How You Can Help the Environment

Achieving a more sustainable, resilient Richmond Hill is a community effort and together we have made great progress in protecting our local environment. The following are tips to help you make greener choices. Collectively, even the smallest of actions can make a huge difference.

Greening our Growth – actions you can take to help ensure our community’s growth is sustainable

Learn about the City’s plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and lowering energy costs in Richmond Hill’s Community Energy and Emissions Plan.
Talk to your friends, your neighbours, and your family about climate change. Share ideas and coordinate local climate action! Our Community Outreach Toolkit was designed with a diverse group of Richmond Hill residents as a locally relevant guide for these conversations.
Get around in greener ways:
- Try incorporating active transportation – such as walking and cycling – into your daily routine
- Take advantage of our growing public transportation network when possible
- Consider carpooling for your commute, and teleworking if available
- If you need a vehicle, consider an electric or hybrid option
- Visit our Sustainable Transportation page for more information
Build, upgrade and renovate in greener ways:
- Research and use materials, practices and technologies that lower your property’s environmental footprint. Try to incorporate energy and water efficiency, waste management, and natural features (gardens, trees, etc.) at the earliest stage. These decisions can save money and improve personal and environmental health over the long term.
- Building owners and property managers can participate in the ClimateWise Building Challenge to learn how to reduce emissions, energy consumption and energy costs.
- Developers are required to meet green building standards under the City’s Sustainability Metrics program, which promotes sustainable features in new and redevelopment projects.

Greening our Consumption – actions you can take to reduce your environmental footprint

Use energy wisely! This means:
- developing energy-conscious habits such as turning off lights, using a clothesline, and wearing warm clothes in winter to avoid unnecessary home heating; and
- creating an energy-efficient home through proper insulation and air sealing, programmable or ‘smart’ thermostats, low-energy (e.g. LED) lighting and well-maintained, efficient (e.g. Energy Star rated) appliances
- Visit our Sustainable Energy page for more tips and information
- Visit Windfall Ecology Centre for information about energy conservation and incentive programs
Use water wisely! This means:
- developing water-conscious habits such as taking shorter showers, washing clothes in large loads and only when necessary, and limiting outdoor water use; and
- creating a water-efficient home through low-flow fixtures and toilets, high-efficiency appliances (e.g. dishwasher), and native plants and natural features that reduce your water footprint
- Visit our Water Conservation page for more tips and information
Join the circular economy by following the waste management hierarchy:
- Reduce! Avoid excessive or unnecessary packaging; choose higher quality items (clothing, technology, etc.) that last longer; and plan your meals to cut down on food waste (visit York Region’s Good Food program for tips and information).
- Reuse! From water bottles and coffee mugs to hand-me-down clothes and second-hand bikes, there are many options to prolong the lifespan of everyday items and avoid single-use products.
- Recycle! When reusing isn’t an option, recycling items allows the materials to continue serving a useful purpose, and keeps them out of landfills and the natural environment.
- Visit the Garbage and Recycling pages for Richmond Hill and York Region for more information about reducing and managing waste at home.
Support urban agriculture and locally-grown food:
- Join or start a community garden and enjoy the many benefits of growing your own food. You can even grow food in your own backyard.
- Visit farmers’ markets and farm stands in and around Richmond Hill.
- Create a pollinator-friendly yard by choosing native plants and minimizing chemical use.

Greening our Natural Spaces – actions you can take to support a healthy environment

At home:
- When landscaping, choose native plants and trees. These species are better adapted to local conditions, requiring less water and maintenance and providing habitat and food for wildlife. Our Healthy Yards program provides subsidized plant kits to residents every spring!
- Take care of your trees! Healthy, mature trees are essential partners in sustainability, helping to clean and cool the air, absorb and filter water, and provide food and habitat for wildlife. Visit our Trees and Yards page for tree care information.
- Keep your lawn healthy – naturally! Avoid pesticides and harsh chemicals, let your grass grow to 8cm or more before mowing, leave grass clippings on your lawn (they add nutrients and moisture), and water only as needed. Visit our Pesticides and Lawn Care page for more tips.
- Be good to bees! Like trees, pollinators are also key partners for a resilient community. They need native plants and naturalized or “wild” areas (e.g. dirt patches, hollow stems, small water pools, and rock surfaces) to thrive.
- Reduce your runoff! Capturing the rainwater and snowmelt from your property helps lower the risk of flooding in our community and prevent pollutants from entering our waterways. Gardens, shrubs, and trees can absorb and store water that otherwise flows onto streets. Rain barrels are a great way to store rainwater for drier periods. Visit our Stormwater Management page for more tips and information.
In the community:
- Plant trees with us! Our award-winning Community Stewardship Program offers opportunities each year for tree planting and ecosystem restoration in public spaces. Help us build an urban tree canopy that will provide environmental services for generations.
- Embrace with wild! Healthy and diverse wildlife is critical to the resilience of our environment. Learn how we can co-exist with animals in our community on our Wildlife page.
- Keep our neighbourhoods clean! Ensure your garbage and recycling is secure when setting it at the curb, so loose materials are not blown into nearby streets, parks, ravines, etc. Each April, Richmond Hill organizes Clean Up, Green Up Weeks to collect litter and protect the health of our natural environment.

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How You Can Help the Environment

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