The Cosmopolitan Blog

I’ve lived in many places in my life, as I will surely discuss as I develop this blog… But I was so impressed when I arrived in Canada. On the global awareness scale, Canada is way up there. They recycle like it’s 2nd nature…

I haven’t lived in london in a looong time, but I was in New York until 2004, and I can tell you, neither of these cities came close.

At work, you should see the kitchen. We have all the different recycling containers, and there’s a rotation as to who takes them to be recycled. Yes, it’s true, even the high-powered execs of my office can be seen, in turn, leaving the office with trash bags filled with stuff for recycling and they take it to the nearest center. Everyone prints double-sided like there’s no other way to do it, people don’t waste water, take their own mugs down to the coffee shop to avoid being served in styrofoam cups, all our computer monitors are LCD with automatic switch-off…

Whether it’s the clubs I’m part of, or the friends’ houses I go to, lights are switched off everything a room is left. Everyone has the different recycling boxes (or makeshift piles).

Montreal is one of the largest biking cities… Everyone bikes here. For fun, to commute… People walk (like in New York), from one end of the city to the other.

Maybe it’s really true… maybe we can shift mindsets in one generation…

“Be the change you wish to see in this world”
- Mahatma Gandhi (who?)

Today is the LiveEarth concert. And I was doubtful what benefits could really come out of it… So I started watching, and was pleasantly surprised to see what was being done, even at the concerts themselves: all drinking cups were made from corn (not sure the name of these), the stage was decorated with only recycled materials (tires in NY, barrels in London) and a lot more… And then the commercials, 90% of which (at least here in Canada) were related to global warming, including easy to do useful tips…

At the beginning, I was annoyed by the fact that each singer / celeb would keep repeating “every little thing helps”, because, well, I felt like it was just empty worlds. So I went to liveearth.msn.com and read up and was amazed by how easy it was to make a difference. I mean, yes, I knew of most of the tips (you know, don’t run the dishwasher until it’s full, switch the lights off when you leave the room), but what I didn’t know was the numbers. How much I’m actually helping. By committing to changing 10 bulbs to energy-saving ones, I would be avoiding 3,608 kgs of carbon gas from polluting my world, which is like planting 92 trees. 92 trees!!! that’s huge!

So here’s what I think is the minimum anyone can do:

• when you only buy 1-2 items from the store, when the clerk asks you if you want a bag, say no! but it in your purse.
• When going grocery shopping, demand paper bags, or better yet, bring your own clothes bags
• At home, if you have a computer, chances are, you have all the different power wires plugged into a power bar. Well, when you’re done with your PC, don’t just turn off the monitor (which is the bare minimum), don’t just turn off your PC, actually bend down and switch off the power bar. This is what i did. I have a PC and a laptop at home. And so I switched the PC off (cuz I’m using the laptop) and then turned the power bar off. Of course, then, my wireless rounter turned off, hehehe, I forgot i need it for my latop. So I took the trouble to reorganize my cables, so that the network router was in a wall plug and was the only appliance left on.
• Don’t leave the TV on when you;re not in the room (my biggest fault)
• It’s summer, it’s hot sometimes, I know, but go easy on the AC if you have it. Turn it off as soon as it cools down in the evenings, or even better, in the morning, close your blinds and curtains to keep the room cool… Unless you’re currently experiencing a heat wave in your city/country, there is NO reason why your AC should be on during the night.
• At work, I’m lucky I work in a tech firm, so everything is top of line, energy-saving, but you can also contribute: print double-sided, and if you’re like me and need little pads of paper to write notes down, go to the recycled bin and pick up sheets that were only printed on one side, and use the other side for notes (or even cut it up in 4 squares, do a lot of them and staple together, and you have a makeshift notepad).
• Everytime you take the subway or the bus instead of your car, you’re saving the planet. Seriously, think about it, it’s summer, go out and walk or bike.

Go to liveearth.msn.com and pick your country. There are a ton of things you can do to make a difference, right here and now, in your own house, it won’t cost you a cent more (chances are it will save you quite a few too). Take the pledge, commit to change, take it seriously. You live in this world too, make it better for other, for you kids, your nieces and nephews, for your grandkids… why would you leave them with the consequences of what you DIDN’T do???

If you happen to be reading this post, leave me a comment and tell me 1 thing you did today that was environmentally-friendly. If you can’t think of one, then write me a comment and commit to 1, right here, right now!

ok, I’ll stop preaching now! Enjoy yourself! Go out and take a walk… Or watch the Life Earth Concert!