Get on board for less junk and a lighter environmental footprint! Not to mention more money in your pockets.

North American consumer habits have major environmental and financial impacts. Producing goods and transporting them (usually from overseas) uses large quantities of natural resources, produces air and water pollution, and creates emissions such as carbon dioxide—the major greenhouse gas leading to climate change. When these products become waste, they must be transported again, usually to landfills, using precious but dirty fuels.

How to do it

Buying nothing new doesn’t mean going without; swap, borrow, buy second hand, and try bartering for what you need—it works! Check out your local thrift store for used items or browse websites like Kijiji, Craigslist and Freecycle for higher quality or hard to find items in great condition. When we say don’t buy anything new, we don't mean absolutely everything. Some allowable exceptions include food, drink, medications and hygienic products such as toilet paper.

Activity ideas: Why not host a swap party? Your guests bring stuff they’re willing to part with and everyone leaves with new treasures. Or how about taking something old and making it new again? This process is called upcycling, and if you’ve got only one creative bone in your body, you can definitely do it.

Need ideas? Check out these green DIY projects from Earth Day Canada’s “How did you do that” challenge.