Living the Difference

Take Action

Our action centre has ideas under everyday categories to help you take positive action for people, animals and the environment...

Everyday!

Check back often for new ideas!

Create Green Space

Planting a tree and participating in community clean-ups beautifies any neighbourhood; don't hesitate to ask your local nursery for advice on plants, flowers and landscaping.

Conserving Resources

Zero-energy day

• Choose an evening or an entire day to reduce your energy consumption to zero.
• Rather than taking the car to the shop, walk or ride your bike.
• Turn off the television and pick up a favourite book.
• Turn off the lights and light some candles (remember to never leave your candles unsupervised).
• Curl up on the couch with family (including pets!) and friends to share some stories. A zero-energy day is not only good for the environment, it's a great way to slow down and enjoy the people and animals around us.

On Your Plate

Decisions on how you eat have a large impact on the environment, animals and humans. After all, eating is something we all do, several times a day!

• Look for certified organic foods from local, independent sources.
• You can avoid destructive chemicals, pesticides and genetically engineered food by buying organic produce.
• Instead of inflating multinational corporations, you can directly benefit your community by supporting local, independent grocers and growers.
• Eat less meat and boycott meat and eggs produced in factory farms.

Shopping

Beware of Animal Testing

• The soap you use to wash your hands may have been tested on animals and dolphins may have drowned for your tuna sandwich.
• Look for humane alternatives such as cosmetics labelled animal-friendly or dolphin-friendly brands of tuna.
• Take the time to consider the social and environmental impacts of the products you buy; every little decision makes a difference.
• Avoid or minimize buying products that contain palm oil, labelled as vegetable oil. Palm oil in Asia causes the destruction of 300 foot ball fields of rainforest every day and is contributing to the extinction of the endangered Orang-utan.

Awareness & Appreciation

Every day we influence the lives of both humans and non-humans without even noticing!

Let's take some time to connect to the humans, animals and environment around us. Everybody wins!

Check back often for new ideas!

Diary on a Non-human friend

Have you ever been lost in wonder watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon or listening to the birds in your backyard? Choose a non-human friend--it should be a new animal (not your pet), or tree, even a pine cone or rock that you can observe everyday.

Check in on your friend daily for a while--at least a week but a season is even better. It doesn't have to take long every day, but visit regularly. Try to use all of your senses to really get to know your new friend. Keep a diary so you can sketch/photograph and write down your observations and thoughts.

• What is your friend like?
• How are you like your friend?
• How are you different from your friend?
• What is the world like through their eyes?
• Are they observing you too?
• Do you communicate with each other? How?
• If they could use words, what would they tell you?