1. Simple Abundance Learning Series

2. 25 ways to Save Money and Reduce your Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by 25% 2 2

3. About Wintergreen Wilderness retreat and environmental learning centre Wide range of off-site and on-site sustainability programs We partner with a variety of community organizations and educational institutions Registered charity funded by grants, donors, and program revenue

4. Simple Abundance Learning Series Seventh Generation Learning Series Simple Living This workshop is part of a series provided by Wintergreen Studios to promote sustainable living: Simple Abundance Get Energy Smart Sustainable Food Renewable Energy Natural Building and Renovating For more information or to book a workshop contact: info@wintergreenstudios.ca

5. Thanks to our partners & funders This workshop was funded in part by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

6. Thanks to our partners & funders We work in collaboration with several community partners:

7. Sustainability Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ~ Bruntland Commission “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine.” ~ From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

8. Why Live Sustainably? Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource Extraction, transportation and use damage the environment Fossil Fuels cause Climate Change Need to reduce GHGs by 80% by 2050 (increasing less than 2 degrees Celsius) Peak Oil Theory (Consumption is greater than discovery) Save money We need to live within our means 8

9. Make a Plan to Reduce Energy Use Start by measuring your current energy usage – Need to become more aware of energy use Phase 1 – Reduce your consumption – Save money and energy without spending money Most people can save 25% within 1 year Phase 2 – Invest in energy efficiency – Make a plan to reduce usage by 50% over 10 years Get a home energy audit & invest in renewable energy Phase 3 – Change your lifestyle – Take 20 years to adjust your lifestyle to reduce by 80% Downsize and move so you can walk to work Change your diet, spending and travel patterns An 80% reduction is possible over 20 years 9

10. Average Canadian Household 2.6 people per house 149 square meters in size -20 appliances -44% Air Conditioned 20,000 km/year driving - 16 km/day commuting 12,500 km/year flying 27,100 kg CO 2 /year GHG emissions due to household expenditures 27,100 kg CO 2 /year GHG emissions due to household expenditures Source: Natural Resources Canada, CMHC, Statistics Canada 10 http://www.toyota.ca/toyota/en/vehicles/avalon/gallery

11. How Do We Generate GHGs? Source: Statistics Canada 11

12. Major Sources of Household GHG’s GHG ContributorKg CO 2 /year Flying 3600 Eating meat2600 Air conditioning2000 Driving a car5500 These 5 items account for two-thirds of a household’s GHG emissions 18,700 What are the top 5 contributors to the average household’s GHG emissions? Heating your home5000 12

13. Actual GHG Reductions – Natural Gas Phase 1 (reduce): Turn down heat & hot water, cold water wash, low flow showerhead – Saved 1000 kg CO 2 & $200/yr Phase 2 (invest): Invested $15k on solar air heater, solar water heater, tank-less hot water, sealed leaks – Saved 2000 kg CO 2 & $700/yr Invested $8k in wood stove – Saved 1200 kg CO2 & $300/yr Total: 58% GHG savings (Natural Gas) – 4200 kg CO 2 & $1200/yr Source: CMHC 13

14. What You Can Do to Save – Household Heating & Cooling The best way to realize the pleasure of feeling rich is to live in a smaller house than your means would entitle you to have. - Edward Clarke Energy Saving ActionAnnual Savings Use cold water to wash clothes215 kg CO 2 Set your air conditioner to 25 C when you are home and 28 C when you are out in the summer (Peaksaver) 200 kg CO 2 Turn down hot water heater to 50 °C190 kg CO 2 Set your furnace to 20 ° C when you are home and 17 ° C at night or when you are out in the winter 525 kg CO 2 Use low flow shower heads and faucets140 kg CO 2 Total Average Household Savings ($150/year)1270 kg CO 2 14

15. Actual GHG Reductions - Electricity Phase 1 (reduce): Unplugged freezer, stopped using dryer, turned out lights, installed CFLs & power bars – Saved 1,850 kg CO 2 & $700/yr Phase 2 (invest): Installed LED lights, optimized thermostat for TOU pricing – Saved 300 kg CO 2 & $100/yr Spent extra $170/year on Bullfrog Power – Saved 1,000 kg CO 2 Total: 100% GHG savings – 3150 kg CO 2 & $630/yr 15

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17. What You Can Do to Save – Household Electricity If it weren't for electricity, we'd all be watching television by candlelight. - George Gobel Energy Saving ActionAnnual Savings Unplug your 2 nd Fridge 250 kg CO 2 Unplug your freezer170 kg CO 2 Stop using clothes dryer 50% of the time130 kg CO 2 Install CFL and LEDs in 10 most frequently used lights250 kg CO 2 Put TVs and computers on power bars & turn them off 70 kg CO 2 Total Average Household Savings ($400/year)870 kg CO 2 Source: Natural Resources Canada 17

18. Shifting Electricity Usage Off-Peak Peak electricity produces more GHGs and costs more: – Coal, oil and natural gas used for peak electricity in Ontario – Overnight electricity comes from hydro and nuclear – Summer peak is 11:00am to 5:00pm – Winter peak is from 7:00am to 11:00am and 5:00pm to 7:00pm Tips to shift your electricity usage off-peak: – Dry your clothes after 7:00pm and on weekends or hang them up – Program your thermostat to pre-heat and pre-cool your home before 7:00am – Put your swimming pool pump on a timer to run off peak – Put your dehumidifier on a timer to run off peak – Cook your meals after 5:00pm in the summer and before 5:00pm in the winter – Run your dishwasher, clothes washer, and lawn mower after 7:00pm and on weekends Reduce the electricity peak and save money! 18

19. Actual GHG Reductions - Car Phase 1: One person moved to work closer to home – Saved 1150 kg CO 2 & $400/yr Phase 2: Second person reduced commuting, use e-bike – Saved 500 kg CO 2 & $200/yr Total: 27% GHG savings – 1650 kg CO 2 & $600/yr 19

20. What You Can Do to Save – Transportation We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity. - Martin Luther King Jr. Source: Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada, Statistics Canada, WWF Total Average Household Savings ($350/year)795 kg CO2 Energy Saving ActionAnnual Savings Walk or bike to work 1 day per week 200 kg CO2 Take the bus to work 1 day per week120 kg CO2 Carpool to work 1 day per week100 kg CO2 Slow down to speed limit on the highway (80 - 100 km/h)275 kg CO2 Reduce idling by 5 minutes per day100 kg CO2 20

21. Actual GHG Reductions - Food Phase 1: Restarted herb & vegetable garden, cut buying of prepared foods in half – Saved 550 kg CO2 Phase 2: Joined CSA, buy fruits & vegetables at local market, buy Ontario wine – Saved 225 kg CO2 Total: 23% GHG savings – 775 kg CO2 21

22. What You Can Do to Save – Food The most political act we do on a daily basis is to eat, as our actions affect farms, landscapes, and food businesses. - Jules Pretty Source: Statistics Canada, CBC, WWF thenourishedself.ca Total Average Household Savings ($400/year)985 kg CO 2 Energy Saving ActionAnnual Savings Buy local food where possible, especially in season225 kg CO 2 Grow your own herbs and vegetables200+ kg CO 2 Don’t eat prepared food 1 day per week100 kg CO 2 Don’t eat meat for 1 day per week (especially shrimp, lamb, and grain fed beef) Don’t eat meat for 1 day per week (especially shrimp, lamb, and grain fed beef) 370 kg CO 2 Drink tap water instead of bottled water 90 kg CO 2 22

23. Actual GHG Reductions - Other Phase 1: Reduced flying vacations by 1 per year, stopped using lawn mower, snow blower – Saved 5530 kg CO 2 & $1700 Phase 2: Driving to ski instead of flying, cut garbage in half – Saved 3670 kg CO 2 & $1200 Total: 50% GHG savings – 9200 kg CO 2 & $2900 23

24. What You Can Do to Save – Other Consumption A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff. - George Carlin Source: CMHC, Environment Canada, Statistics Canada, WWF Total Average Household Savings ($650/year) 2750 kg CO 2 Energy Saving ActionAnnual Savings Compost your food waste (new green bin) 400 kg CO 2 Reduce your garbage by 1 bag per week300 kg CO 2 Recycle it (blue and black box)160 kg CO 2 Take a driving vacation instead of flying every other year1800 kg CO 2 Stop using gas lawn mower (or snow blower)90 kg CO 2 24

25. Actual GHG Reductions - Overall Start by reducing first! 19,000 kg CO2 reduction 26% GHG savings without spending money – $3000/year savings 50% overall GHG savings with $23k investment – $5330/year savings 25

26. What You Can Save - Overall 6670 kg CO 2 reduction 25% GHG savings without spending money $1950 potential savings Make a plan and look for ways to save more 26

27. The Next 25% - Investing Money to Reduce GHGs 30% 500 kg/year $500 Seal up home air leaks 10% 500 kg/year $3000+ Insulate walls and attic 6%1400kg/year$5000High efficiency gas furnace 50%1000 kg/year$2000Electric Scooter - commuting 12%1500 kg/year$30,000Hybrid car 7%2700 kg/year$20,000+Geothermal heat 10%575 kg/year$20,0002 kW Solar PV array 13%1000 kg/year$4000Solar hot water 9%400 kg/year$3000Tank-less water heater 9%250 kg/year$2000Solar air heater 11%120 kg/year$1000Drain Water Heat Recovery Not Applicable3000 kg/year$350/yearBullfrog Power ROICO 2 SavingsCostAction Get an Energy audit if you live in an older home 27

28. The Final 30% - Life in 2050 and Beyond Higher costs for gasoline, electricity, water and air travel – Less commuting and leisure driving – Electric trains, buses and cars for local and regional transportation Smaller, passive solar homes (no furnace or AC), built with local material – Green roofs with solar hot water and photovoltaic power – Wind and small hydro turbines on farms Primarily vegetarian, local and organic diet – Increased local food production and home gardens Durable products and packaging designed to minimize waste – Increased local manufacturing of building materials, clothing, furniture, etc. Creating the world we want is a much more subtle but more powerful mode of operation than destroying the one we don’t want. - Marianne Williamson Living locally within our means will be very important 28

29. What challenges do you face? Seventh Generation Learning Series Simple Living

30. How To Calculate Your GHG Emissions Cubic meters of natural gas times 1.9 Litres of heating oil times 2.8 kWh of electricity times 0.241 (Ontario) – Borrow a kill-a-watt meter from the library to measure electricity usage – MyHydroLink to see usage history: https://secure.hydroottawa.com/usage/https://secure.hydroottawa.com/usage/ Km driven times: – 0.1262 for a hybrid car – 0.1830 for a small car – 0.2162 for a mid-size car – 0.2964 for a minivan – 0.3103 for a truck or SUV Km of flights <500 km times 0.150 Km of flights >500 km times 0.297 Kg of garbage times 0.7 – Do an audit of all the garbage you throw out for a week to identify savings Online calculator: http://www.livesmartbc.ca/homes/h_calc.html Carbon calculator and offsets: http://offsets.greeningsacredspaces.org/ Online calculator: http://www.livesmartbc.ca/homes/h_calc.html Carbon calculator and offsets: http://offsets.greeningsacredspaces.org/ Source: http://www.kairoscanada.org/ 30

31. You Have the Power to Make a Difference! Reduce Don’t buy it Buy the smallest, most energy efficient option Reuse Buy it used Give it away when you are done Repair it when it breaks Recycle When it can’t be fixed There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. - Mohandas K. Gandhi Make a 20 year plan to reduce your energy usage by 80% 31

32. Peaksaver Program How peaksaver PLUS™ works: A few times a summer, during times of peak electricity demand, your thermostat may be signaled to cycle your central air conditioner in 15 minute intervals. Your furnace fan will continue to run so you likely won't notice a difference in temperature. Activations only occur on weekdays and not on weekends or holidays, plus you can opt out of an activation in advance. 32

33. Greening with Gratitude Developed in Ottawa in 2011 by Adam Frey An idea for sharing energy savings 7th Generation Learning Series

34. Adam’s Savings Ways Adam saved on energy costs: – Moved closer to work to save on fuel – Car sharing – Hang drying clothes – Electricity use Saved $8668 over a period of 17 months 7th Generation Learning Series

35. Investing Savings Invested 80% of his savings personally: – CFL and LED light bulbs – Low-flow showerhead – Geothermal and Solar PV tuition – Bullfrog Power Invested 20% of his savings for others: – Donation to Ottawa Sustainability Fund – Hot water heater and pipe insulation – 4.8L toilet with installation 7th Generation Learning Series www.motherearthnews.com www.ledbulbsandlights.com

36. Paying it Forward As a renter, Adam could only do so much – Hopes to coordinate with others to make a pay-it- forward collective – Would like to provide geothermal heating to a low income family 7th Generation Learning Series

37. Energy Savings Calculator Vehicle Electricity Heating Water Other http://www.greeningwithgratitude.ca/step2savi ngscalculator.htm 7th Generation Learning Series

38. What will you do differently? … this week... this month … this year? Write yourself a letter. Put it in the envelope provided. Address it to yourself. Give it to a friend to mail it to you a year from now.

39. Thanks once again …