean-ups through , or join one. Rochman and the along the Don River on May 5.

5. Walk, ride a bike or take transit

(photo by Laura Pedersen)

In Canada, transportation is responsible for 24 per cent of emissions, according to the David Suzuki Foundation. Green, in the political science department, says she cycles to campus for much of the year, drives less and participates in some meetings by teleconference.

6. Make your voice heard 

(photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Green suggests starting small by writing local elected officials. Collective movements start with individuals and, as Green points out, there鈥檚 power in numbers. 

鈥淭he most important thing you can do is get involved and get organized,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remind the people who work for us that they need to do things differently.鈥

 

UTC