50 Things You Can Do About Global Warming
We'll leave any remaining debate about global warming to others and move on in the search for solutions, the sooner the better. No matter how large and remote the problem seems—glaciers melting because of carbon dioxide and other gases causing the earth to heat up—we probably all understand that how we live our lives plays a part in the global picture.
To help you figure out what you can do in your own daily life, we spoke with a number of people in the global warming trenches . Here are some of their most effective tips, plus some of our own. Modifying those little things we do every day—like cooking or driving—can add up to a big impact on the globe's climate.
1. If you're going to boil a kettle of water, fill it only as much as you need, so you're not wasting energy. David Reay (see top right, next page for bios)
2. Get a car with good gas mileage and leave it in the garage as much as possible. Elizabeth Kolbert
3. Join the virtual march to stop global warming so that your voice will be heard. Laurie David
4. Spend a month eating nothing that comes from farther than 50 miles. You'll keep lots of carbon out of the atmosphere, you'll get to know your local farmers, and your food will actually taste like food. Bill McKibben
5. Investigate biodiesel. You can have your car retrofitted to run on vegetable oil fuel.
6. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents in your home and business. Fluorescent bulbs last 10 times as long and use considerably less energy. LD
7. Contact your political representatives and tell them that they must take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Policy-makers need to hear from their constituents that immediate action is needed to stop global warming. Diane Doucette
8. Read Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change, by Elizabeth Kolbert. The new book is a first-hand report of how the world is changing.
9. Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, with the Earth Day Network , this year focusing on global warming.
10. Buy only post-consumer recycled paper products; the paper industry is the third greatest contributor to global warming emissions. LD
11. Read Dave Reay's book, Climate Change Begins at Home, coming out in paperback in June, to find out more about what you can do.
12. Visit the websites of the Pew Center , the EPA's, and the Natural Resources Defense Council to understand climate change, what causes it, and its impact.
13. To get a handle on opposing points of view, check out websites such as The Heartland Institute .
14. Plan for a natural death, with a biodegradable casket and no chemicals. It could posthumously save 1 ton in emissions. DR
Around the home
15. Don't use your dryer; dry your clothes outside. EK
16. Turn down your thermostat in winter and turn it up in summer. EK
17. Weatherize your home with caulk and weather stripping to prevent energy loss. (It also saves you money.) LD
18. Insulate your water heater.
19. Install double-pane, energy-efficient windows.
20. Shop online to cut out the middleman and, along with him, the extra burdens of shipping and driving to the store.
21. If you live in an area in danger of tropical storms, prepare a plan to keep your family safe in the event of an intense storm. Some say that hurricanes are becoming more intense with changing weather patterns.
22. Learn how to handle a heat wave at the Red Cross website .
23. Use a natural gas fireplace instead of a wood one, or set up your home to heat entirely with natural gas (instead of electrically powered heat sources, if your electric company uses coal power).
24. Don't waste water.
25. Plant a tree. Deforestation is responsible for one-fourth of the carbon emissions in our environment.
26. Eat less meat, dairy, and rice; the production of these foods increases the amount of methane in the atmosphere.
27. Get rid of all your standby power—cell phone chargers, iPods, PDAs, even appliances and your TV and DVD player. Unplug them when they're not being used or they continue to consume energy (30 million tons of greenhouse gases a year). DR
28. When replacing kitchen appliances, go for Energy Star models, which save money as well as energy. If your appliances are less than five years old, it's a waste to replace them; just keep them in good working order. DR
29. Have the right amount of insulation, so your home doesn't lose energy in winter. DR
30. Avoid overusing energy to cool and heat your home. On really hot days at home, take off layers. During the winter, put them back on. DR
31. Have your heater and your air-conditioning system regularly serviced. These appliances won't keep as hot or as cool if they're not working properly, and they'll produce more emissions. DR
32. Clean your refrigerator coils. They will cool the fridge down more easily, reducing emissions. Keep door seals clean too, to retain the chill. DR
33. Compost. It keeps vegetable peelings, tea bags, even animal hair from going to the landfill and producing methane.
34. If your town doesn't provide compost services, talk to officials about how important it is. DR
35. Check your energy bill as you make these changes—every fluorescent light bulb you put in, every new appliance you install. When you see how your bill comes down, realize you're reversing the trend as you become more energy efficient at home. DR
36. Recycle, reduce, and reuse more. Ideally, you have a pick-up service, but if not, find out where you can drop off paper, glass, and metal to recycle.
Transportation
37. Driving a smaller car is a really good way to reduce emissions. Make the first question you ask a car dealer when you consider a new car, “What is the mpg?” Cars with low ratings contribute significantly to greenhouse emissions. LD
38. If you need a larger vehicle, look into mileage-per-gallon ratings.
39. Drive a hybrid car. For each gallon of gas not consumed, 19.6 fewer pounds of carbon are emitted into the air.
40. Arrange your schedules so you can be a one-car family.
41. Take public transit to work instead of sitting in traffic; it saves your mental state and the planet.
42. Celebrate Bike to Work Day, May 22. Consider switching to two-wheeled transport as often as possible.
43. Keep your engine tuned and your tires inflated. LD
44. Start a no-idle rule in your school or church driveway. LD
45. Set up a carpool - for kids' school or work. LD
46. Work at home as often as is possible with your job.
47. Do errands on foot as often as often as you can.
48. Take a train rather than a plane; it causes less than half the emissions. DR
49. Consider a diesel car. Emissions can be up to 10 percent lower. DR
Take Action
50. Support climate related legislation, like the McCain-Lieberman Bill. EK
51. Call your utility company and elect alternative, non-carbon energy sources - if this isn't a choice, ask them why. LD
52. Tell companies you invest in that you care about global warming and you will pull your investment if they don't address the issue. LD
53. Support initiatives that give parking and carpool lane incentives to hybrid vehicles. LD
54. Get involved in community planning in your own town: We need to build buildings better to keep them safe from severe weather, add bike lanes and bike racks into urban centers, and concentrate businesses so people can walk and use mass transit.
55. Vote. You can view a candidate's environmental voting record on the scorecards of the League of Conservation Voters .
56. See Al Gore's movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.” DVDs are now available or read the book of the same name.
Originally published in greenlight Magazine. To read the current issue, go to www.greenlight-digital.com
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