Scientists now know that climate change is being
caused in part by human activity particularly emissions from
driving our cars, operating our power plants, heating and cooling
our homes and other activities that involve combustion of fossil
fuels. Reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use and the carbon
released into the atmosphere is a responsibility we all share. Your
everyday actions can make a difference in reducing emissions and
your carbon footprint. Here are a few actions to get you
started.
- Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and
distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot
water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions. Be smart when irrigating
your lawn or landscape; only water when needed and do it during the
coolest part of the day, early morning is best. Turn the water off
while shaving or brushing teeth. Do not use your toilet as a
wastebasket - water is wasted with each flush. (Source)
- Plan and combine trips. A lot of driving involves frequent
trips nearby, to go shopping or run errands, for example. Plan and
combine trips to reduce the miles you need to travel. Better yet,
take someone with you so she can leave her car behind. (Source)
- A well-maintained car is more fuel-efficient, produces fewer
greenhouse gas emissions, is more reliable, and is safer! Keep your
car well tuned, follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, and
use the recommended grade of motor oil. Also, check and replace
your vehicle's air filter regularly. (Source)
- Take every step possible to reduce excessive use of home
heating and cooling. Try turning up the thermostat in the summer
and turning it down a few degrees in the winter. If you have an
automated thermostat, program it to adjust temperatures at
nighttime. Try installing better insulation throughout the house.
Seal up windows, close vents, and clean filters. If you really want
to save energy, try to avoid using air conditioning on all but the
very hottest days. You'd be amazed at how effective ceiling fans
alone can be in making you feel cooler. (Source)
- Turn off appliances that you are not using. Switch off TVs,
computers, lights, etc. that are not being used and unplug items on
"standby" (that use electricity even when not being used),
including TVs, video and audio systems, computers, and chargers
(for cell-phones and other electronic equipment). (Source)
- Recycle and use recycled products. Products made from recycled
paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because
they use less energy to manufacture than products made from
completely new materials. For instance, you'll save two pounds of
carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle. Recycling paper
also saves trees and lets them continue to reduce climate change
naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon
from the atmosphere. (Source)
- Participate in a teleconference instead of flying. For office
meetings, if you can telephone or videoconference, you will save
time, money, and carbon emissions. Airplanes pump carbon emissions
high into the atmosphere, producing 12 percent of transportation
sector emissions. (Source)
- Plant native trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air
and use it as their energy source, producing oxygen for us to
breathe. A tree in the temperate zone found between the tropics and
the polar circles can remove and store 700 to 7,000 pounds of
carbon over its lifetime. A tree that shades a house can reduce the
energy required to run the air conditioner and save an additional
200 to 2,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime. (Source)
- Use energy saving features when doing laundry. If your dryer
has a setting for auto-dry, be sure to use it instead of the timer,
to avoid wasting energy and over drying, which can cause shrinkage,
generate static electricity, and shorten the life of your clothes.
If you can, air-dry your clothes, if you can't air-dry your
laundry, save on drying time by drying similar fabrics together,
drying multiple loads in quick succession (to take advantage of
residual heat), and make sure to clean the dryer filter after each
use. (Source)
- Carbon Footprint
Calculator: What's My Carbon Footprint? Inevitably, in going
about our daily lives - commuting, sheltering our families, eating-
each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are
causing climate change. Use the Nature Conservancy's carbon
footprint calculator to measure your impact on our climate. The
carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouses gases your choices create each year.
(Source)
For more actions you can take at home, school or
work visit the following links.
The National Wildlife
Federation
The Nature
Conservancy
The Environmental Protection
Agency
National Audubon
Society
Persons with Disabilities