What's your act of green?

I just saw a commercial on CBC Television asking just this question. They call it "One Million Acts of Green", one act at a time. The commercial featured Canadian TV personalities as well as David Suzuki stating what their "acts of green" were (everything from turning off the tap when brushing their teeth and using energy light bulbs, to Suzuki's picking up at least one piece of garbage per day and putting it back in its proper place). Then they ask us again: "What's your act of green?"

That got me thinking... well, I usually always use cold water to do the laundry; I rarely use the dishwasher (unless it would be completely full... which is rare) because I find it wastes too much water and energy to run (and I want to be able to use that cup I need NOW!); I am a diligent (for the most part) recycler and composter (I love the green bin! Not sure why they accept diapers in the green bin, but it sure helps me to reduce my garbage which only gets picked up every 2nd week); I keep the thermostat in the house at reasonable levels (not HOT in the winter and COLD in the summer... we adjust it at night as well); I turn off the tap when I brush my teeth too (habit); and we just started putting our 1st grader on the school bus (finally) which saves us tons of gas from driving back and forth because her school is not close (I spent 1.5-2 hrs in the car every day just to drop her off and pick her up... there were also many other factors acting as motivators for this one); I try to use reusable grocery bags (but I most often seem to forget them at home which is of no use to me when I'm at the store check-out... but I try!); oh and I've carpooled to work when it was convenient to save on gas (prices have gotten to be ridiculous in the last year in particular!!)

Okay, despite my ecology background from my university studies, I'm no environmental guru... I get it, I try, but I'm no environmental superhero! I'm not a fan of the energy bulbs and the odd food or yogurt cup will end up in the garbage instead of the green bin or recycling... And many of my "acts of green" aren't always environmentally motivated (that's usually a bonus!) - more often they are motivated by saving money, convenience, necessity, or just plain habit... Nonetheless... they count! And I think that's just the point of this new campaign the CBC is launching... it's all the little things that add up and end up making a difference.

Our next acts of green? Retrofitting our home with a more efficient furnace (ours is about to croak) and replacing drafty windows and doors (weatherstripping the windows until we can get to replacing them... the doors should be done in the next week or so - YAY!). We're going to do a home energy audit before the renovations, which could give us up to $10,000 in federal grants and provincial rebates - another YAY! (http://www.homeperformance.com/).

Visit http://www.onemillionactsofgreen.com/ and add your acts to the grand total. As the CBC promo says... "Because you don't get to a million without starting at one. So, get ready to go green. One act at a time." So... what's your act of green?