We all rely on energy to heat our homes and care for our basic needs; especially through the winter. And since it  feels as though winter is fully upon us, what better time to consider our home energy use? Without getting too deep  into the politics, it’s good to be aware how big this conversation really is. As it reads in the book Building a Better  World in Your Backyard, “Nearly all war is rooted in energy. Most pollution is rooted in energy. Energy has a huge  impact on carbon footprint.” We don’t all need to have the same concern for our carbon footprint to take energy use  seriously – it’s a global, political issue.  In order to be happy, we all need to be warm, clothed and fed, and I believe that the vast majority of us want that  for our neighbours around the world. At the very least, perhaps we still hold remnants of our Mennonite forebearers frugality that might help pique our interest in home energy usage. In our cold climate, about 63% of energy at the household level is

     Change is almost always hard, and I imagine a few folks here in Altona might be wondering how on earth they will manage to live within the new limit of one garbage bag per household per week. There was a time I would have wondered this too. I personally do not yet have the discipline of living a waste-free lifestyle, but I’ve found that I can quite easily commit to diverting most household waste from the landfill by sorting my trash before it goes out to the curb. Tracking your improvements can also be quite motivating, and a trash audit is a great tool that will help you see where changes can be made.  Trash audit  A trash audit helps you see exactly how much of your household waste can be diverted away from the landfill. You will calculate the amount of trash and the percentage of the waste that can be diverted away from the landfill. You can track your progress over time to see how much you are improving!  Collect the data  Collect your household waste the way you normally

  ACAN has teamed up with the South Central Regional Library to showcase their resources about sustainability. We invite you to check out their wide range of books on this topic. To arrange for a contactless pick up of books, you can  a) place a hold on the books you want online or by phone b) call  204-324-1503 to schedule your pick up time   For this week’s column, we’ve asked students from Ecole West Park School in Altona to review books about sustainability from the children’s book collection.   Go Green For Earth Day by Lisa Bullard Reviewed by Rhyla H. We don’t take care of the Earth that well.  This book teaches us some ways to take care of the Earth.  There is a special day for the Earth, it’s called Earth Day.  Read this book to learn more about Earth Day! Peter and the Tree Children by Peter Wohlleben Reviewed by Hassan A. I loved this book so much.  It is about an old man and a squirrel and a lady and a horse. Trash Talk - Moving toward a Zero-waste world by Michelle Muld