At the Spring Festival many of you stopped by the Climate Action Help Desk to talk about actions you were planning or already doing to reduce your carbon footprint. We enjoyed hearing about your activities.
The Climate Action Team invites you to make this a summer of individual or household climate action. When we come together again in September, we will ask you to share your experiences and tell others about the actions you have taken. We are planning a special community celebration to recognize our collective efforts.
The Climate Action Team has prepared the below list of actions in 7 theme areas. You may have other actions you would like to try. If you have questions or need more information, contact us at climate@uuhamilton.ca
We encourage you to make it a summer of climate action and we will see you in September!
Ideas for Climate Actions
Tips:
- Consider calculating your carbon footprint to get a better understanding of your potential action areas. The Climate Action team can help you with this.
- Tell your family and friends what you are doing to address the climate crisis. You may inspire them to make changes.
- If you require more information, please contact climate@uuhamilton.ca
List of actions in 7 theme areas:
- Household
- electrify as much as you can
- lawn and garden naturalization & pollinator gardens
- move from fossil fuel furnace to heat pump
- right-size your home
- reduce textile waste
- reduce plastic waste
- use low flow water fixtures
- air dry your laundry
- do an energy audit of your home and implement the recommendations
- Transportation
- get a transit pass and use it
- bicycle more, use Sobi if you don’t want to buy a bike
- buy an electric bicycle
- reduce air travel
- drive less, carpool or carshare more
- transition to a hybrid or electric vehicle
- be a local/regional tourist
- have a weekly “no-drive” day
- buy a bundle buggy and do errands on foot
Circular economy
- reduce consumption buying only what you need
- follow the 5 Rs: reduce, refuse, re-use, repurpose, recycle
- use, borrow, swap, thrift or make before buying
- join a buy nothing or Facebook market group
- put unused household items on the curb
- support local artisans and craftspeople
- buy locally made items
- organize a “second-hand” baby or bridal shower
- buy products made from repurposed or recycled materials
- donate old bikes to charities that fix them
- learn to repair things and teach others what you know
- make quilts from recycled clothes
- Diet
- grow some food (even on a windowsill)
- support local and regenerative agriculture
- reduce or eliminate meat and dairy
- adopt a plant-based diet
- buy as local as possible and get to know the people who grow your food
- eat seasonally
- reduce food waste
- Ecosystem conservation or regeneration
- volunteer for First Unitarian Garden Team
- volunteer for tree planting and wetland restoration projects
- plant a Miyawaki forest
- donate to conservation authorities, Ontario Nature, Nature Conservancy and other organizations that buy natural lands
- be a “conservation watch” volunteer
- volunteer to help the Bruce Trail Conservancy protect the trail
- Building a resilient community
- get to know your neighbours
- take care of folks who need your help
- organize community meals, outdoor festivals, repair cafes, clothing swaps
- donate to organizations that work for climate action, conservation and community transformation
- Support and Advocate for:
- bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
- high speed rail
- sustainable land use planning (intensification and open space)
- adaptive reuse of existing buildings
- protection and conservation of natural areas
- walkable cities
- proper floodplain management
- more efficient and equitable public transit
- divestment from fossil fuels by banks, big institutions and pension funds
- better government climate policies at all levels
- indigenous peoples forest/land tenure
- international family planning and women’s education
- greater participation in elections
- candidates and parties that support good climate policy and actions
- Also:
- write articles or letters to the editor about climate issues
- write or telephone politicians to let them know the community is paying attention
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Prepared by The Climate Action Team, First Unitarian Church of Hamilton
Updated 06/08/2023