FOOTPRINT REDUCED

During the past few years, former Olympic speed-skater Kristina Groves has taken significant steps to reduce her environmental footprint.

She’s installed a new high-efficiency furnace in her home, along with low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads and Energy Star windows, as well as replacing light bulbs with CFLS.

In addition, she purchased a front-load washer and a smaller, energy-efficient refrigerator, as well as ditched her clothes dryer.

Her “little house on the prairie” uses, on average, only 170 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and four to six cubic metres of water, each month — significantly below national household averages, even when you take into account she lives in a small house with only two people. Her home is also full of used items bought online and at antique and thrift stores, and she bikes as much as possible year-round.