EARTH HOUR COUNTDOWN: One Planet Living's 10 Top Tips for Changing What We Eat to Help the Earth

At Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre, we believe companies must conduct sustainable business practices and be responsible stewards of the environment.

Professionally and personally, our team members are committed to reducing their ecological footprint. As we count down to Earth Hour on Saturday, March 23rd, 2013, we will be reviewing ways we can be kinder our planet with tips from One Planet Living, a division of World Wildlife Fund.

According to One Planet Living, if we carry on living the way we are now, by 2035, we will need to find second planet – identical to Earth – to meet our growing demands for energy and resources.

From One Planet Living: 

We need to change the way we live, work and play. Today. We each have an average ecological footprint of 2.7 hectares – which means that everyone on the planet uses on average 2.7 hectares of the world’s surface to supply us with food, fuel, and materials to clothe and shelt us. But the planet has just 2.1 hectares of land and sea to go around… 

In other words, we are living in serious ecological debt. And it is a debt which is growing EVERY DAY. 

As the world’s climate heats up, fish stocks disappear, forests are destroyed and biodiversity declines, one thing is clear: we face a massive global ecological credit crunch. But our debt to the earth is one that no-one can afford.” 

One Planet Living is about enjoying a high quality of life within our fair share of the earth’s resources. One Planet Living is a model based on ten simple principles which provide a framework to make sustainable living easy and affordable for all:

• Zero carbon 

• Zero waste

• Sustainable transport

• Sustainable materials

• Local and sustainable food

• Sustainable water

• Land use and wildlife

• Culture and community

• Equity and local economy

• Health and happiness

What can you do? WWF has researched a set of Ten Top Tips that offer suggestions about small changes we can make to the way we live, work and play.

One Planet Living’s 10 Top Tips for Changing What We Eat to Help the Earth

1. food that is in season is tastier - and costs less to process and package
2. cut down on meat and dairy produce - the rising cost of grain production is making prices soar
3. waste less food - the US Department of Agriculture says Americans throw out 11 million pounds of fruit and vegetables every year. Only buy what you will actually eat
4. compost organic waste - create free, fertile soil to grow your own food in.
5. buy fairly traded goods - and help over 7 million farmers, rural workers and their families in 58 developing countries
6. buy local food - it costs less to transport
7. try growing your own fruit and vegetables - for the same price as your weekly shopping bill you could buy enough seeds to supply you with your own fresh, organic vegetables all-year round
8. avoid heavily processed products - fresh food costs less to produce, and therefore costs you less
9. drink tap water, not bottled water - its free!
10. buy MSC certified fish and fish products - the MSC label guarantees they have been fished sustainably

Save Water and the Environment with GROHE

Gone are the days when homeowners only focused on design and functionality when choosing the products and appliances for their newly designed kitchen or bathroom. Today, they are just as likely to keep the environment in mind, as well.

But is it possible to be good to the environment and save money...all while maintaining high standards for style and efficiency? GROHE thinks you can:

"In a world where water resources are under increasing pressure, GROHE works every day to provide solutions to this serious challenge. All GROHE products combine stylish design, ease-of-use and superior performance with responsible water consumption. Some concepts, however, are exceptionally economical by nature and allow users to save water without giving it another thought."

GROHE has expanded their EcoJoy™ line of established products--thermostats, dual-flush sanitary systems and electronic faucets--to reflect their ongoing commitment to the environment. The smart, sophisticated designs of GROHE's selected single-lever mixers and showers restrict flow rates and allow you to reduce water consumption without sacrificing on performance or design. This means less water needs to be heated to obtain your perfect shower or washbasin temperature. The bottom line? The money you save on water generates energy savings and results in a substantial cost savings for both resources.

GROHE EcoJoy™ hand shower

Choose a Water-Saving Shower Head
Using quality materials, first-class design and advanced engineering, GROHE EcoJoy™ hand showers save water with either an integrated flow limiter, or an "eco" button or spray dimmer which let you to choose when to reduce the water flow.

Save with a GROHE Digital Shower
Designed to save you time and money, GROHE Ondus faucets and showers can be pre-programmed so you can enjoy your preferred combination of water flow rate and shower temperature with a push of a button. The shower control's "pause" button allows you to stop the water mid-shower (e.g. to shampoo your hair) and then re-start it at exactly the same temperature and flow...saving you time and water.

Invest in a GROHE Shower Thermostat
Shower thermostats help you save water by maintaining the desired water temperature for the duration of your shower. This means less time re-adjusting the temperature if the water supply changes. In addition, many of GROHE's models include an "eco" button on the thermostat body to reduce the flow rate by 50 percent.

Visit GROHE online here.

To learn more about incorporating GROHE's energy-efficient products into your kitchen or bath redesign project, contact Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre at 905-686-2001.