The astonishing fact is that each of us can have an immediate
impact on the production of greenhouse gases, and if enough
of us act together in these minor ways, the cumulative effect
will be dramatic. That's because so much of the way we live
our lives is wasteful and, to put it bluntly, thoughtless.
It takes nothing to switch off a lamp, unplug the phone
charger, take a shorter shower, cook without pre-heating
the oven, skip the pre-wash part of the dishwasher cycle,
or, often, walk or bike instead of drive. And they all save
money, which is one of the rather striking things about
reducing your carbon footprint—the standard way of
measuring the CO2 emissions each person is responsible for.
Unplug Un-Used Electronics
- Even when electronic devices are turned off, they
use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and
$150 per year.
32.
Put on a Sweater
- Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear
more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250
per year.
33.
Air Dry Your Clothes
- Use
a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible.
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air
dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
34.
Switch to Double
Pane Windows - Replace your old single-glazed
windows with double-glazing. This requires a bit of
upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through
windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for
the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed
units with low-emission glass and filled with argon
gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy
lost.
35.
Buy intelligently
and when possible in bulk
One bottle of 1.0 gallon requires less energy and produces
less waste than six bottles of 12 oz bottle. As well,
buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90%
less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the
loss of forests worldwide.
36.
Buy Organic Food
- You can buy organic food from local farmers.
37.
Bring Cloth Bags
to the Market - Reuse your shopping bag!
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable
bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop.
Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere,
it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
38.
Reduce waste take
a lunch box
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions
in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution.
By taking your lunch in a re-usable lunch box instead
of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce
new lunch boxes.
39.
Inflate Your Tires
- Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re
properly inflated Proper inflation can improve gas mileage
by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved
keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere,
every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
40.
Drive carefully
and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving
style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal,
use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when
possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle
is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting
your driving style you can save money on both fuel and
car mantainance.
41.
Change Your Air
Filter - Check your car's air filter monthly.
Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year
42.
Buy a Fuel Efficient
Car - For those who are not yet ready to buy
a hybrid vehicle, there are alternatives to the twelve
mile per gallon super-SUVs that were so favorably treated
by the current administration. Right
now, there are many cars that get over 30 miles per
gallon.
43.
Keep your car tuned
up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and
reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly
maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon
dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
44.
Don't leave an empty
roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight
- removing it is a better idea.
45.
Carpool When You
Can - Start a carpool with your coworkers or
classmates Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a
week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590
pounds a year. eRideShare.com
runs a free national service connecting commuters and
travelers.
46.
When it is time
for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year
if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than
your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon
with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency
on FuelEconomy
and on GreenCars
websites.
47.
Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community
car sharing organizations provide access to a car and
your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.
Many companies – such
as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too!
Also, see ZipCar.
48.
Try Conferencingfrom home or the office Conferencing / Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the amount you drive or fly every week. For more information, check
out the Telework Coalition.
Does Working From Home Really Work? Click
Here
49.
Buy a Hybrid
Car - It's better for the environment.
Ride a Bike -
Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking,
carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate
about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!
Look for transit options in your area.
51.
Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. One of the easiest and most convenient ways to save time and money is to consider teleconferencing when possible.
52.
Plant a Tree
- Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide
over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also
reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The
Arbor Day Foundation
has information on planting and provides trees you can
plant with membership.
53.
Encourage your school
or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming
well beyond your home by actively encouraging other
to take action.
54.
Buy Energy Certificates
- 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.
55.
Encourage the switch
to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national
transition to renewable energy sources such as solar,
wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be
deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers
impeding them. Take action to break down those barriers
with Vote Solar.
56.
Join the virtual
march
The Stop Global Warming Virtual
March is a non-political effort to bring people
concerned about global warming together in one place.
Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other
people urging action on this issue.
57.
Protect and conserve
forest worldwide
Forests play a critial 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. Conservation
International has more information on forests and
global warming.
58.
Give
it away - If you have something you no
longer need or want... give it to someone who could
use it. There is also a website that you can go to
to help you keep the items you don't want from filling
up the Landfills! To see if you have "freecycle"
in your area, go to (www.freecycle.org).
They focus on donating second-hand goods. If a member
has an item they no long want, they can post it on
freecycle.org. If another group member needs it, they
come and pick it up - for free. If you don't have
this Freecycle in Your Area, contact them to see if
your community can become a participant. Garage
Sales - are another good way to recycle.
59.
Consider the impact
of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact
that your investments and savings will have on global
warming. Check out SocialInvest
and Ceres to
can learn more about how to ensure your money is being
invested in companies, products and projects that address
issues related to climate change.
60.
Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action
to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation
and energy saving legislation. 194 cities nationwide
representing over 40 million people have made this pledge
as part of the U.S.
Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Find out how
to make your city a cool
city.
