When it comes to being environmentally friendly, Ottawa is on the cutting edge. Here are just a few ways we’re making our city a cleaner and greener place to be, and how you can get in on the action.

THE WORLD IS A STAGE
When the Great Canadian Theatre Company left its old home and relocated to the new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, it upgraded in more ways than one. The state-of-the-art theatre -- which also houses a 43-unit high-end condominium -- uses storm water recycling, toilets with half and full-flush options, increased natural light penetration, and a whole lot more, making it one of the greenest buildings in the city. These choices result in 50 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions and 60 per cent less potable water drawn from municipal water supplies. 1227 Wellington Street, 613-236-5196. gctc.ca/newhome.html.

RECYCLED RHYTHM
One man’s trash is another man’s musical instrument. The talented crew of Junkyard Symphony drums, juggles, sings, teaches, and performs acrobatics with junk of all kinds. The pro percussionists use recycled goods to do good. Their goal -- aside from making audiences smile, of course -- is to promote a healthy environment by finding ways to reduce the amount of garbage produced. The Symphony plays several shows in Ottawa during June, including June 1 at the Canada Science and Technology Museum and June 14 and 15 at WestFest. 613-298-JUNK (5865). junkyardsymphony.com.

HIT THE ROAD
If you plan to tour Ottawa’s stunning sights, why not do it on two wheels instead of four? There are several spots around town to rent bicycles, including Rent-A-Bike (613-241-4140), Cycle Bertrand (819-771-6858), Cyco's (613-567-8180), and Joe Mamma Urban Cycles (613-564-0459), to name a few. On Sundays throughout the summer, over 50 km of parkway are closed to traffic during Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bikedays. Cyclists, runners, walkers and rollerbladers are free to explore a route that is normally reserved for cars. The route takes in sections of the Ottawa River Parkway, Colonel By Drive, Rockcliffe Parkway, and Gatineau Park. canadascapital.gc.ca.

LOW-IMPACT EATS
With all the talk about the importance of consuming locally grown and processed food, it’s important that we do what we can to eat locally. Ottawa residents are fortunate to have such an abundance of delicious local food at hand, and Savour Ottawa takes advantage. The project -- a joint venture between the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, Ontario Tourism, and a non-profit organization called Just Food -- aims to promote local culinary products and experiences, as well as to bring the entire Ottawa food industry together to develop and promote our local cuisine. A tasty way to be good to our environment. ottawatourism.ca/savourottawa.

BULLFROG POWER
The leading provider of 100 per cent green electricity, with energy coming from clean, renewable sources like wind power and low-impact waterpower. Below, a list of local restaurants, shops, and galleries that use this environmentally-friendly power source:
Domus Café
Cube Gallery
Arbour Environmental Shoppe
ByWard Fruit Market
Lululemon Athletica
Magpie Jewellery
Rainbow Natural Foods
Mountain Equipment Co-op