Going Green By Saving Energy and Resources: How to Prevent, Stop or Slow Global Warming By Going Green
By Allie Mendoza
Every pound of coal… every gallon of gasoline or oil… every unit of electricity… every fossil fuel we burn… every aspect of our lives has some environmental impact.
by aussiegall
The numbers are staggering.
* Energy consumption of American households produces 21% of the United States’ global warming pollution. This is more pollution than the entire United Kingdom output!
If every household in the U.S. made energy-efficient choices, we could reduce our emissions by up to two-thirds. We could save 800 million tons of global warming pollution — this is more than the emissions released by over 100 countries!
* American cars and trucks burn over 8 million barrels a day. Heat-trapping emissions from vehicles can stay in the environment for several decades up to about one century.
By driving less often or driving an energy efficient vehicle, you can significantly reduce global warming pollution.
Small changes can add up…
We have to change our mindset. By saving energy… and by recycling to save resources, we can take massive action to stop or slow global warming.
You can NOT minimize the impact of your actions. The power of one person can be immense when you consider the ripple effects.
When you educate yourself about protecting the environment, you can teach others about what you learned. Even better, you can show others how to protect the environment and teach by example.
Your actions can have ripple effects for many generations.
Small actions can lead to huge effects when those actions are multiplied by the efforts of millions of people in the world.
This article covers global warming prevention and going green shortcuts. The information presented here will be more meaningful if you understand the causes, effects and dangers of global warming.
Going Green Can Save You Some Green: You Can Save Money By Saving Energy and Resources
To help prevent, stop or slow global warming… you can keep it simple to make it easier on yourself.
There are two unifying themes about decreasing environmental pollution to keep in mind:
1. Save Energy and Save More Money — Reduce your use of energy. If you have to use energy, use it more efficiently.
The best way to minimize our impact on the environment is to start using energy more efficiently. If we burn less fossil fuel, we will release less pollution into the atmosphere.
By slowing the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the major greenhouse gas pollutant warming the Earth’s atmosphere, we can help slow global warming.
2. Save Your Resources and Save More Money — Reduce, re-use and re-cycle your trash.
The energy, materials and environmental losses associated with using disposables are staggering. Instead of carelessly buying and using disposables then throwing them away without regard to our environment… start using products that can be re-used and re-cycled in order to reduce your trash.
By recycling, we can reduce our waste output and reduce disposal cost. We can reduce the amount of trash in our landfills. By recycling paper, metals, glass, plastics and other organic wastes, we can decrease our demand for energy and raw materials.
* By recycling the Sunday edition of the New York Times, 75,000 trees would be left standing.
* Making a soda can from recycled aluminum cuts energy use and air pollution by 95% and cuts water pollution by 97% compared to making one from raw materials.
* By making paper from recycled discards instead of virgin timber, energy consumption per ton is reduced by up to 75% and less than half as much water is required. We can also save our valuable forests.
By reducing fuel consumption, recycling can slow the build-up of major greenhouse gas pollutant, CO2, warming the Earth’s atmosphere. By recycling, we can help slow global warming.
Global Warming Prevention and Going Green Shortcuts: Generate Maximum Impact In the Least Amount of Time
* Lighting accounts for about 21% of commercial energy consumption and 12% of home energy consumption. The lights in an average household produce over one ton of carbon dioxide each year.
What can you do to decrease carbon dioxide pollution? Turn off the lights when not in use. Use natural light or sunlight to light rooms.
Use energy-efficient lights. Replace an incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent. Carbon dioxide reduction: about 150 pounds per year.
* Drive less often. Instead, you can walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. Carbon dioxide reduction: one pound per mile you don’t drive.
* Recycle more often. CO2 reduction: 2,400 pounds per year by recycling half of your trash.
* Avoid products with a lot of packaging. Carbon dioxide reduction: 1,200 pounds for every 10% garbage reduction.
* Keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3%. Carbon dioxide reduction: 20 pounds for every gallon of gasoline you save.
* Adjust your thermostat. Move your thermostat down just two degrees in the winter and up just two degrees in the summer. Carbon dioxide reduction: 2,000 pounds per year in a typical home.
* Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
* Use less hot water. It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Turn down your water heater to 120 degrees F or less. You can take shorter showers.
You can install a low-flow showerhead. Carbon dioxide reduction: 302 pounds per year.
You can wash your clothes in cold or warm water. Carbon dioxide reduction: 500 pound per year.
* Unplug or turn off electronic devices with a power strip. Unplug your DVD player, computer, toaster, cell phone and other chargers when they’re not in use. Do not use air fresheners that have have to be plugged in.
You can switch off multiple appliances at once with a power strip. Even when your equipment is off, display clocks and status lights continue to use energy. Your cable and video game boxes as well as TV, VCR and stereo can use as much energy when they’re off as when they’re on.
Do you want a simple way to go green? Find out how house plants can help you get cleaner air.
Global Warming and Going Green Information, Tips and Tools
- ClimateCrisis.org: An Inconvenient Truth — Get information about global warming and action tips. Click navigation bar on the right side to get FREE downloads, such as, ecards, posters, flyers, screensavers, etc. For teachers and other educators: You can also get the FREE companion educatonal guide about global warming and “An Inconvenient Truth.”
- How to Fight Global Warming — Get ideas on how you can fight global warming at home and on the road. Learn how you can neutralize your carbon pollution.
- Go Green — Get tips on going green.
If you haven’t done so, I hope you start going green. Don’t underestimate the impact you can make. Your actions can have ripple effects for many generations.
Small actions can lead to huge effects when those actions are multiplied by the efforts of millions of people in the world.
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9 Comments »
I’ve always thought that the best way to get people to go green is to make it make sense financially. Bring in a carbon tax so give greener products the upper hand.
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Well conceived, unique take on this matter.