For many homeowners, sustainability is an overwhelming and confusing topic. While important decisions are made in the home every day, evaluating the impact that each choice has on our communities, our health, and the environment can be both time consuming and complicated. The Sustainability at Home toolkit educates homeowners about the relationship between social, economic, and environmental issues so that they can make more environmentally conscious decisions. By guiding households through the decision-making process about household operations, renovations, and lifestyle, the toolkit empowers British Columbians to reduce their carbon footprint while helping them save money on household expenses.
With a shared mission of informing and educating the public on the challenges and solutions related to sustainable living, The Natural Step Canada, David Suzuki Foundation, and Light House Sustainable Building Centre partnered to develop the toolkit. Launched in November 2009, the toolkit focuses on six core daily living practices including utilities, transportation, shopping, waste, health, and participation. By addressing each one of these household activities the toolkit provides easy, useful, money saving behavioral changes that will substantially reduce the effects individuals are having on climate change. Some of the suggestions involve installing low-flow showerheads, considering the lifecycle before purchasing a product, carpooling, choosing non-toxic cleaning solutions, composting, and getting involved in your community.
Beyond rethinking daily behaviors, the toolkit also takes homeowners through their house, room by room, and encourages them to consider the environment in every day-to-day decision. From the kitchen to the bedroom to the garage, the toolkit forces people to ask themselves: “How does this product affect my health? Do I have to throw this out? How or where was this item produced? Can I be more efficient in the way I use my utilities?” The toolkit also familiarizes homeowners with the different sustainability labels for their home, such as Energy Star, Ecologo, and British Columbia certified organic. Additionally, the toolkit includes a checklist so that households can track their progress and celebrate successes. The goal is that people will recognize the central role they play in reversing climate change and take responsible for the impact their lives have on our environment.
In 2008 the Real Estate Foundation granted The Natural Step $25,000 to develop the Sustainability at Home toolkit. Under the Foundation’s mandate of public education, the Foundation recognizes the project’s potential to educate BC residents about running environmentally responsibly households. By providing information specific to British Columbians about green household operations and purchasing choices, the toolkit is making a profound impact on our province’s future.
Visit the partner organizations websites: [The Natural Step] [2], [Light House] [3], and [David Suzuki Foundation] [4].
Story by Elysha Ames
Links:
[1] http://69.89.31.205/~refbccom/userfiles/file/SustainabilityBCToolkitEVersion.pdf
[2] http://www.thenaturalstep.org/en/canada
[3] http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/
[4] http://www.davidsuzuki.org/