Climate Change Champions

Environment Hamilton and Green Venture offer a toolkit of programs and resources to help you reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

This includes presentations at your school, workplace - and at public events, such as this street festival.  An example of this presentation can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Westitalia Festival, downtown Westdale

This is one of the many games we offer where people of all ages have fun - and learn about the environment at the same time!

Our Other Programs include:

Wise Water Use

Green Venture and the City of Hamilton have partnered in an initiative called the Wise Water Use program. Established in October 2000, the goal of this program is to help residents use water wisely to preserve one of our most precious natural resources.

water.greenventure.ca

Idling Stinks

This program is part of the City of Hamilton's anti-idling public education campaign. Our goal is to have every driver in Hamilton turn off their engine if they stop for more than 10 seconds. (After 10 seconds you use more fuel to keep idling than you would to restart your car.)

air.greenventure.ca/idling-stinks

Fruit Tree Project

Join volunteers as they head out to pick backyard fruit that would otherwise go uneaten. Homeowners are given a portion and another portion of the harvest goes to Food Banks.

Email Juby at jlee.eatlocal@environmenthamilton.org

Eat Local

Through events, maps and tours, this Environment Hamilton initiative aims to encourage residents to buy and eat food grown locally.
Visit an Online Local Food Directory to find your favourite food grown close to home by a local farmer.

An excellent example of eating local is Judy Snider who transformed her suburban garden into a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables.
She is self-taught, yet within 2 years was growing a sufficient quantity to be able to sell some of her produce to others.

She has inspired many in our community to grow their own food - a self-sufficiency skill that is often linked with the critical food security issues associated with climate change and the challenges it presents us.

We're proud to have developed an original film as an educational tool to inspire people to think about how they can grow their own food.

environmenthamilton.org

This educational program offers residents practical information and resources to help them reduce or eliminate the cosmetic use of pesticides on lawns and gardens.

naturallyhamilton.ca

Guided Tour of EcoHouse

See how Green Venture's EcoHouse can give you ideas on how to save energy in your home, at work, and at your faith group's meeting place.

Home Energy Audit

Have a professional energy audit of your own home to see how you can save money and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. There is a fee, but you'll will receive a detailed, unbiased third-party report.

Note - the audit makes recommendations, but does not endorse or sell energy-related goods or services.

For more information visit
energy.greenventure.ca

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - the three Rs when it comes to waste management.

• Reducing the amount of waste is the first and best thing you can do environmentally
• The next thing you can do is reuse anything that can possibly be reused
• Finally all recyclable materials must be recycled appropriately.

Composting is a great way to divert food scraps from landfill. Build your own backyard composter - or take part in the city's green bin program.

waste.greenventure.ca

Passport to Hamilton

Buy an $8 HSR family bus pass and it’s your ticket to a take your family on a day of adventure in Hamilton! One pass allows 2 adults and 4 children (or 1 adult and 5 children) to use the HSR for an entire day.

But that’s not all! Environment Hamilton has partnered with over 60 destinations in the city, ranging from museums to recreation centers, to restaurants, cafés and other attractions. Show your valid pass and enjoy a discount for your day out.

environmenthamilton.org

Totally Transit

Partnering with the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR), Green Venture has developed Totally Transit, a new program geared to elementary school students. Totally Transit serves as an introduction to Hamilton's public transit system, by equipping students with the skills they need to take the bus safely and confidently.

air.greenventure.ca/totally-transit

Kirkendall Walks

Replacing short distance trips with walking, cycling or transit is a significant way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also a great way to improve our communities.

This Environment Hamilton pilot project aims to look at transportation alternatives in one neighbourhood and create a model that can be easily expanded to other communities in the city.

environmenthamilton.org

Power Shift

Green Venture would like to introduce this exciting new energy program designed to facilitate economic development around local Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency products, services, processes and technologies in the Hamilton-Niagara area through strategic capacity building, networking, and public engagement.

energy.greenventure.ca/power-shift

• Environment Hamilton    www.environmenthamillton.org

• Green Venture                www.greenventure.ca

• Ontario Ministry of the Environment       www.ene.gov.on.ca

Some favourite topic-focussed sites:

Housecleaning

Most commercially produced cleaning products contain a range of artificial fragrances, solvents and preservatives which may harm human health, animals and the environment. Natural alternatives to chemical products are just as effective for cleaning your home and workplace, and the basic ingredients won’t clean out your bank account.

Here's a link to learn how to make your own cleaning products:

fingerlakesbuygreen.org

Attachment	Date	Size
Climate Change Champions Presentation Presentation given to prospective champions.	17/07/09 7:18 am	3.66 MB