Community Engagement

Going Green at 70: Lifestyle Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Going Green at 70 Blog Posts carbon foot print

Email Nancy MacRae, author of "Going Green at 70" at 

(July 18th, 2023)

Hi Green Beans – me again!

Sometimes it’s challenging to figure out how to reduce your footprint. Overall, it comes down to making some changes in your choices.

I think I mentioned this one already but consensus seems to indicate one of the best things we can do is to stop eating meat; especially beef. Apparently, cattle consume 11 times more water and produces 5 times more emissions than chickens. Now, the fact is I doubt that I will ever give up meat but I have made a few changes:

  • I try to reduce the amount of red meat I eat.
  • Experimenting with vegetarian meals has actually been fun so the goal is to eat a veggie meal at least once a week.
  • There are thousands of different ways to cook chicken so that has become my number 1 protein.
  • Happily, I am eating lots of fish and one of the many big bonuses to living in Pictou County for me is driving around and taking advantage of the fish trucks.
  • The protein should take up the smallest space on your plate so you can load up on veggies.
    • I do wash all my fruit and vegetables in a water / baking soda solution; soak for at least 10 minutes and then rinse.

In keeping with the food theme, grow your own when you can. I am not nor will I ever be much of a gardener but I might deserve an E for effort. And based on that, as I said previously, I am having another go at growing my own herbs. One of the best things is making my own tomato sauce, and I was using canned tomatoes.  My objective this year is to make my sauce with my own herbs and my own tomatoes – how great would that be?

I have my first tray of parsley seeds germinating in an egg carton on my sunny windowsill. If I am successful then I’ll start the next herb. The great thing is planting the whole egg carton right into a pot because it will decompose.

Having a garden would be so rewarding and bonus – plants absorb carbon dioxide! I will also try planting bee friendly flowers this year. Another plan came from a friend of mine – buy a couple of cedar trees and enjoy them on the deck all summer. Then in the fall I will plant them in the yard. Personally, I would have all trees in my backyard if I could. Only major drawback is I absolutely must get to my clothesline!!

If you can’t get into growing your own for any number of reasons try our local farmer’s markets, we reduce the footprint created from shipping foods from all over the world and it’s supporting our local economy. And going to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning is a truly enjoyable experience. they often have live music, some truly great vendors, and you get to see people that you don’t normally run into. All in all, you can spend a few fun hours.

It isn’t necessarily easy but take baby steps – what one thing can you change this week?

We’re in this together!! I hope you enjoy my quotes as much as I do:

"One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own."  - John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes