When I was eleven, I read a book called Exodus by Julie Bertagna. It was a dystopian story about a small island village who live on what was once a mountain. The protagonist, Mara, didn’t find herself in an empty nuclear wasteland or living in a world of unfeeling androids - this world was our own and it had been drowned. As I followed the journey of Exodus’ unlikely hero Mara, I was left truly unsettled and thoughtful of what life would look like on this little blue planet in the near future.

Exodus is not just a dystopian fiction, it is a story of potential. This past summer, the fourth largest ice shelf - over 1 trillion tonnes, 160 times the size of Manhattan, broke off of Antarctica.

The Caribbean has been battered and broken by storms in recent months with 6 major hurricanes (category 3+), causing damages upwards of $186 billion (USD). Houston was underwater for weeks. Florida had to go into lockdown. South-East Asia typhoon floods killed thousands of people. The West Coast was on fire and is now being pounded with rainfall and landslides.

Forest fires, cyclones, avalanches, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and hurricanes - they aren’t just ‘natural’ disasters - it is becoming more and more clear that they are the product of our own behaviours. Do those stats make your eyes glaze over? And why should you care? 1672 Pg of organic carbon is estimated to be stored in the Northern Arctic permafrost - 50% of the Earth’s carbon. According to the Clausius–Clapeyron equation: for every degree Celsius the temperature rises, 7% more water can be held by the air. To put it bluntly, the warmer our planet gets, the more drastic the storms, the higher likelihood of super-storms and extreme weather, the faster coastal cities will drown. Global warming will only accelerate and we are nearing a point of no return according to many climate scientists.

This topic is certainly bleaker than my usual subject matter, and I hope it doesn’t come across as preachy. We can all do better. It takes time and awareness to adjust our predisposition towards convenience to a conscious choice for what is healthier (for ourselves and the planet). So before I bore you with the doom and gloom, let’s get to the good stuff. Below you will find 60 simple steps to save the world. Someone once told me, we are the first generation to feel the effects of global warming, but the last who can do anything to stop it. So let’s get to work:

Basic Household Chores

1. Change your lightbulbs

Use compact fluorescents or LEDs instead.

2. Unplug computers, TVs and other electronics

computers, TVs and other electronics when not in use - even if they are turned off they still consume energy in a phenomenon known as phantom drain

3. Wash clothes in cold or lukewarm water

and ideally in larger loads during off-peak times so as to not overload energy grids (and also to save on the hydro bill)

4. Hang dry when you can

(inside works just as well during Canadian winters)

5. Turn off the tap

while you brush your teeth!

6. Cut down on shower time

Showers are the 3rd highest water users after toilets and washing machines - the average American shower uses 17.2 gallons (65.1 liters) and lasts for 8.2 minutes

7. Recycle

(duh.)

8. Water your plants or grass

at night to avoid evaporation.

9. Don't rake your fall leaves

Leave them to provide critical habitat for local wildlife such as butterflies, salamanders, chipmunks, box turtles, toads, shrews, and earthworms.

10. Google your local waste management center

See what services they provide. My centre has a Paint and Stain Reuse Centre where partially-used paint or stain can be donated and others can pick it up.

11. Recycle electronics

If you’re from Canada, visit http://www.recyclemyelectronics.ca/on/ or www.thinkrecycle.com to recycle old phones, printers, desktops, keyboards, laptops, videocameras, projectors, speakers, etc. (full list on site).

12. Turn off your fridge ice maker

Save water and energy

13. Book a home energy audit...

to find even more ways to save energy

Retail, Fashion, and Beauty

14. Stop using plastic bags

Carrying a few items isn’t so hard or try bringing a fabric shopper bag (this is one of my favourite eco-friendly actions)

15. Shop vintage and pre-loved clothing

Easy and stylish. Upcycling at its best.

16. Bring your old clothes into H&M

They will recycle it into new beautiful outfits.

17. Take a fast fashion break.

Try sticking just to high quality basics rather than seasonal trend turnover. Some great options are Everlane, Frank & Oak, Aritzia, or Madewell.

18. Host a clothes swap party

An excuse to get together with your girlfriends and get a whole new wardrobe the eco-way.

19. Wash your clothes in cold water

It will do the trick plus it has the added bonus of maintaining the dye in your clothing better.

20. Try oil pulling

Rather than whitening strips - better for you and the environment.

21. Shampoo less

This one has been hard for me since my hair is on the greasier side, however with eco-friendly dry shampoo and three days in between washes, my hair has never felt healthier.

22. Try a retail blackout

At least twice a week. Try not to buy anything - no new clothes, no coffee, no new makeup. Soon enough, reducing your purchases becomes habit which is really the key to being eco-friendly

23. Invest in eco-conscious brands

Try H&M Conscious, Reformation, or Everlane.

24. Consider the fabric

Bamboo, silk, eco-friendly denim, organic cotton, soy, hemp and lyocell are just a few of the natural, eco-friendly fabrics on the market. Learn more about each here.

25. Switch to reusable razors

26. Avoid the “dirty dozen”

The “dirty dozen” beauty products includes popular ingredients like parabens and parfums.

Transit

27. Ride your bike, walk or public transit

According to David Suzuki, transportation causes about 25 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

28. Stop or reduce your flying

If possible, take a train or bus - air travel uses incredible amounts of resources. According the the NYT Climate Newsletter Climate Fwd, “for a coast-to-coast round trip, an economy-class passenger’s share of the plane’s emissions is about one-fifth of what a car produces in a year.”

29. Live close to where you work

If it is an option.

30. Don't drive with a heavy trunk

The heavier the car, the more fuel used.

31. Dial In

Especially to meetings that are out of office.

Food

32. Grow some of your own food

My favourites are tomatoes, zucchinis, green onions, carrots, basil and mint.

33. Buy local and organic

If not to reduce waste in transportation and processing, at least for your own health.

34. Reduce meat consumption

Try to eat at least one meat-free meal a day or one full day a week - 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from meat and dairy production.

35. Compost

Garbage buried in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

36. Shop at Farmers' Markets

They tend to use less packaging for food and what they do use tends to be recyclable.

37. Use a pressure cooker or steamer

It cooks your food faster and with less energy/water.

38. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce and transport.

38. Use glass containers

Not plastic Tupperware.

40. Buy non-perishables at Bulk Barn

You can now bring your own glass containers instead of using plastic bags or containers.

41. Buy loose leaf tea

And use a metal steeper, rather than tea bags, many of which are made with polymers (David’s Tea provides a discount if you reuse your tin. Alternatively, you can grow an herb in your leftover tea tin.)

42. Avoid food waste by meal planning

Food waste is the world’s 3rd largest emitter of CO2- roughly 1/3 of food produced every year gets lost or wasted

43. Cook food close to expiration dates

And freeze it for leftovers.

44. Have leftover night to avoid food waste

Bibimbap is a delicious Korean recipe traditionally cooked to use leftovers.

45. Make your own granola

Avoid getting the individually wrapped bars.

46. Stop using straws

Or at least use paper ones and recycle them. Please watch this video and you will understand why.

47. Cook with cast iron

Avoid toxic chemicals like PFOA and PTFE

Extracurricular Activities

48. Take a summer to tree plant

Trees store an unbelievable amount of carbon.

49. Participate in Earth Day and Earth Hour

Turn off the lights!!

50. Use your electronics less

The less you use them, the less you need to recharge them.

51. Greenify your period

Use tampons with less packaging such as OB or use a reusable menstrual cup.

52. Use a non-plastic water bottle and reusable coffee mug.

This one is too easy to not commit to.

53. Gift experiences, not things

Offer to cook dinner or take them camping.

54. Avoid creating trash where you can

Ask not to receive utensils when ordering in.

55. Get a library membership

Or do a book exchange rather than buying new.

56. Try replacing one workout a week with a walk

And pick up garbage along the way.

58. Plant bee friendly flowers and herbs

Save the bees!

58. Plant native plants to support native wildlife

59. Put out a bird bath

With marbles in the bottom for bees to land on - they are thirsty too in the summer heat.

60. Vote...

for politicians who believe in climate change, have a history of prioritizing the environment and eco-positive solutions, and are supportive of carbon taxes which make polluting more expensive and green solutions more affordable.

Some of these tips and tricks might seem straightforward and common-sense, but I suppose that’s the point. Being eco-friendly isn’t hard… it’s just about adapting a new frame of mind and setting new habits. So, considering it is still January and hopefully we are all still in the mindset of setting resolutions, perhaps incorporating some of these small but meaningful changes into your life is something we can all try to do. After all, they are just a few simple steps to save the world.