People who toss non-recyclable items in their blue boxes "are not intentionally doing the wrong thing." But the rule should be: when in doubt, throw it out, columnist Becky Rynor writes.

Even though her Ottawa home has AC, by August, Joan Lawrence still hadn’t turned it on even though temperatures have frequently cracked 30 C.

Monique Labelle-Wheeler has been refilling the same plastic bottle with dish soap for 10 years. She figures she has saved about 120 plastic bottles from the landfill, writes Becky Rynor.

Citing Natural Resources Canada, Pollution Probe’s Richard Carlson says an average household uses about 900 kilowatt hours of energy annually for drying clothes.

Alisdair McLean is not looking for directions. The map marks off a three-kilometre radius around his Ottawa home. If his destination is in that circle, he leaves his car in the driveway and walks. 

Here’s something you can do right now to lower your electricity bill, reduce energy consumption and fight climate change: turn off some lights.

Adelle Farrelly never has to scrabble through drawers, handbags or backpacks looking for a pen — because she has just one, writes new columnist Becky Rynor.