Be Part of a net zero sudbury

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Top Actions

  • Speak up for climate action.
  • Walk, wheel, bike, bus more often. Drive and fly less.
  • Turn down the thermostat and reduce your heating needs.
  • Eat more plant based and land based foods.
  • Waste less, consume less, source local.
  • Protect and plant trees, native plants, and healthy soil.

Tips for reducing your carbon footprint

Did you know that private vehicles are Greater Sudbury’s top source of carbon emissions?

Lower your transportation footprint:

  • Walk, wheel, bike, or bus when you can.
  • Consider working from home or meeting by phone or virtually.
  • If you need a vehicle, combine errands to reduce the number of trips, share rides, and choose a smaller, more efficient vehicle or EV if you can.  Find local EV services and chargers via EV Society-Greater Sudbury.  

Being part of a Net Zero Greater Sudbury.  The Community Energy and Emissions Plan’s goals to achieve net zero include:

  • 35% of trips on foot  or by bike by 2050
  • 25% of trips by bus by 2050
  • All new vehicles will be electric vehicles by 2030-2035

Heating our homes with natural gas is another top source of carbon emissions.

Lower your home heating footprint:

  • Turn down the thermostat and dress more warmly. Install a smart thermostat (up to 23% energy savings).
  • Talk to your landlord about reducing the temperature and doing energy retrofits.
  • Reduce heat loss. Seal drafts, use window coverings, add insulation, replace old windows and doors if needed. Simple energy efficient upgrades can add up to 20-30% energy savings on average.
  • Choose a high efficiency, or low carbon heating source.  Replacing an old furnace can cut energy use ~40%.
  • Use less hot water, insulate hot water pipes, and choose a high efficiency or low carbon water heater.
  • Improve energy efficiency as part of home retrofits.  Deep energy retrofits can reduce energy use (and energy bills) 50-90%.

Check out these local EarthCare Sudbury flyers on retrofitting your home for energy efficiency, or building a new home.

There are some programs to help with energy efficiency retrofits.

  • Greener Homes Retrofit through NRCAN offers rebates up to $5000 for eligible retrofits ($10,000 for Enbridge customers) & $600 for an energy audit, plus interest free loans of up to $40,000.
  • If you heat with gas, you can get: up to $5000 in rebates;  FREE retrofits if your house was built before 1980, you heat with gas, and you meet the income threshold.

Being part of a Net Zero Greater Sudbury.  The Community Energy and Emissions Plan’s goals to achieve net zero include:

  • All new houses will be Passive Homes by 2030
  • Existing homes will use 50% less energy by 2040
  • All City buildings will be net zero by 2040

If you live in an older home, installing a smart thermostat, sealing around windows and doors, and replacing your old furnace might easily add up to 50% energy savings.

The food on our plate has a big impact on our personal carbon footprint. 

Lower your diet footprint:

  • Eat more plant-based and land-based foods.  Find recipes and resources for plant-based cooking via Meatless Monday.
  • Eat local.  Find local food sources here.
  • Grow your own at a community garden, or at home. 

There are so many benefits to making less garbage, but did you know that reducing carbon emissions was one of them?  It’s true – cutting your waste is a climate action.

Here is a list of places in Sudbury where you can donate or rehome/swap household and electronic items in good useable condition, but that you no longer need.  Every organization’s needs and ability to accept items is currently in a state of flux, so it’s always best to reach out to the organization to see what their current needs are and what the process is for getting items to them.

Respect and care for water is reason enough to pay attention to how much water you use, but did you know that reducing water also reduces carbon emissions?  That’s because treating and pumping water uses energy.

  • Find and repair leaks.
  • Don’t let water run unneccesarily.
  • Use water efficient fixtures and appliances.
  • Plant trees and native plant species. Cover soil with mulch.
  • Collect rain water for outdoor water needs. Read our flyer about what you can do on your own property to store rainwater and protect the health of your watershed.

Check out these tips to conserve water from Conservation Sudbury.
Water is living, water is life, water has spirit, water is not something we own. Receive this Anishinaabe water teaching.

Being part of a Net Zero Greater Sudbury.  The Community Energy and Emissions Plan’s goals to achieve net zero include:

  • 90% of waste will be diverted by 2050
  • We will use 2% less  water each year until 2050

Trees sequester carbon, along with all their other gifts: cleaner air,  cleaner water, shade, flood-protection, habitat, and beauty.

  • Protect trees, wetlands, and natural spaces.
  • Protect our lakes and watersheds.  See what you can do.
  • Plant more trees.
  • Plant native plant species.  They are better suited to this territory and are food and shelter for wildlife.   Find out more about pollinator gardens and native species via the Sudbury Community Garden Network.
  • Build healthy soil. 

Being part of a Net Zero Greater Sudbury.  The Community Energy and Emissions Plan’s goals to achieve net zero includes increasing regreening efforts.

Local businesses and organizations can set and meet carbon reduction targets with the help of Green Economy North.

Services include carbon measurement & reporting, energy auditing, and action planning.

This program is a practical way businesses, not-for-profits, and the broader public sector can be part of the goal to reduce emissions and achieve net zero.

 

What else is on our Community Energy and Emissions Plan to achieve net zero by 2050?

  • Compact, complete communities: you can support good land use planning for more walkable, bikeable, complete communities with a mix of housing.
  • Local clean energy: you can install green energy and support green energy co-ops.
  • Low carbon energy: you can purchase green energy, or install a heat pump.
  • Industrial efficiency: you can encourage local industry to be more energy efficient and meet the goal of 35% more energy efficient by 2040.

Read our series of net zero articles (published in sudbury.com and LE Voyageur in 2020, collectively shared over 1500 times).

Net Zero Postcard