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| Home > Resources > 3Rs Lifestyle > Sask. 2009 |
More Saskatchewan households are going "green"According to Statistics Canada's 2009 Households and the Environment survey, being environmentally friendly is becoming the norm. Gordon Dewis, research analyst for Statistics Canada, who managed the survey, said Saskatchewan ranked fairly well when compared with the national average and was in line with neighbours Manitoba and Alberta. More than 14,750 households were surveyed by telephone in late 2009. The survey covered consumption and conservation of energy and water, indoor environment, household hazardous waste and purchasing decisions. Households in Saskatchewan were more likely to unplug electronics when going away for extended periods of time. Six out of 10 households (60 per cent) in the province unplugged, while Canadian households were slightly lower at 57 per cent. In 2009, 21 per cent of Saskatchewan households were energy audited, compared with 12 per cent of Canadian households. Dewis said there was an energy-efficiency grant program being offered in Saskatchewan during the survey. "This may account for the relatively high proportion of households that had conducted an energy audit because it may have been a criteria for getting a grant," said Dewis. Saskatchewan ranked highest in the country when it came to closing blinds during the hottest part of the day. Ninety-three per cent of Saskatchewan households did this, while only 83 per cent of Canadian households closed them. Eighty-eight per cent of Canadians own at least one type of energy-saving light, while Saskatchewan households were higher at 91 per cent. Half of Canadian households used dimmers on household lights, while only 43 per cent of Saskatchewan households had them. Forty-two per cent of households in Saskatchewan (and Canada) had a low-volume toilet. Sixty-three per cent of households in Canada had a low-flow shower head, while only 51 per cent had one in Saskatchewan. Seventy per cent of households in Canada had a lawn -- 76 per cent in Saskatchewan. Of households that maintained a lawn, 43 per cent in Canada watered it, while in Saskatchewan it was much higher at 66 per cent. More environmentally-friendly cleaning products are becoming available. Eighty per cent of Canadian households purchased "green" cleaning products, while that number was 84 per cent in Saskatchewan. "We are starting to see products become more available in conventional grocery stores, whereas before, people who wanted to be eco-conscious had to go to specialty stores," said Allyson Brady, executive director of the Saskatchewan Environment Society. "As humans, we all depend on a clean environment, so we're providing for our own health by being eco-friendly," she added. "There's definitely a trend towards people being more environmentally friendly." (Source: Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post on http://www.vancouversun.com March 11/11)
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