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(How to use)

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room to learn more.

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Click on a room, then click on the

words or an item in the picture to learn

how to make it more

environmentally friendly.

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BathroomLight

s

Towels

Sink

Paint

Health and

Beauty

Shower, etc.

Toilet, etc.

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the arrows.Home

Bathroom

Toilet Paper

Cupboard

Garbage

Cleaning products

Toilet

Flooring

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Toilet, etc.

Shower

HABA

Shower curtain

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Shower

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back• Install a shower head that has an off button

and a low flow shower head or one with an

aerator.

• Off button will allow you the pause the

flow of water while you lather up.

• The aerator adds air to the water flow

(less water, same pressure).

• Use a fabric shower curtain instead of

plastic. Hemp is a good option for this.

• To see how much you will save (water and

cost) by using a low flow showerhead, fill in

this chart (click the shower tab at the

bottom).

Toilet• Install an ultra-efficient (six litres per

flush) or preferably a dual flush toilet

(option of flushing with three litres or six).

• UPGRADE YOUR TOILET IF IT IS MORE

THAN TEN YEARS OLD! Toilets this old

use up to 20 litres per flush!

• If the above types of toilets are not

available to you, install a toilet dam. This

will save about five litres per flush and

cost around $10.

• To see how much you will save (water

and cost) by changing toilets or installing

a water dam, fill in this chart.

• Click here for information on toilet

paper!

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back

Toilet Paper• Use recycled toilet paper (meaning, made

from recycled paper not recycled toilet

paper)

• 100% post-consumer is available at

Superstore

• Sobey’s, Safeway, and other

independent stores carry Seventh

Generation brand toilet paper which is

100% recycled, minimum 80% post-

consumer and whitened without chlorine

bleach.

• Buy in bulk to save packaging.

• Remember to recycle your toilet paper

tubes!

Click here for information on toilets!

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back

Sink

• Install an aerator. The aerator adds air to

the water flow (less water, same

pressure).

• There isn’t much to say here. Conserve

water.

Why?

Home Bathroom

Kitchen

Cleaning• Norwex is a Norway-based company that

manufacturers all sorts of cleaning products. A

cleaning cloth from this company is all you need to

clean everything in your house.

• Sobey’s, Safeway, and other independent stores

carry a variety of Seventh Generation brand cleaning

products, such as carpet remover, toilet bowl cleaner

and many others.

• Clorox also has a line of eco-friendly cleaning

products available.

• The are many other environmentally friendly

cleaning products available, just make sure you

know exactly what you’re getting when you buy a

new product!

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back

Health and Beauty

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back

• There are many places nowadays where you can

buy environmentally friendly body products such as

body wash, shampoo, makeup, etc.

• LUSH (Winnipeg location in Polo Park) products

are handmade with organic fruit/vegetables.

They use minimal packaging and do not test on

animals.

• Aveda (Various spa, salon and store locations

throughout Winnipeg) takes many steps to

ensure they are earth friendly. See here for more

information.

• When searching for earth friendly products, look

for ones that use natural products from

appropriate resources and have minimal

packaging.

Click here for more health and beauty

information!

Health and Beauty Cont.

Why?

Home Bathroom

Back• Use recycled facial tissues (more

commonly known as Kleenex®)

• Sobey’s, Safeway and many

independent stores carry Seventh

Generation brand tissues which are

100% recycled, with minimum 80%

post-consumer and whitened without

chlorine bleach.

• Many other products are available at

various stores, just make sure you read

the fine print to know what you are

getting!

• Purchase a reusable razor or one with

replaceable heads.

Bedroom

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Lights

Paint

Bed, etc.

Furniture Flooring

Cleaning

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• Buy an organic, untreated mattress.

• For your sheets and comforter…

Organic cotton, bamboo fibre (mechanically not

chemically), hemp or linen. NO POLYESTER!

Make sure they are non-chlorine bleached, heavy

metal free (SKAL certified), vegetable dyes or

FoxFiber color grown (bred to be beige, green or

brown) and have a chemical free finish.

• For pillows, buy buckwheat, wool, kapok, organic

cotton or natural latex pillows

Bed, etc.

Why?

Home Back

Family Room

Home

Lights

Paint

Furniture Flooring

Electronics

Cleaning

Fireplace

Fireplace

Why?

Home

• Replace wood burning fireplaces. They emit

many chemicals that harm the environment.

• Install a fan in your fireplace. This will

ensure that the heat you want from the

fireplace is entering the room, instead of

disappearing up the chimney.

• One company that designs environmentally

friendly fireplaces is Ecosmart Fire. Their

fireplaces may be a little pricy, but they are

well worth it for innovative design and

environmental benefits.

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KitchenHome

Lights

Paint

Flooring

Cleaning

Fridge/Freezer

Stove/Oven

Dishes/Dishwasher

Sink

Garbage/Recycling

CompostingFood

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Cleaning• Norwex is a Manitoba-based company that

manufacturers all sorts of cleaning products. A

cleaning cloth from this company is all you need to

clean everything in your house.

• Sobey’s, Safeway, and other independent stores

carry a variety of Seventh Generation brand cleaning

products, such as carpet remover, toilet bowl cleaner

along with many others.

• Clorox also has a line of eco-friendly cleaning

products available.

• The are many other environmentally friendly

cleaning products available, just make sure you

know exactly what you’re getting when you buy a

new product!

Why?

Home KitchenFamily Room

Food• Food is a very broad subject to address in one page.

Here are some general tips to help you learn more

about eating environmentally-friendly.

• Try the 100 Mile Diet. Some of the benefits are that

you’ll be supporting local farmers, and reducing gas

usage, among other things.

• There are many different labels on food. Good ones

to look for are:

• 100% Organic/Organic (Minimum 95% organic)

• Bird Friendly/Shade Grown (Coffee grown under

trees)

• Marine Stewardship Council (Fish caught without

harming the ecosystem)

• Rainforest Alliance

Why?

Home Kitchen

Fridge/Freezer

Home Back

• Look for appliances with the Energy Star symbol.

This guarantees the machine is highly energy

efficient.

• Keep your fridge and freezer full so they won’t use as

much energy trying to cool off empty spaces.

• Make sure the door is always properly shut, so the

cold air doesn’t escape.

• Don’t place your fridge/freeze near a stove or in

direct sunlight for obvious reasons.

• If the coils are on the back, make sure there is

enough space between the fridge/freezer and the wall

to allow for proper air flow.

• Replace older models with newer ones. Newer

models will be much more efficient.

Why?

Stove/OvenHome Back

• Look for appliances with the Energy Star

symbol. This guarantees the machine is

highly energy efficient.

• Use the proper size element and lid for the

pot you are using when cooking on the stove

to save time and energy.

• Only use the lights in the oven/above the

stove as you need them. Why?

• Look for appliances with the Energy Star

symbol. This guarantees the machine is

highly energy efficient.

• Don’t use ‘throwaway’ dishes. If you need

dishes for outdoors, invest in a basic set of…

plastic dishes.

• For dishwashers, use the lightest cycle and

let the dishes ‘air dry’.

• Don’t pre-rinse dishes, instead, scrap them

as best as you can.

• Use phosphate-free dishwasher detergent.

Dishes/Dishwasher

Home Back

Why?

.

Composting

Home Back

• Composting is an extremely beneficial

practice and easy to do. To learn about

composting and to find workshops in

Winnipeg, click here.

Why?

ExtrasHome

Washer and Dryer

Insulation

Washer/Dryer

Home Back

• Look for appliances with the Energy Star

symbol. This guarantees the machine is highly

energy efficient.

• Never use hot water. Cold water will clean

everything.

• Make sure you don’t use more water than

you need. Find a washing machine that using

minimal amounts of water.

• Always run a full load.

• If you can, hang your clothes up to dry

instead of using a drying machine.

Why?

Insulation

Why?

Home • Look for insulation that has a high ‘R-value’

(higher the number = more energy efficient,

the standard R-value is 10)

• If you’re using fibreglass insulation, make

sure it’s formaldehyde-free.

• Liquid foam insulation expands, so it will fill in

all nooks and crannies.

• When it comes to insulation, you just need to

make sure is that it is highly efficient. It should

keep the heat in during the winter and the cold

in during the summer so you won’t have to

waste money and energy on heating/cooling.

Back

Flooring

Why?

Home•There are many eco-friendly alternatives available for

flooring nowadays. These are a few good options:

• Bamboo

• Reclaimed wood

• Recycled glass (anything reclaimed/recycled is

good!)

• Linoleum

• Cork

• For carpet, try to buy carpet that is not made from

nylon or olefin. (Both of these are made from

petroleum).

• Maintain your flooring properly, so it won’t have to be

replaced, cleaned, etc. as frequently.

• Anything made out of bamboo is great. From A Bamboo

Future, essay by Carol Steinfeld: ‘…fast-growing, quick-

maturing, hardy, flexible, strong and renewable…stability,

hardness, flexibility and strength are its most remarkable

qualities…’

• For wood furniture…Buy used from flea markets or antique

shops. Or wood furniture that has been certified by the

Forest Stewardship Council (visit here for more information).

Or if the furniture made of recycled wood.

• Look for furniture made from alternate materials, such as

post-consumer plastic or cardboard.

• Furniture from IKEA is always good, too. Good for your

house, good for your wallet and good for the planet (If you

live near one).

• Furniture should never be thrown out! It can always be

fixed or donated.

Furniture

Why?

HomeBedroomFamily Room

Lighting

Why?

Home

• Use LEDs for focused lighting (desk

lamps, closets, etc.)

• Use CFLs when the lights will be on

for at least 15 minutes

Click here for important CFL

information!

• When purchasing light bulbs, make

sure to only purchase ones that have

Energy Star symbol!

• Try to buy in bulk to save

packaging.

• To see how much you will save

(energy and cost), use this chart to

compare incandescent vs. CFL vs.

LED.

CFLs

Why?

Home

• Use CFLs when the lights will be on for

at least 15 minutes

• CFLs are available for all types of

lighting like flood lamps, candelabras

and bathroom vanities.

• Many other shapes of light bulbs are

also available.

• Use yellow CFLs outdoors, they

won’t attract bugs.

• CFLs are also available for three way

and dimmer lights.

• GE soft white three way/dimmer

lights are available at Zellers,

Canadian Tires, Staples and many

other stores.

• Recycle CFLs at Home Depot.Click here to return to lighting

Electronics

Why?

Home

• Look for electronics with the energy star logo.

(Televisions, phones, DVDs, etc.)

• Minimize your use of batteries. Use solar powered

products or other alternate power sources.

• Turn off your electronics whenever you can. Even in

standby, they are using power

• If you have MTS, make sure the television is

properly turned off, not just on time and date

screen!

• Greenpeace has put out a report on electronic

companies to see how ‘ecofriendly’ they are. Click here

to see which companies are the best to purchase from.

• MAKE SURE YOU DISPOSE OF YOUR ELECTRONICS

PROPERLY! Click here to find out how.

Bedroom

Family Room

Garbage

Why?

Home

• Before throwing something out…recycle it, repair it,

reuse it, redonate it, something. Nearly 100% of all

things thrown out can be recycled, repaired, reused or

donated (if you’re creative enough, I’m sure. Check out

make-stuff.com). Click here for recycling.

• Use biodegradable garbage bags when something

must be thrown out.

Compostable and biodegradable bags with 80%

(30% post-consumer) recycled packaging are

available at Rona.

Sobey’s, Safeway and other independent stores

carry Seventh Generation brand recycled plastic

garbage bags (kitchen sized and larger) are available

• BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU THROW OUT. Click here for

specialized garbage information.

Specialized Garbage

Why?

Home

• Visit here for what is hazardous garbage and

information on free pickup.

• Visit here for a list of disposing of garbage that

needs special handling.

• For disposing of electronics, click [here].

Click here to return to garbage.

Electronics Disposal

Why?

Home

• All electronics can avoid the garbage dump!

• Batteries and cell phones can be recycled at various places

throughout the city (click here for a list.)

• Donate computers, printers, VCRs, microwaves, faxes,

photocopiers, televisions and stereos to Computers for Schools

for use in schools, libraries, community access programs, and

other non-profit organizations. Products that don’t meet

minimum requirements can be picked up for a $5-10 fee. Visit

their website here.

• Drop off your computer and/or related products for free at

Powerland Computers (170 Marion).

• For information on recycling electronics through the

manufacturer/retailer, click here.

Click here to return to garbage.

Click here to return to specialized garbage.

Click here to go back to electronics.

• Plastics with a on it• Aluminum cans• Tin food cans• Milk/juice cartons •Juice boxes •Any kind of paper/cardboard including shredded • Glass• Jars/bottles • Egg cartons • Paper tubes

Recycling

Why?

Home

Recycle in your curb side blue box… DO NOT recycle…

Plastic bags, cellophane, etc. (Plastic is terrible! Minimize use) Hazardous waste containers (see garbage for proper disposal) Aluminum foil and pie plates (reuse!) Mirrors Window glass Light bulbs (see lighting) Drinking glasses and dishes, etc. Takeout containers

Click here for more valuable information on recycling.

•Some blue box recycling tips from the City of

Winnipeg site…

Don't tie materials together (processing facility

can't remove bags, wire, etc.)

Leave lids on containers, caps on bottles, staples

in paper, labels on containers and windows in

envelopes.

Give your containers a quick rinse to get rid of

bacteria and odors.

Crush plastic bottles, milk jugs and milk and juice

cartons to leave more room.

Leave enough space between your blue box and

your garbage so the workers can tell what to pick

up.

• To see where your recyclables go and what they

become, visit here.

• Visit here for information about apartment recycling.

Recycling Cont.

Why?

Home Back

Paint

Why?

Home

• Two decent brands are Sico Paints and Benjamin

Moore.

• DISPOSE OF YOUR PAINTS PROPERLY! Click here

to find out how.

• Try to avoid synthetic paint, but if you have to go

for latex (water based [latex] instead of oil/solvent

[alkyd]).

• Use natural based paints instead (no

petrochemicals, preservatives or biocides and

they don’t produce smog).

• Look for paints with low VOC counts.

• VOCs = volatile organic compound. They

evaporate toxic chemicals into the air which

results in smog, etc.

Water

• Helps save fresh water for use in the future

when demands are higher but supply is

limited. (less than 3% of the earth is

freshwater and much is inaccessible)

• Less wastewater

• Conserving water prevents pollution,

building of water dams, etc., destruction of

natural habitats and wasted energy.

• Energy savings (use less energy for heating,

treating, etc. water.)

• Financial savings

Home Bathroom

Kitchen

This has both water and

energy benefits!

TreesWhy save trees? Because

they…

• Moderate climate

• Provide beautiful scenery

• Increase biodiversity

• Improve air quality

• Provide natural habitat for

many creatures

• Create comfortable shade•

Home

Conserve Energy

Home

• Save money

• Reduce pollution of all

sorts, like smog, acid

rain, etc.

• Less energy being used

means

less need for dams,

nuclear plants etc.

(Meaning less

destruction of natural

ecosystems)

PaintHome

• Reduced toxins means

better health for

everyone

• Reduces landfill,

groundwater and ozone

depleting contaminants

• Low-VOC products

perform well in terms of

coverage, ‘scrubability’

and ‘hideability’

• Little/no hazardous

Fumes.

• Low odour during

application; no odour

once cured.

Keeping a Healthy Planet

Home

Simply put, because

every living thing

needs a clean and

healthy planet to live.

More garbage and

chemicals and waste

means less living

space, more pollution,

more junk everywhere,

more destruction of

natural habitats, more

depletion of

resources…by reusing,

reducing and recycling

we can minimize those

negative impacts and

ensure we will still be

able to live on Earth in

the future.