Do Your Part to Help Keep Ontario Clean and Green

News Release

April 18, 2016

Province Celebrates Earth Week April 18-22

Take advantage of Earth Week to help fight climate change and care for our planet.

Here are some helpful tips to help you reduce your impact on the environment:

• Take a walk around the block or try pedal power instead of driving your car to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Buy and eat fresh local produce to lower transportation emissions into the air
• Carry your water bottle to quench your thirst and refill with Ontario tap water to keep plastic out of landfills
• Adjust your thermostat to save money and help fight climate change. For example, add another blanket on your bed in the winter.
• Don’t forget about the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle. Help reduce waste going to the landfill that could otherwise be recycled, reused or composted.

Ontario is leading the fight against climate change and taking strong action by ending dirty coal, setting aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets, establishing a cap and trade system and building transit.

Fighting climate change and protecting the environment is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

QUICK FACTS Ontario is moving forward with a cap and trade program to limit greenhouse gas pollution, and has introduced proposed legislation that will ensure that all proceeds generated from cap and trade are used to fund projects and initiatives aimed at reducing emissions. Ontario’s $325 million Green Investment Fund commits money to projects that fight climate change while growing the economy and creating jobs. These investments will help transform the way we live, move, work and adapt to our environment by building strong and sustainable communities. Ontario’s drinking water is among the best protected in the world. Filling a glass or reusable container helps cut back on plastics and pollution. The Great Lakes basin is home to nearly 99 per cent of the province’s population, over 95 per cent of the province’s agriculture and food production, 80 per cent of the province’s power generation, and 75 per cent of the country’s manufacturing sector.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Twitter and Facebook Ontario’s action on climate change Ontario’s Waste Free Ontario Act

QUOTES “Ontario is making extraordinary progress in fighting climate change and working to keep our air, land, and water clean. But the continued effects of our everyday actions remain great, and remind us of how much more we have to do. I encourage all Ontarians to join me in the fight against climate change and make every week Earth Week.” — Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change