Top Ten (or so) Ways to Reduce Global Warming..... Everyday

There are three routine activities that primarily contribute to global warming:

Use of our cars for transportation, which burns gasoline or diesel fuels
Use of electricity, which is largely generated from burning coal or natural gas
3. Heating and air conditioning for our homes.

What you can do: REDUCE YOUR ENERGY USE -- decrease your use of fossil fuels and you will be directly reducing your personal emissions of greenhouse gases. Start now by adopting some of these basic ideas:

1. Weatherize your home.

Caulk, and weather-strip your doorways and windows. You can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1700 pounds per year. By wrapping your water heater in an insulating blanket you’ll save energy savings and prevent the release of 1,000 lbs. of CO² each year.

2. Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Each one keeps about 1,500 lbs. of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over its lifetime. The new bulbs will last longer and use less energy which means less pollution from power plants. If you replace just two, our household would save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every household in the United States did it, we would save a trillion pounds of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere!

3. Choose reusable products over disposable ones.

Use reusable shopping bags (contrary to popular belief, paper bags are worse than plastic!), refillable beverage bottles and travel mugs. The amount of plastic needed to meet Americans' yearly demand for bottled water exceeds 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. Most of this (86%!) ends up as trash, calling for toxic incineration measures, or sitting in the landfill for a thousand years before they eventually break down. Buy minimally packaged goods. You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide per year if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

4. Remember to Recycle

Promote energy-efficient measures and recycling programs at your school or workplace. Producing new paper, glass, and metal products from recycled materials saves 70% to 90% of the energy and pollution that results from products made from virgin materials. You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling half of household generated waste.

5. Buy only post consumer recycled paper products, including toilet paper and tissues.

Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere -- deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The paper industry is the third greatest contributor to global warming emissions.
Refuse to support paper companies who maximize their profits at the expense of our water and air. Disposable paper product companies to avoid: Kleenex, Cottonelle, Puffs, Charmin, Bounty, Scott, Viva. A good one to try, that most stores carry: Marcal. For a more extensive list of products, visit: www.nrdc.org/paper.

6. Remove your name from catalog mailing lists.

Those catalogue companies that bombard you with mailings (VS anyone?) are huge contributors to global warming, as they raze virgin forests instead of using recycled paper in order to maximize profits. It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. Call the number (usually toll free) listed in the catalogue, keep hitting zero until you speak to a representative and ask to be taken off their lists! (You can still shop online after all!)

7. Try Energy Efficient Eating

Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store. This saves fuel and keeps money in your community, making it stronger. If you have access to a local farmer’s market, you’ll get the freshest produce and support small agro-business, an important asset in this age of factory farms. Better still, buy local and organic – keep pesticides out of the water and air. Visit http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm to local you local farmer’s market.
Eat less meat, and when you do, opt for Free Range
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Factory farmed animals also create huge amounts of toxins. According to the EPA, hog, chicken and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. They are the largest source of toxic ammonia air pollution in the U.S. The air around factory farms is contaminated with suspended dust particles, which have been linked to asthma, bronchitis and other diseases.
Choose Fresh vs. Frozen Frozen foods take 10 times more energy to produce.

8. Wash laundry in cold water, not hot.

At two loads per week, you’ll save 500 lbs. of CO² annually. And Remember to turn off the water when you’re not using it. For example, while brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog, or soaping up your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing.

9. Move your thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer.

You can save about 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year doing this—roughly half the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. If you're cold in the winter, instead of turning up the heat, put on a sweater or sweatshirt. Similarly, in the summer, shorts and t-shirts help a lot!

The Bigger Picture…

10. Support Eco-Friendly Business

Let you dollars do the talking when you let companies know that how they treat our environment matters. Some of the most insidious corporate polluters are fairly unregulated, and when their profits are soaring, they see no reason to change. Click here to research the companies you do business with.
Make your next car a high fuel efficiency model. A car that gets 20 mpg emits 50 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of its lifetime. A 40 mpg gallon vehicle emits half that. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. You’ll prevent the release of 20 lbs. of carbon dioxide for every gallon of gasoline you save. Don’t forget to Check your tires weekly and make sure they are adequately inflated.

11. Switch to green power

In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area.

12. Let Your Elected Representatives Know You Care

Write to your representatives in Congress and in the state legislature and tell them that clearing the air and slowing global warming are important to you. Urge them to support actions to reduce carbon pollution, save energy and expand the use of renewable energy.
Don’t know who your officials are or how to contact them? Get all of the info you need from Capitol Advantage.

13. Tell the companies you invest in that you care about global warming.

And you will pull your investments if they don’t address the issue. Don’t like a company’s stance on global warming? Consider switching to Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) To learn more about this hot new growth trend, visit www.coopamerica.org or www.socialinvest.org.

And Finally….

Walk/Run Support the Race Against Global Warming. Or Start your Own!!

March!

Have you joined the "Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington"? Here's where you can