Energy Horoscope

Virgo  August 23 – September 22

What have you been building for yourself lately? How about for the planet? With one-third of Canada’s energy use going to running homes, offices and other buildings, it’s important that we build a greener future for the planet by modifying how we build and how we use our buildings. If you haven’t already, consider taking advantage of Canada’s push towards energy efficiency retrofits. The residential energy assessment initiative was crated by the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada to connect residential property owners with licensed energy advisors who would perform an assessment to identify how your home uses energy, where it’s being wasted and what you can do to save energy and money in the long-run. If you’re really ambitious, once you complete an energy efficiency retrofit you could also apply for a grant to complete other initiatives such as increasing attic insulation or replacing your gas furnace with a qualified ENERGY STAR® model.

Libra  September 23 – October 22

Are you or anyone you know getting geared up for back-to-school season? Ever consider getting green gear? Try to look for supplies with recycled content, and even more ideally, post-consumer recycled content. Often manufacturers will mislead consumers into thinking they’re purchasing something recycled, when really the recycled material comes from waste materials from the manufacturing process. As well, consider purchasing electronics such as computers that have the Energy Star label, which are the more energy efficient models. Also, if you have children, empower them early to make their own wise health and eco-conscious consumer decisions by teaching them to read labels and find out more about the products they use, using such tools as lesstoxicguide.ca which rates specific products according to toxicity levels.

Scorpio  October 23 – November 21

Does the all-around chaos of back-to-school season drive you mad? Instead of being driven mad, stop and plan what’s being driven when it comes to transportation for you and/or other students you know. For example, you can reduce the number of vehicles on the road by implementing a ride sharing program and there are resources available online to assist in the effort of finding other like-minded individuals. If you have children and live relatively close to the school, join or start an arrangement in which neighbourhood children walk or bike to and from school together under the supervision of an adult. If you have to drive to pick children up, be cognizant of wasteful habits such as idling outside of the school, especially for any period longer than 10 seconds.

Sagittarius  November 22 – December 21

Is back-to-school season driving you out to lunch? Consider that a significant source of waste in schools and offices is packed lunches. Fortunately there are ways to mitigate the impact they have on the environment. The first step is purchasing reusable lunch boxes and packing individual comestibles like sandwiches, drinks and fruit slices in reusable containers. Also, consider talking the teacher or lunchroom supervisors into setting up a vermicomposter to dispose of compostable materials. Your lunch shopping habits can also have a huge influence on the environment. For example products should be purchased in bulk and divvied into smaller reusable containers at home, therefore reducing the amount of packaging, and therefore emissions, used overall. Also, avoid purchasing products contained in No. 7 plastics, such as some water bottles, which may contain bisphenol A. When it comes to food and the environment, it’s the little things that add up and ultimately prevent an environmental reality that could really turn your stomach.

Capricorn  December 22 – January 19

Do you or your kids consider back-to-school season a time to start fresh and look your best? Back-to-school clothing purchases are a contributing cause of the peak in unnecessary consumerism that occurs this time of year. But if you or your kids insist on having a brand spanking new wardrobe to sport for the first day back, there are eco-conscious ways of greening your threads. For example, always purchase clothing that is manufactured close to home as a rule of green thumb not just to avoid extensive use of carbon emission-spewing engines, but also to fuel the economic engine as well. Also, only purchase fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo, soy, hemp or wool, keeping in mind that cotton production accounts for 25 per cent of the world’s pesticide use.

Aquarius  January 20 – February 18

Getting ready for a little back-to-school shopping? One journalist provides some useful tips that will help you green your shopping habits and encourage you to reflect on the degree to which this heightened level of consumerism is really necessary. First, ask yourself what you really need. Do a thorough inventory of what you already have. Who knows, you may be able to reuse supplies you never knew you had, and avoid a GHG spewing trip to the mall. For things you don’t have, is it possible that it could be shared, rented or borrowed? And finally, when you are done, think about what you can do with it after you’re done. Is it recyclable or compostable? Can it be traded or donated? Either way you look at it, the less consumerism and packaging needed for this yearly event, the more overall emissions and waste is reduced over time.

Pisces  February 19 – March 20

Have you had a lot of kids hanging around lately? While back-to-school time is top of mind, why not school them in topic of environmental awareness? There are a number of easy ways to inspire kids to start thinking ”green” by taking advantage of the increased interest in environmentalism increasingly demonstrated by kids today. The first step should be energy awareness and one site recommends assigning a “Power Captain” for the household who would be responsible for turning off the lights whenever people leave the room; give the Power Captain points or small rewards for every light they turn off. Other ways to instill a love for the greener side of life is planting a garden or making a game of sorting recyclable materials. Whether you provide them options on how to conserve water, such as turning off the faucet while teeth brushing, or encourage them to use reusable containers for lunches, you’d be surprised how much a little schooling now will stick with them well into their latter years.

Aries  March 21 – April 19

Do you enjoy a little political debate every now and then? You’ve probably noticed that people, who rarely vote or press for change, often complain about “the system”. Challenge yourself to be a doer instead of a talker this month when MPs come back to their seats at the House. In the first half of 2009 the primary focus has been economy, but now that things are starting to pick up again, you might want to encourage your politicians to focus on the environment. But don’t put the cart before the horse. First, educate yourself on all sides of energy and greenhouse gas issues by referring to bias-balanced sources for information, such as the Centre for Energy. From there you can develop an opinion based on thorough awareness of the issues and lobby the government for constructive change.

Taurus  April 20 – May 20

By the off chance, do you happen to work in the food service industry? Well, even if you don’t, being aware of how much energy is wasted by leaving freezer doors open and ovens running is a big step towards addressing the emissions problem. One large franchise owner is taking drastic steps to address this issue by installing sensors in the freezers of his various establishments, notifying him via text message every time someone leaves the doors open. Although not all restaurant owners can afford this approach, anyone who works or knows someone working in the food industry can save energy by remembering to shut doors, turning off unused ovens and even shutting the drive-through window in order to block air-conditioned air from escaping.

Gemini  May 21 – June 20

Have you been thinking seriously about reducing your carbon footprint? What about being paid to do it? The carbon offset market is booming so you might as well cash in and do your part to help the environment. My Emission Exchange is a free carbon-offset marketplace where members tally their carbon footprint and actually sell carbon credits to bidding companies, all of which is pocketed by the member. You can even calculate your current carbon footprint on their handy Express Calculator. Regardless of how large it is, if you can reduce your carbon footprint by 10 per cent annually, you earn carbon credits which can be sold at market value. What better way to encourage people to consider the effect their actions has on the environment, than to pay them to correct them?

Cancer  June 21 – July 22

Does the whole concept of carbon offsets and the existence of multiple offset providers make your head spin? Now, Canadians who wish to alleviate emissions guilt but don’t know who to go to can refer to a new guide released this summer that ranks carbon offsets and vendors. The guide, which was written jointly by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, is the first of its kind in Canada and ranks 14 Canadian carbon offset vendors and six international vendors. One journalist said the fundamental difference between rankings in the guide seemed to hinge on the cost of offsets – the higher the cost the higher the ranking. Although some might debate the fairness of the judgment criteria, it’s a step in the right direction for those who want to be green, but don’t quite know where to go.

Leo  July 23 – August 22

Are you a bit of an activist? Do you like to affect change? If you’ve been protesting environment related issues, here’s a new one to add to your plate: feminism and how it’s linked to the environment. One journalist suggests that women’s rights are directly linked to climate change because the majority of people living in poverty are women and the majority of people severely affected by climate change are those living in poverty. The rationale is, the majority of impoverished people on the planet lack access to basic water supply and climate change induced drought require women to walk greater distances for water, causing fewer opportunities for education and career development. So next time you want to raise a stick or sign in favour of a good cause, consider killing two causes with one sign by fighting for women and the environment.