A few random small ideas:
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Some government agencies have developed labels and lists of products that are safer for human health and the environment. These labels and lists can guide you when you buy products and in some cases, services as well. These labels make it easier to make environmentally friendly choices, because someone else has already done the research. Beware, however, of generic labels like “natural” and “green”, because there are no standards that define these labels or the products that wear the labels. The U. S. EPA has a Safer Choice program, which provides lists on a website and has also developed the Safer Choice label that can be found on cleaning products that meet the standards. Information can be found at www.epa.gov/saferchoice. The European Union has a labeling program, called Ecolabel, that is awarded to products and services meeting high environmental standards throughout their life-cycle from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal. The Ecolabel has been awarded to thousands of different products across Europe, including soaps and shampoos, baby clothes, paints and varnishes, electrical goods and furniture, as well as services, like hotels and campsites. Information on the Ecolabel can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel. Canada also has a labeling system called Ecologo that certifies products that meet standards throughout their lifecycle from creation through disposal. More information can be found at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/oca-bc.nsf/eng/ca02523.html. The EnergyStar program and label identify appliances, buildings, and other items that are designed to be more energy-efficient. Information on EnergyStar can be found at www.energystar.gov. I noted that Canada has an EnergyStar website at www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/products/energystar.
Sometimes I wonder how much carbon my personal activities are putting into the atmosphere, and how much difference my lifestyle changes are making. While I know that every little bit does make a difference and all those little bits add up, it would be nice to have a measure of their effect. A friend asked if I could find an information source to tell him how much carbon various activities emit so that he could look for matching reductions. By having some numerical information on your activities and lifestyle, you can also compare how much a particular change will help reduce your carbon footprint if you want to tackle the biggest changes first. I found many carbon footprint calculators. Some of them covered just a few topics, and some used my information to calculate a single number at the end. Some seem a bit overinquisitive, asking questions like the amount of my mortgage payment, and I tend to stay away from these kinds of online websites unless I know a lot about the organization behind the website. Here are links to some of the carbon footprint calculators:
https://footprint.wwf.org.uk
https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator
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