Green living tips for summer

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Summer is a great time to go green! Here are our best tips for every day changes and habits you can adopt to reduce your carbon footprint in the coming months.

Leave your car at home

Summer means beautiful weather, so why not leave your car parked and walk or bike to get around town while the days are balmy? The exercise will be good for your health and the decrease in pollution will be good for the planet. 

Take cold showers

Hot water requires more energy than cold to produce, so whenever you're feeling hot this summer, opt for a cold shower. They will get the job done; cool you down when you're feeling hot; and may even improve your health by releasing white blood cells, speeding up your metabolism and even increasing male fertility.

Eat cold food

When temperatures are high, you probably don't want to eat steaming hot food. Eating cold food will feel more natural on a hot day and is a great choice for the planet as it will require less energy to prepare as you won't need to use the stove or oven to make it. Try these cold dinner recipes.

Get into gardening 

Whether you own a house or live in an apartment, gardening is a great pastime with serious environmental benefits. Filling your yard or balcony with plants and flowers can help sequester carbon and clean the air. It can also create a habitat for insects and animals.

Eat local

When you buy and eat local food, you reduce your carbon footprint because that food doesn't have to travel a long distance to arrive on your plate. Visit local farmers markets in your area this summer to shop for fresh, local and in-season produce. Farmers markets also tend to use little or no product packaging which is another environmental win. Bring some reusable shopping bags and stock up on fresh fruit and veg, cheese, meat and more.

Going green doesn't have to be hard! We hope these tips help you reduce your carbon footprint this summer! 

Looking for a place to call home? For information on BentallGreenOak rental properties across Canada, please visit our website.