Slow Down

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How to take action

• Make your transportation your exercise. Walking or riding a bike to do errands is great exercise and can replace a session at the gym. You lower your carbon footprint, use your time effectively, and get exercise too. (Don't forget a sturdy knapsack so you can carry your groceries comfortably.) Make a routine of taking your kids along and exploring your neighbourhood as you get tasks done.
• Plan your week. Do your best to avoid last-minute dashes to the store; short car trips are the worst environmental offenders in terms of greenhouse gases. Cluster errands to shops that are near each other so you can do them all on one trip. Make sure you take what you need when you go out so you don't have to go home until you're completely done.
• Consider using a grocery delivery service. Some grocers don't charge for delivery if you have a large enough order. Shop online and save time. Delivery services have a lower carbon footprint than your personal car because many shoppers' orders are transported at once.
• Limit your time in front of the TV. Write down all the TV you watch for two weeks. Look at your list and consider the things you never feel you have enough time for. Would you be able to catch up with your life (and drive a car less frequently) if you switched off the box?
• Eat family dinners. If you're commuting huge distances to work, you may be missing out on family time. Try to work your schedule so you can slow down for a good dinner, and so that you have time to cook good food. Consider switching jobs to work closer to home.
• Avoid rush hour. If you're able to shift your work day to avoid peak traffic you'll be less stressed. Better yet, telecommute (work from home) as often as you can – and create zero greenhouse gas emissions.
• Drive more slowly. Pace yourself at a steady rate where you hit all the green lights. Some studies show that lower overall traffic speeds make a negligible difference in total trip time – but you reduce stress and produce fewer carbon emissions.
• Beware being possessed by your possessions. The more material goods you own, the more time, energy, and money you commit to maintaining, replacing, and housing them. One indication of the growth in material possessions is the rise in average house sizes in Canada – from 800 square feet in the 1940s to about 2,000 square feet today (despite smaller average family size). Some argue the trend of materialism has trapped North American families in a cycle of working longer and harder in order to buy and maintain possessions, while ending up time-impoverished with little opportunity to enjoy what they have. Reducing your material possessions and living simply can lighten your financial and work loads – and slow down how much rushing around you have to do.
• Consider a four day work week. Your employer might permit a reduced (i.e. 80% time for 80% pay) or compressed work week. Driving to work one less day per week cuts your greenhouse gas emissions, and having a bit more free time can help you slow down and be more efficient with the rest of your time.
• Lighten your kids' schedules. Extra-curricular activities are great, but they can place a heavy burden on parents, family schedules, and the environment. If you're driving all over town to get to soccer, hockey, dance, music, and gymnastics, consider whether one activity per child would do, or whether your kids' activities might be scheduled more efficiently. Car pool with other parents as much as possible. Make a policy of only attending activities at nearby community facilities (perhaps only those you can walk to.) A slower pace of extracurricular activities could leave more time for family activities (such as the weekly walking trip to the grocery store) and reduce the time your kids spend sitting in the car.

Why it makes a difference

• Each year, Canadians make 2,000 car trips of less than three kilometres in length. Yet these short car trips are the most inefficient for fuel use and the worst for greenhouse gas emissions. Trips of less than five kilometres do not allow the engine to reach its peak operating temperature, so fuel consumption and emissions are significantly higher than when the engine is warm. Grouping trips and doing many errands at once reduces environmental impact.
• Flexible work schedules have been shown to improve employee work lives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions – in Utah, a one-year program with 1,700 government employees working a four-day week resulted in a 13% reduction in energy use. Research has linked traffic stress with lower health status and greater depressive symptoms. Spending less time in traffic is better for health and for the environment.