The Carbon Diet Menu
For B.C. to cut emissions by one-third by 2020, our province has to go on a serious carbon diet.
There are things you can do in your own life, starting now.
We've put together this list of ten things you can start today to reduce your contribution to your footprint.
Try these actions now to reduce your impact.
| Action | CO₂ Emissions
You lose in
2 weeks (approx. CO2 equivalent) |
CO₂ Emissions
You lose in
one year (approx. CO2 equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
 Walk to work, instead of a 5km car commute |
30 kg | 730 kg |
 Take transit or bike to work, instead of a 25 km drive |
140 kg | 3650 kg |  Eliminate three 25 km car trips per week |
40 kg | 1100 kg |  Cut the meat in your diet by 50% |
70 kg | 1800 kg |  Start composting |
10 kg | 250 kg |  Turn down your thermostat by 5 degrees at night |
0.7 - 3 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
18 - 80 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
 Wash your clothes in cold, rather than hot water |
0.3 - 10 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
8 - 240 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
 Limit your shower time to five minutes |
0.5 - 7 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
14 - 190 kg (electricity vs. gas heating) |
 Line dry half your laundry |
0.2 kg | 6 kg |  Unplug chargers and turn off power bars |
0.1 kg | 3.5 kg |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How did CBC choose the ten things?
A. Our list is inspired by several sources, including the UBC Sustainability Eco-Footprint survey, British Columbia’s Climate Action Plan, and BC Hydro’s Power Smart program. We also sought to cover a variety of areas that would broadly reflect the sources of greenhouse gasses produced by individuals (e.g. transportation, home and water heating, waste).
Q. How did CBC calculate the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from each action?
A. We looked for the best data we could find, relying heavily on information from Natural Resources Canada, Statistics Canada, and BC Hydro.
You can see a detailed breakdown of our assumptions here.
Q. Why did CBC decide to use averages – rather than telling me my individual impact?
A. Every person's situation is different, so it would be incredibly complex to calculate the precise impact of individual actions. Also, do you know exactly how many grams of meat you eat per day, or the average length of your shower? By using averages, we hope to demonstrate the relative impact of each action – recognizing it will vary for each individual – and the collective impact of people acting together.
Q. I don't live in British Columbia. Are the numbers accurate for my situation?
A. It depends on the calculation. We used data sources from Canada, and British Columbia when possible, so that’s where the numbers are most applicable. B.C. is exceptional among Canadian provinces for having a low level of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity – due to hydroelectric power. For example, electricity in Alberta produces more than 40 times the emissions per kilowatt/hour that electricity in B.C. does.
Q. Why don't you list bigger actions, like living closer to where you work, or cutting down on air travel
A.Those are important actions to take that can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint. For this list, we limited the options to daily or weekly habits, which doesn't include moving or plane trips for most of us. If you want to read more about other long-term changes you can make, there are many sources online, including David Suzuki's Nature Challenge.
Where do these numbers come from?
Walk to work, instead of a 5km car commute:
Assumes fuel efficiency of 12 L/100km, driving 10 km per day five days per week.
Take transit or bike to work, instead of a 25 km drive:
Assumes fuel efficiency of 12 L/100 km, driving 50 km per day five days per week.
Eliminate three 25 km car trips per week:
Assumes fuel efficiency of 12 L/100km, driving 25 km per trip for three trips per week.
Cut the meat in your diet by 50%:
Assumes average meat consumption for a Canadian of 268 g per day (Source: FAO, 2006) and emissions of 34.6 kg CO₂eq per kg of beef, extrapolated to all meat (Source: Animal Science Journal, 2007).
Start composting:
Assumes composting eliminates one-third of household waste, and emissions from solid waste disposal on land in B.C. of 3.3 Mt CO₂eq, (Source: National Inventory Report: Greenhouse Sources and Sinks in Canada 1990-2006) distributed evenly among B.C. residents.
Turn down your thermostat by 5 degrees at night (electric heat):
Assumes 800 kWh saved per year and 22 g CO₂eq produced per kWh electricity used (Source: BC Hydro).
Turn down your thermostat by 5 degrees at night (gas heat):
Assumes one percent savings in heating bill per degree and 2.7 Mt of CO₂eq for space heating in B.C. (Source: Natural Resources Canada) divided evenly among B.C. households.
Wash your clothes in cold, rather than hot water (electric heat):
Assumes 360 kWh saved per year, based on two loads of laundry per week, and 22 g CO₂eq produced per kWh electricity used (Source: BC Hydro).
Wash your clothes in cold, rather than hot water (gas heat):
Assumes 121 L of hot water saved per load (Source: BC Hydro) and two loads per week. Also assumes emissions of 19 g CO₂eq per litre of hot water, based on emissions of 1.5 Mt of CO₂eq to heat water in B.C. (Source: Natural Resources Canada) distributed evenly among B.C. residents using an average of 50 L hot water per day.
Limit your shower time to five minutes (electric heat):
Assumes average shower time in Canada of 7.6 minutes (Source: Ipsos-Reid poll for GoBlue.org, 2008), average shower flow of 15 L per minute, and five showers per week. Also assumes 0.06 kWh electricity to heat one litre of water, and 22 g CO₂eq produced per kWh electricity used (Source: BC Hydro).
Limit your shower time to five minutes (gas heat):
Assumes average shower time of 7.6 minutes (Source: Ipsos-Reid poll for GoBlue.org, 2008), average shower flow of 15 L per minute, and five showers per week. Assumes emissions of 19 g CO₂eq per litre of hot water, based on emissions of 1.5 Mt of CO₂eq to heat water in B.C. (Source: Natural Resources Canada) distributed evenly among B.C. residents using an average of 50 L hot water per day.
Line dry half your laundry:
Assumes 260 kWh saved per year, based on line drying 50% of four loads of laundry per week, with 22 g CO₂eq produced per kWh electricity used (Source: BC Hydro).
Unplug chargers and turn off power bars:
Assumes 168 kWh saved per year, with 22 g CO₂eq produced per kWh electricity used (Source: BC Hydro).