NEWS RELEASE
SUSTAINABLE ORILLIA
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Happy New Year to all! This year Sustainable Orillia is hoping that ‘sustainability’ is high on everyone’s list of New Year's resolutions.
The clock on climate change and sustainability is ticking, and the right time to commit to making those small changes in our everyday lives that ultimately add up to a more sustainable life, here and across the planet is now.
At Sustainable Orillia we were challenged to edit a long list of possible resolutions down to three or four suggestions that most of us can relate to and incorporate into our day-to-day behaviour.
Many suggestions have and will continue to be posted as “Tips of the Week” — an ongoing feature that is published Tuesday evenings here at OrilliaMatters. These tips, articles and other links are also posted on Sustainable Orillia’s social media, including our website and the SO Facebook page.
Meanwhile, if you still have your 2020 list of resolutions handy, here are three broad suggestions you might consider for starters:
- Learn more and get (more) engaged. Learning more about ‘sustainability’ and how to make intentional choices that will reduce our carbon footprint or waste is a great first resolution. Get engaged. Get more engaged! Ask questions and seek answers. The internet, libraries and local activist groups are great places to start. The sustainability movement isn’t an exclusive club or cause – everyone is invited. The more people who are informed, engaged and changing behaviors, the greater chance we have to turn the tide.
- Reduce personal Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Start to monitor your behaviour, all the while looking for opportunities to cut back or even eliminate the use of fossil fuels. For example, whenever you can, leave your car in the drive and walk instead (that’s a win-win). Avoid drive-throughs and vehicle-idling. At home, pop on a sweater and some cozy socks instead of cranking up the thermostat on those dark and cold winter nights.
- Reduce personal waste. Plastic single-use packaging is the bane of sustainability. It’s virtually impossible to eliminate it entirely, but whenever possible, make decisions like buying more food in bulk, growing your own food, repurposing used clothing, NEVER using or buying a plastic straw—and so on, to give a strong message to manufacturers and retailers.
Each of these resolutions is intentionally broad, as there are many, many more examples of how each of us can take steps to reduce GHG emissions and personal waste.
Whatever resolutions you make, please keep in mind that in addition to stopping the mega-polluters, our planet needs a lot of people like us, changing our behaviours to stop the erosion of our environment and our quality of life.
In doing your part, you not only directly support the cause, but you also become a role model and a reason for others in your family and community to follow your lead. Everyone can be a leader in the fight for sustainability.
Happy New Year. Together, let’s do something….
Sustainable Orillia is a network of citizens committed to improving the quality of life, the health and wellness, and the environment of our community. Mandated and supported by the Mayor and Council, Sustainable Orillia provides an overarching framework for programs and partnerships that target more sustainable behaviours and practices in our community.
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