Last week I blogged about the worldwide climate meeting which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7, 2009. Individuals and organizations throughout the world are involved in efforts to ensure that the gathered leaders agree on a new global climate deal aimed at protecting our planet. This week, I looked at the photos taken on October 24 that are posted at the 350.org website (see below to learn what took place). Looking at those photos made me cry. People all over the world, as sole individuals and big and small groups, took action. People do care. People do want to save our precious planet. Looking at those photos gave me even more hope. We all do count and we all can make a difference! As a sole individual at home reading this blog, you may be wondering what you can do. Well, thanks to WWF and me, here is a list of 11 Simple Things YOU can do AT HOME to help PROTECT Mother Earth!
1. If you haven’t already done so, use WWF’s global footprint calculator and and learn how small steps can make a BIG difference! Also, go to my post from last week (Week 4) and get involved by clicking on the links provided and signing your name to the various efforts.
2. Put on a sweater. Remember when you turn up the heat in wintertime, your furnace is probably burning fossil fuels. A sweater or nice warm robe and some cozy slippers will keep you even warmer and will help conserve resources and reduce climate change.
3. Put one foot in front of the other. 100 years ago, 99.9% of people got by without cars. They took the train, lived near their workplaces, and they walked to do their errands. In many parts of the world, you can still see people taking their rolling baskets on foot to pick up their groceries. Using fuel-efficient cars is important, but we can save even more fuel by simply driving less.
4. Watch your waste. Recycle everything you can’t reduce or reuse. Items you may be throwing away can contaminate the soil and water for thousands or millions of years. Your community probably has special disposal procedures for things like used oil and batteries. Ink cartridges can probably be recycled where you bought them. And many of the new super-efficient light bulbs contain mercury, so proper disposal is crucial. Check with the store where you bought them.
5. Paper NOR plastic. Bring your bags with you! By taking reusable bags to the grocery store, you can cut down on the 350 bags the average American uses each year, and reduce needless death to marine life caused by plastic bags that end up in streams, rivers and oceans.
6. BYOB. Last year Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles! Fill up a reusable water bottle (preferably stainless steel) at home and bring it with you. Don’t like the taste of your tap water? Buy a filter! (Remember, much of the bottled water sold today IS filtered tap water.)
7. Flip ‘em off. Turn ‘em off. In much of America, we can’t even see the stars anymore, due in part to all the electric lights! Keep the light on in the room you’re in, but keep the rest of your house dark. You’ll find the dark is soothing. Outside lights make our home look beautiful, but once everyone is asleep, what’s the point? And…Turn off televisions, videos, stereos and computers when they are not in use – these appliances still use 10-60% of power even when on ‘stand by’. A power strip is a practical way to switch off VCR, TV and DVD player stand-by losses; you can cut off all 3 devices at once. Another tip to save energy: Don’t leave chargers for mobile phones plugged in when you’re not using them.
8. Get in touch with your roots. Plant a tree! Good for the soil, good for the birds, good for reducing climate change–and good for the air you’re breathing! Remember from what you learned in your science class…trees are our breathing partners. If you don’t remember why, do a little family research and discussion around our relationship to trees!
9. Get off. Catalogs are great when they’re from companies you like to order from. But if you’re getting catalogs from companies you don’t but from, call them and tell them to get you off their list–and that’s an order!
10. Save paper: Think before you print, duplicate, reuse and recycle. Easy actions can make a big difference for the environment. Use WWF’s tips on paper efficiency to help save the earth, reduce your carbon footprint and save money at the same time:
*Follow the golden rule: think before you print. Pushing the print button is too easy…and wasteful. So the next time you are about to press that button, ask yourself the golden rule of saving paper: Do I really need to print this?
*Use both sides of the sheet of paper
*Avoid printing out single line e-mails or unnecessary copies of documents
*Use technology to communicate
*Recycle the paper you have and ask for recycled paper products
*Save paper in your workplace. Reductions of 20% or more are possible in most offices.
11. Avoid petroleum-based products. Petroleum means oil. It can be found in personal care products, household cleaning products and more. Read labels carefully and begin using plant-based products instead.
DID YOU KNOW…
*Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. 1959 was the the first year for which a full year of precise instrument data was available. The measure in 1959 was 315.98. 1987 was the last year in which the annual CO2 data was less than 350 ppm! In 2007, the measurement was 383.71; in 2008 the measurement was 385.57; and in 2009, we are currently at above 387 ppm!
*350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis–the solutions that science and justice demand. “Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.”
*On October 24, 2009, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. Over 19,000 photos have been submitted so far! This was all thanks to 350.org!
*If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. 2x ultra petroleum-based liquid laundry detergent with a 100 oz. 2x ultra plant-based liquid laundry detergent, we could save 466,000 barrels of oil–enough to heat and cool 26,800 U.S. homes in one year!
*According to 50 Simple Things, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year. An acre of trees produced the amount of oxygen consumed by 18 people annually. One tree eliminates as much carbon dioxide from the air as is produced from driving a car 26,000 miles. There are about 60-to 200-million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.
JUST FOR TODAY…After going to all the websites posted last week and adding my voice to each, I will continue to read and find ways to get involved. I will continue to work on mine and my family’s own environmental footprint. Every little bit, every small effort adds up to making a BIG DIFFERENCE!
