NonProfits GoGreen

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Non-Profits GoGreen

• Providing the Awareness and Practical Tools for
  Cambridge Non-Profits to Make the Environment a
  Priority

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Non-Profits GoGreenBACKGROUND

• Purpose to motivate non-profits to use more
  environmentally friendly practices (and provide
  the tool to do this)
• in MFT surveys environmental sustainability
  identified as a community priority
• Initial Forum November 2005

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Non-Profits GoGreenBACKGROUND cont.

• Steps
• Action committee formed
• Survey designed and results gathered
• Toolkit drafted
• Pilot sites test tools
• Toolkit released to community at forum

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Non-Profits GoGreenGUEST SPEAKERS

• John Grotheer (President of
  Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc)
• Kathleen Barsoum (Educational Coordinator
  for Waterloo Region Waste Management)
• Sherry Buckingham (Cambridge Memorial
  Hospital Environmental Manager)

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Non-Profits GoGreen
BREAK TIME

• Providing the Awareness and Practical Tools for
  Cambridge Non-Profits to Make the Environment a
  Priority

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Non-Profits GoGreenPILOTS
j

• WHO? Argus Residence for Young People,Cambridge
  Self-help Foodbank, Cambridge Non-Profit Housing
  Corp, Meals on Wheels/Cambridge Home Support,
  Social Planning Council, Cambridge Community
  Foundation, United Way, Langs Farm
• WHAT? tested sections of the toolkit in order
  to make suggestions and see cost savings
• WHEN? July and August 2006

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Non-Profits GoGreenPILOT RESULTS j

• Argus Residence For Young People
• -added to compost bins, 5 recycle bins
  -bought solar powered lights
  -stopped using pesticides and bought fertilizer
  and weed control to strengthen the lawn
  -created a challenge for staff and residents
• Cambridge Home Supports/Meals on Wheels
• -17 volunteers tracked their driving habits
  -received tire gauges to check tire
  pressure -picked up extra recycle bins

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Non-Profits GoGreenPILOT RESULTS j

• Cambridge Community Foundation
• -purchased recycled paper
  -set up boxes for scrap paper
  beside printer
• United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries
• -sent out e-mails about printing double-sided
  -put individual recycling boxes in each
  office
• Social Planning Council
• -bought recycled paper, printed double-sided
  -bought and washed hand towels for the
  bathroom -used flip charts at meetings and
  ceramics

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Non-Profits GoGreenPILOT RESULTS j

• Langs Farm Village Association
• -raised temperature in the summer
  -replacing CFL fire exit bulbs with LED
  -successful Wasteless Wednesdays program
• Cambridge Self-Help Foodbank
• Cambridge Non-Profit Housing Corporation
• THANK YOU TO OUR 8 PILOT SITES!!

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT

• The TOOLKIT is a how-to guide for non-profit
  agencies to implement environmental practices
  within their organizations
• Format of the Toolkit
• The toolkit is divided into 10 sections
• How to Implement in your Agency,Energy
• Efficiency,Water Conservation,
• Paper, Recycling,Transportation, Meetings
  
• Conferences, Cleaning Products, Outdoor
• Maintenance, Construction Renovation

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Purchase a programmable thermostat. Set
  programmable thermostats at higher temperatures
  overnight and on weekends during the summer and
  at lower temperatures during the winter.
  Recommended temperatures are 18 degrees during
  the heating season and 25 degrees when the air
  condtion'g is operating. (Place lock boxes over
  thermostats to ensure temperatures are not
  adjusted).
• Setting air conditioners up 2 degrees
  Celsius saves 100-kilowatt hours/season ( 10).
  Setting thermo- stats 6 degrees Celsius lower
  during the winter for 8 hours/day can reduce
  your heating bill by 10.
• Replace old light bulbs with energy saving ones.
  This includes replacing incandescent light bulbs
  in fire exit signs with LED lights as well as
  replacing all outdoor lighting.
• Inefficient incandescent bulbs loose 95 of
  their energy to heat and non-visible light.
  Compact fluorescent bulbs use 75 less
  electricity than regular bulbs and last
  years longer
• Replacing a frequently used bulb w/a compact
  fluorescent one saves 200 kilowatt-hours/yearrou
  ghly 20

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT WATER CONSERVATION

• Invest in water-saving toilet devices such as a
  toilet dam or replace older toilets with 6 litre
  low-flush models.
• When installed properly, a toilet dam can
  save up to 5 L of water per flush
• If your agency has 3 toilets, each being
  flushed 20 times/day, simply installing toilet
  dam would save over 160 in one year. (At the
  current City of Cambridge water rate of total
  water consumed at 0.8540/m3 plus monthly service
  charge and sewer rate of 0.6525/m3 plus monthly
  service charge).
•  Fix leaking faucets as soon as possible.
• A faucet that leaks one drip per second
  will waste 9000 litres per year. That's enough
  water for 160 full cycles on an automatic
  dishwasher.
• Such a leak would cost almost 15 per year
•  

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT PAPER

• Recycle all office paper, as well as shredded
  materials.
• Making new paper from recycled paper can
  save up to 50 of the energy needed for the
  production process and cut down on the air
  pollution associated with the paper
  manufacturing process by 95.
• If all the paper consumed in Canada each
  year were recycled, 80 million trees would be
  saved and about 35 of our waste would be
  diverted from landfill. (Workplace Guide, p.55)
•  

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT RECYCLING

• Put small boxes or recycling bins in close
  proximity to every desk to facilitate regular
  recycling of paper throughout the office.
• Old scrap paper is used to make new
  tissues, paper towels, fruit trays, egg cartons
  and flower pots.
•  Recycle, or if possible, reuse grocery bags.
• It takes one 15 year old tree to
  produce 700 grocery bags.
• Buy in bulk, buy products that use no or little
  packaging.
• The average Canadian throws out more than
  600 lbs. of packaging material every year.
• (Remember recycling is the last resort! First
  try to reduce then reuse, and if all else fails,
  recycle)

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT TRANSPORTATION

• Avoid idling when stopping for over 10 sec. (i.e.
  no drive through/warming up your car)
• Idling burns more fuel than turning off and
  restarting the engine. Moreover, idling can
  contaminate engine oil and harm engine
  components.
•  Measure the inflation level of your tires once a
  month
• For every tire in your vehicle
  under-inflated by 56 kPa (8 psi) there is a 4
  increase in fuel consumption.
• A tire under-inflated by 8psi looses 15
  000kms of its road life.
•  

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT MEETINGS
CONFERENCES

• Provide food that is grown and purchased locally
  and/or organically
• Food imported to Waterloo Region has
  traveled an avg. distance of 4000 km. Buying
  local means minimizing the distance food
  travels, as well as protecting crop diversity
  and farmland.
• Preparing one serving of a meal using
  ingredients from
• a supermarket uses 4-17 times more petroleum
  consumption than preparing the meal with
  locally grown ingredients.
• Use reusable dishes or wash plastic ones for
  reuse later and use cloth napkins instead of
  paper.
  
• Buying reusable products not only saves
  landfill space that would have been taken up by
  disposable products, it saves energy and
  greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be
  needed for the manufacturing, packaging and
  transport of new products.
•  
  
•  

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT CLEANING PRODUCTS

• Glass cleaner - Instead of Windex, try mixing 1
  part vinegar and 5 parts water in a spray bottle
  for cleaning windows and glass
•  Microwave cleaner - Dirty staffroom microwaves
  are easy to clean by placing a mixture of 30 mL
  of baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup of water
  in a 1 L microwave-safe bowl and allowing the
  mixture to boil for around 5 minutes, (until
  steam condenses on the walls of the microwave).
  Afterwards, use a cloth to wipe doors and walls.

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT OUTDOOR MAINTENANCE

• Obtain in a composter.
• Food scraps and other organic waste produce
  a greenhouse gas (methane) when left to break
  down in landfills because no oxygen is present
  when organic waste is buried. Composting not
  only lowers greenhouse gas emissions in this
  way, it also provides an effective fertilizer
  for gardens and lawns.
• Organic waste make up 30 of the waste
  stream in North America.
• Diverting organic waste through composting
  could reduce municipal solid waste by 25, also
  reducing our taxes. (from the Green Partnership
  Guide)
• ?? Composters are available for FREE at the
  Cambridge landfill. The Cambridge location is
  at 201 Savage Dr., and is open Mon-Sat 7-3.

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT HOW TO IMPLEMENT

• STEPS
• 1. Establish a baseline
• measure current practices
• determine staff support
• identify opportunities ?????
•  
• 2. Set specific attainable goals (action plan)
• Using the Non-Profits GoGreen TOOLKIT, choose the
  areas/tools that you feel would have the most
  impact for your agency and are the most
  realistic.
• remember to include in your action plan how you
  plan on implementing the tools ex how you will
  get staff support.
•  
•  

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Non-Profits GoGreenTOOLKIT HOW TO IMPLEMENT

• STEPS (cont)
•  
• 3. Assemble key players
• environmental champion/program leader
• -ensures that the organization meets their
  goals
• -...will serve the role of leader, manager,
  information gatherer, communicator, motivator
  and ambassador (Green Partnership Guide, p.20)
• senior management commitment
• green team/environmental committee
•  
• 4. Implement
•  

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Action PlanNow it is time for action!!!

• Spend 20 minutes right now to decide.
• Which tips from the toolkit you want to implement
• How you will implement them (including how you
  will ensure that staff take part)
• Timeframe

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What is in it for you?

• Lessen your impact on the environment
• Save money
• Lead by example
• Make a difference

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The Earth Is In Our Hands
www.socialplanningcouncil-cnd.org/environment