Global Warming

Global warming seems to be what we are all hearing about in the news.  Ice shelves are not just melting but disappearing all together, polar bears are in trouble and are losing their habitat, and we’re experiencing more severe weather patterns, just to name a few.  It seems you can’t pick up a paper or listen to the news without global warming being one of the topics. At least scientists seem to agree that global warming is happening but the debate of what is causing it continues.  So climate change is happening and temperatures around the world are increasing.  Carbon emissions are also rising at an accelerating pace as demands for energy around the world continue to put pressure on our natural resources. 

Well, whether you believe global warming is due to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels or by natural forces such as fluctuations in the sun’s solar rays and volcanic activity or a combination of both, you can’t really expect to continue polluting the environment without having to pay a price.   Obviously, nature has its cycles and does play a role in fluctuations in temperatures but by changing the composition of the atmosphere with more and more green house gases each year, we can only be magnifying the acceleration of natural forces.  Therefore, you can debate all you want the causes of global warming but we need to think smarter about how to best use our natural resources and think in terms of the consequences and impact on the environment.  We can’t afford to look the other way.  This should be a wake up call for everyone to look at their energy consumption and see what they can due to reduce their consumption and thus, reduce the pollution they are responsible for.  

Sometimes people like to ignore issues they don’t fully understand and hope the problem will go away or solve itself.  It’s time to get real! We all need to take an active role in doing our part to slow global warming so please, take the first step and educate yourself about it.  Almost every day there are articles in the newspaper about global warming and how it is changing so many areas of the world, especially in the polar regions.  Don’t skip over these articles.  You need to read them and read about the new technologies that are being developed like geothermal energy uses, hydrogen fuel cells, solar technologies and wind turbines that are being used more and more.  Then, take an inventory of your energy consumption at your home and challenge yourself to do better.  Obviously, changing your light bulbs and buying more energy efficient appliances for your home is a no brainer.  But, what about your car?  What kind of gas mileage does your car get?  Maybe next time you go to buy a car, you can buy a car that gets at least 10 miles per gallon more than your last vehicle.   That would be a step in the right direction.  I know we can all do better and think bigger when it comes to solving our energy problems and making a difference in the future of our planet.  Are you ready to make a difference?  Check out the  list below to see if you can reduce your energy consumption at home.
    

1.  Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds!

2.  Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

3. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

4.  Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

5.  Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

6.   Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

7. Turn off electronic devices you’re not using
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

8. Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them
Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers, coffee makers, toasters and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!  How many clocks can you count in your kitchen that aren’t really needed?

9. Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting
You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

10. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year.

11. Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

12. Buy recycled paper products
It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

13. 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%.

14. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

15. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

16.  Avoid heavily packaged products
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

17. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

This list was generated from www.climatecrisis.net. There are more suggestions and information on this site.