Défi-Climat is a climate awareness campaign held in March and April, a challenge involving several hundred organizations and businesses urging Montreal residents, as well as all Quebecers, to fight global warming and commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane or nitrous oxide. Below are five Défi-Climat strategies that, out of 13 recommendations for the home, produce the most dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
And for future reference, here's the full 2009 list of Défi-Climat strategies (in French only).
1. Eliminate four meals served with meat every week.
Four meals served with meat every week represents 416 kg of greenhouse gas emissions a year and dumping them is the most dramatic strategy Défi-Climat proposes residents adopt in the home. Apparently one cow releases the equivalent of 600 litres of methane a day. That's about how much greenhouse gas emissions a car running for 40 km produces. But not only is a reduction in meat intake good for the ozone layer, it saves money! Meat substitutes like lentils ($10 to $15 for 10 lbs) or the yellow split peas you'd need for my
split pea soup recipe are so much cheaper than say, 10 lbs of strip loin steak. Even on sale, 10kg would set you back roughly $50 or more in March 2009.
2. Buy food grown/produced in Quebec.
Buy food grown/produced in Quebec and you'll prevent 340 kg of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Défi-Climat quotes Équiterre when claiming the average food item travels 2600 km to get to our tables, the approximate distance between Montreal and Florida. They also calculated a diesel truck transporting said food would release about 2730 kg of carbon dioxide. Here are a few strategies to help you reduce your carbon footprint, all listed in your
Guide to Eating Local in Montreal.
3. Reduce thermostat by 3 degrees Celsius at night or by 1 degree all the time.
Just reducing the thermostat by one degree Celsius during Montreal's colder months saves the ozone an additional 190 kg of carbon dioxide a year per household! Défi-Climat uses the
Agence de l'efficacité énergétique du Québec as a source when they say that taking either measure reduces your heating bill by 6%.
4. Compost organic matter at home.
Representing a reduction of 100 kg of greenhouse gas emissions in a year, Courtney Curtis, About.com's guide to Green Living, claims
composting is much easier and less repulsive than one would imagine.
5. Replace gas-powered lawnmowers by manual or electrical-powered lawnmowers.
Considering how short Montreal's lawnmowing season is (or feels!), it's surprising that the average gas-powered lawnmower spews 48 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, polluting as much as a car traveling 550 km. Défi-Climat encourages residents to check out the
Clean Air Foundation's Mow Down Pollution money-back program for residents who opt to replace gas-powered with a manual or electrical mower. Program offered in collaboration with Home Dépôt.
