We've come up with ten ways that YOU can reduce the amount of carbon you use in your daily life. We think the best way to create meaningful individual change is to focus on how you get around, the food you eat, the energy you use, and the public action you take.

Adapted from One Blue Marble and the David Suzuki Foundation's Nature Challenge.

1.     Walk, bike, carpool or take public transit.

• Drive less. Take public transit, walk, bike, or car pool.
• Always use human power whenever possible. Bicycling is the most efficient mode of transportation on Earth; cycling is also exciting and healthy.
• Wherever possible, shrink the travel distances in your daily life. Consider moving to a location where using human power is an easy alternative to driving to work.

2.     Reduce electricity use.

The majority of electricity in Alberta is generated by coal-fired power plants, directly contributing to increased levels of smog, acid rain and greenhouse gas emissions. Coal-fired power plants also release mercury and radiation directly to the environment. 

• Create an energy efficient home. Look for the "EnergyStar" label when purchasing new appliances, and unplug all appliances that are not being used. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs and remember to switch off lights when you leave a room. 
• Purchase your electricity from sustainable energy sources. In Alberta, Bullfrog Power provides a 100% green alternative to traditional energy providers. It is an easy switch! If renewable energy is not available from your utility, consider purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates, which are like using green power. Write your utility and tell them you want more renewable energy sources!

3.     Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle

Transportation accounts for 29% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The vast majority (approximately 80%) of these emissions from fossil fuels come from burning them, and not from the extraction, refining and distribution processes. This means that by changing your driving habits, and reducing the amount that you drive, you can immediately influence the amount of carbon you put into the atmosphere. 

• If you are buying a car, make fuel efficiency a top priority. Drive smaller. 
• If you have an older car, you can reduce your fuel consumption by practicing "eco-driving principles".
• Fly less.  Business travelers can take advantage of great new technologies such as video conferencing and webcasting. And explore new areas close to home for your next vacation. Travel by train, when you can.

4.     Eat wisely.

Choose foods that are local, organic and low on the food chain whenever possible.

• Make the most of seasonal foods. Eating seasonally can increase our personal health as well as our understanding of the climate and environment that surrounds us.
• Buying locally grown food supports local independent farmers and cuts down on fossil fuels used for transportation, which helps reduce our overall carbon emissions.
• Vegetables have a lighter carbon footprint than meat, so aim to make at least one vegetarian meal per week. 

5.     Deal with your trash.

Canadian landfill sites send approximately 1.2 million tones of methane into the atmosphere each year. Since methane has 21 times the greenhouse gas potency of carbon dioxide and Canadian landfill sites, this is equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by over 6 million vehicles. And when you think about it, landfills are ugly, reduce property value and contribute to urban sprawl.

• Compost all your organic waste.
• Recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, metals etc.
• Lobby your community for improved recycling programs.

6.     Think before you buy!

If you don't need it, don't buy it. Purchase locally made and 'green' products whenever possible. Demand corporate accountability. Climate Change Central outlines 5 factors to consider when making purchases:

Product efficiency, quality and durability: Choose higher-quality, re-useable products that require minimum energy input.
Manufacturing processes: Choose low-impact processes that limit chemical, water and energy use.
Product content: Choose organic or post-consumer materials with minimal packaging
Product origin: Choose products made as close to home as possible to limit use of fossil fuels in transporting the product, and to support local providers
Is the product really necessary? Replace chemical pesticides on your lawn, garden, houseplants with non-toxic alternatives. Use rain barrels to capture water and irrigate your gardens and lawns.

7.     Get your home an energy audit to reduce heating costs.

• All Albertans who participate in the federal government's ecoENERGY Retrofit Program are eligible for a rebate of up to $200. Not only will this reduce your energy consumption, it will save you money!
• Install energy efficient windows and doors. Make sure your attic, basement and/or crawl space(s) are well insulated and leak proof. Look for a home that maximizes passive heating and cooling.
• Sharing walls with neighbours, as in townhomes, condominiums and apartment buildings, is a great way to prevent valuable heat from escaping to the outside. And living close to neighbours can increase the safety of your neighbourhood while increasing the vibrancy of the community.
• Check out Climate Change Central for more examples of ways to reduce your home's energy use. The Greater Edmonton Alliance is doing lots of interesting work on home energy retrofits.
• On a side note, Alberta just finished sixth place in the Solar Decathlon!

8.     Stay informed on the issues

• Get informed and stay informed. Keep up to date on current science. Watch films and read books, news clips and articles about climate change issues and impacts. [See our list of resources.]

9.     Create change in your community

Get involved! Talk to your family, neighbours, co-workers, friends and community groups about ways to reduce their carbon footprints and tackle climate change locally, even if the conversation gets awkward. Contact the media via letters to the editor or online forums. Let your political representatives know where you stand on climate change, and that it is important to you. Support a local organization's efforts to promote helpful government action. If you are a parent, student or teacher have your school adopt a local forest and replant trees, which absorb heat-trapping carbon from the atmosphere. Investigate options to save energy at work and ask your employer to implement them. If you belong to a spiritual, wisdom, or faith tradition, organize a stewardship group or club to engage with the challenges and complexities of addressing climate change from a moral, ethical, and/ or justice perspective.

10.  Go carbon neutral!

After you've reduced, recycled and reused, you will still have a carbon footprint — we all do. Become one of a growing group of people who are becoming carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets.

• Check out the Pembina Institute's Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A Guide for Canadian Consumers, Businesses, and Organizations for more information on what carbon offsets are, what they do, and what to keep in mind when purchasing them.