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Environmental Tips |
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Turn off
that tap! |
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Turn off that light! |
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Boy, parents are a pain, aren't they? Always nagging you
to "Turn off the lights", "Make sure you turn off that
tap",
and a bunch of other stuff.
We hate to tell you this, but they are right! Wasting
water and electricity not only wastes money, but it wastes our natural resources
too. The more energy we use, the greater the demand on our power suppliers.
From the page on Water Facts, we have seen that only 1% of all the water
in the world is available to be used as drinking water. Although this water
keeps getting recycled through the Earth’s ecosystem, once that water
is polluted, it is hard to get it back to a useable state.
Stratford has a unique water system… We use water
which comes from artesian wells, deep under the ground. Let’s help to
protect our water so that there will be enough for everyone!
Here are a few things that you can do at home to help
save water and electrical power, as well as helping to keep our water system
pure for drinking:
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TURN OFF THE LIGHTS
when there is no one in the room, even for a short time! Electricity is
wasted when no one is around to get the benefit of it. |
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When making cookies
or other treats, wait until you are almost done making your mix before you
pre-heat the oven. It only takes ten minutes to heat the average electric
oven for baking. (Better still, try some no-bake treats!) |
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Get your parents to
try hanging out the laundry on a clothes-line instead of using the dryer.
Maybe you could help them out by offering to hang the laundry on the line! |
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If you wash something
in the washer, make sure you have a full load and not just one T-shirt or
a pair of jeans. This would save both electricity AND water. |
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If you are using your
computer, turn off the monitor if you are going to be away from it for a
while. Some computers have energy-saving features which will do this for
you automatically when you leave it for a while. If your computer has this
feature make sure you are taking advantage of it. |
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If you have a portable
radio, make sure it’s plugged in when you are indoors and not using
batteries. While using batteries might save a little on your hydro bill,
they are really not that good for the environment. Not only do they last
for a VERY long time in a landfill, but they leak deadly mercury into the
ground and pollute the water table. |
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If you are using batteries
in a toy or game, make sure they are the rechargeable kind, and make sure
you don’t leave the toy on when you aren’t playing with it. |
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When brushing your
teeth, rinse the brush in short bursts of water instead of leaving the water
running. This can save a LOT of water. |
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Even a little drip
can waste lots of water. When you are finished using the sink be sure that
you REALLY turn off that tap. (This also helps you develop those muscles!)
If the tap leaks, ask your mom or dad to replace the washer. (The washer
is a little seal inside the tap that keeps it from leaking.) |
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When you take showers,
make sure they are short ones (less than 8 minutes). Taking a short shower
can use less water than taking a bath. However, taking a shallow bath uses
less water than taking a long shower.
Next time you take a shower, time yourself and try leaving the plug in the
drain and see just exactly how much water you are using. If the tub overflows,
that’s WAY too much!!!! |
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Walk over to the toilet
and listen to the tank. Do you hear a hissing sound? If you do, you have
a leaky valve! Ask your mom or dad to fix it… a leaky toilet can waste
hundreds, even thousands of gallons of water. |
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In the summer, instead
of running the tap for a long time until the water gets cold enough to drink,
keep a nice cold jug of water in the fridge. (Ice cubes cool off a drink
quickly too!) |
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While waiting for tap
water to get hot, catch it in a jug or bucket to use for watering plants. |
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If you like to play
in the sprinklers in the summertime, do it only when your parents are going
to water the lawn anyway! Better yet, fill up a wading pool to cool off
instead and use the water on the garden or to wash the car afterwards. |
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It uses less water
to wash the car with a bucket of soapy water than with the spray from a
garden hose. Just use the hose for your final rinse. |
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To clean your driveway
or walks, sweep them instead of spraying them down with a hose. |
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Here are some other ways to help the environment: |
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Did you know that in Stratford, all the water that flows
into the rain gutters and catch basins flows directly into the Avon River?
This water, unlike the water we flush down the drains in our homes, does not
go to the Water Treatment plant. This is a very good reason not to pour waste
household chemicals or other hazardous materials into the storm drains. Just
one gallon of gasoline allowed to flow into a storm drain can contaminate
750,000 gallons of water! It's also not a good idea to pour chemicals like
these into household drains or flush them down the toilet.
Likewise, chemicals poured into the ground and those that
end up in landfills, even if they are
in a container, pollute the water table.
Be sure you dispose of household hazardous
chemicals properly, not by putting them
in your trash or pouring them down the
drains. The City periodically has Household Hazardous
Waste drop off days at the landfill.
The drop off schedule can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
Household Hazardous Waste Program Schedule.
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