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If you're
in flat-out denial about global warming (you probably wouldn't be reading this
anyways if that were the
case), but if you are, all I can ask is that you remain open to the
possibility that mankind could and should be doing things more efficiently and more in
line with Nature. So, before I layout SaveWithGreen's hands-on
guide to going green (let's just call it "Going Green 101"),
let's briefly discuss that phenomenon we call global warming.
Simply
put, global warming is the global
raising of temperature on Earth. Mother Earth is
heating up. More precisely, global warming is the
average increase in the Earth's temperature. The
greenhouse effect, which you've probably heard of, is
the means by which global warming takes place. The
greenhouse effect is produced when greenhouse gases,
which include water vapor, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide
(N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs) , ozone (O3),
perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
and the most notorious greenhouse gas - carbon dioxide (CO2), allow
incoming solar radiation to pass through the Earth's
atmosphere, while blocking outgoing infrared radiation.
The result is a warmed atmosphere that is capable of
sustaining life on Earth. Without the natural greenhouse
effect, we wouldn't be here. Here's the rub. With increased
emissions of human-produced CO2 and other
greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect is warming
things up a lot more than it should be.
Okay, so what's
the big deal with a little warmer atmosphere you ask?
Well, it's a huge deal. Increased global temperatures
cause an accelerated melting of the ice caps and
glaciers, leading to abnormal increases in the sea
level, extreme changes in precipitation and weather
(more severe hurricanes), strained agricultural crops
(putting stress on the fresh water supply), a wider
range of disease vectors, and endangering species (as we
are now seeing happen with the polar bear). And although
global warming is not directly responsible for the ozone
depletion in the atmosphere, the two are closely
related. Global warming refers to the
warming of the lower part of the atmosphere
(troposphere), while ozone depletion takes place in the
upper part of the atmosphere (stratosphere), which is
still of
major concern since the ozone layer is responsible for
helping block dangerous doses of ultraviolet light from
the sun's rays, which cause skin cancer and cataracts
(among other things). Global warming and ozone depletion
are related because of one primary culprit: Manmade flourocarbon gases, which
mainly come from refrigerants and aerosols.
Banned
Chlorofluorocarbons are responsible for trapping heat
in the atmosphere and eating away at the ozone layer. Since the seventies, Chloroflurocarbons have been replaced with alternative
fluorocarbons, namely the aforementioned greenhouse gas,
hydrofluorocarbons (HFC's), which although don't eat
away the ozone layer, contribute to 10% of global
warming. What's worse is that HFC's are very stable, thus remaining in the atmosphere
longer and producing a global warming potential thousands of
times greater than CO2. As mentioned, HFC's are commonly
found in refrigerants (air conditioners, refrigerators)
and spray cans like computer dust sprayers. (Whatever
you do, do not use dust sprayers!)
As for
CO2, this is the most common of the manmade greenhouse
gases (mankind's activities account for 80% of all
global warming gases). The vast majority of CO2 is
produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, namely
coal and oil used in power plants (electric energy
production) and automobiles. Another large contributor
of CO2 is animal agriculture. According to the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization, meat, egg and dairy
production is responsible for 9% of CO2 emissions and
nearly one-fifth of all human produced greenhouse gases.
The other big contributor is methane, or rather, cow
poop, which accounts for 65% of nitrous oxide emissions
and 37% of methane emissions, which is twenty times more
warming than Carbon Dioxide. Oh, and don't forget
deforestation. Trees naturally remove CO2 from the air
and replace it with Oxygen. The more deforestation
taking place, the less trees to remove CO2 and the more
global warming.
And
while global warming and rising sea levels is certainly
a natural phenomenon created by the greenhouse effect,
which some individual scientists say is nothing to worry
about, the vast majority of scientists (30 scientific
societies and academies of science including the
academies of science from every major industrialized
nation), agree with the findings of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who conclude
that the observed increases in global temperature are
primarily due to manmade greenhouse gas concentrations.
The rate at which the ozone layer is being destroyed,
global temperatures are rising, and animal species are
being faced with extinction is unprecedented. Since the
age of industrialization, CO2 concentrations in the
atmosphere have increased by 35%. Global warming is
real.
In
conclusion, Global Warming is primarily caused by:
Electric Energy Production
Transportation
Animal Agriculture
Deforestation
Hydrofluorocarbons
That
being said, there are many things we each do in our
lives to cut back on our greenhouse gas emissions - our
Carbon footprint, if you will. Our "Going Green 101"
primarily addresses this element of Going Green.
"Going
Green 101"
Electric Energy Production
Use
Alternative Energy - The best thing you can do to
cut back on your electric energy use is to switch over
to renewable sources of energy like Wind Power.
Depending on where you reside, you may be eligible to
have your power bill go directly to alternative energy
sources. Call your local power supplier to see if they
offer green energy. On average, it costs less than $5
more per month...a small sacrifice if you ask me. If
your power grid does not receive renewable energy, you
can offset your use of power by purchasing a renewable
energy certificate, also called a Green Tag or Carbon
offset. The way it works is that after calculating your
Carbon footprint, you pay the amount it will cost to
offset that footprint by funding an renewable energy
project, like that of
Native Energy. See our
tip on Renewable Energy Credits for more details.
Use
Less Energy - The next best thing you can do to
lower your Carbon footprint due fossil-fuel produced
electricity is to use less energy. There are seven
primary things you can do with this end in mind:
-
Use Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs - Now readily
available at superstore giants like Wal-Mart, Home
Depot and Lowes (even grocery stores!), energy saving
light bulbs last ten times longer than regular light
bulbs and will save you $30 over the lifetime of the
bulb. Although they cost a little more up front, they
are truly a wise investment. To get an idea of how
much good this can do, if every American switched out
one single light bulb, the amount of greenhouse gas
emissions produced by 800,000 cars would be offset.
-
Keep an Eye on Your Thermostats - By lowering and
raising the temperature of your air conditioner by two
degrees in the winter and summer months (no lower than
78 in the summer and no more than 68 in the winter)
not only will you easily save over one-hundred dollars
per year, you will help cut back on the production of
hydroflurocarbons (refrigerants). This is also true
for your refrigerator. Keep your fridge no colder than
38 degrees (up to 42 degrees) and the freezer no
colder than 0 degrees.
-
Buy Energy Efficient Appliances - Using Energy
Star rating appliances can cut back your home energy
usage by more than half. If you have to choose between
a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and top/bottom
model, go with the top/bottom. If you opt out of using
the automatic ice maker and water dispenser, your
refrigerator will use up to 25% less energy.
-
Clean your Air Conditioning Filter - By doing this
once a month (up to twice a month during the summer),
your air conditioner will have to work less hard and
will end up saving you another $150 per year.
-
Unplug your Electrics - Did you know that 40% of
the energy that home electronics use is consumed in
the standby "phantom" mode. The most problematic of
these are cable boxes, satellite dishes, Tivo, stereo
systems, home entertainment systems including TV's,
DVD and VCR players, cable modems and computers, which
you should set to go in standby mode, at a minimum. It
is a false myth that starting up a computer uses more
energy than leaving it running. All of these electric
devices will use up to 60 combined Kilowatt hours per
month just in standby mode alone, which amounts to $9.
This is the equivalent of using 50 gallons of gas in a
year. Another energy sucker are cell phone chargers.
If you're like most people, you probably always keep
your cell phone charger plugged into the wall. Don't!
And don't forget about all your kitchen appliance like
coffee pots, microwaves, toaster ovens. All the little
things add up! If possible, use a power strip to turn
of your devices. These are very convenient for the
entertainment center and will save the equivalent of
energy used to continuously light a 100 Watt light
bulb. This is an easy one folks. It just takes some
reminding. But once you get into the habit of doing
it, it will become second nature.
-
Turn off the Lights - Most us have way more lights
on than we really need. Get in the habit of putting
your hand on the light switch. And by all means, turn
off the lights when your not home. If you want to
leave a lamp on for security reasons, then by all
means do so (with a compact fluorescent :). Just be
sure to do a walk-through before you leave. You will
be surprised just home lights are left on.
-
Buy a Low-Flow Shower Head - Not only will you
save water, you will save the energy it takes to heat
the water. Although you'll have to pay a little out of
pocket at first, considering that water heaters use
25% of the energy in an average home, this little
marvel will save you hundreds every year.
Transportation
Drive Less - There are many things you can do to
drive less. Car pooling to work, riding a bike (an
electric bike for longer routes!) and opting out of the
drive-thru at Starbucks are easily attainable. Even if
you can do one of these things once per week, you will
be doing something! If everybody catches on and does the
same, the difference will be monumental!
Drive Carefully - Besides keeping your tires
inflated at the proper pressure, driving slower and
braking less hard, using the cruise control whenever
possible will give you 15% better gas mileage. In other
words, drive less aggressively people! If that means
budgeting your time better so that you aren't in a rush,
you can make it happen! Other helpful tips are to keep
your gas cap on tightly (you can lose up to 2
miles/gallon in efficiency with a loose fuel cap) and to
get an annual tune up. Sure, it might cost you $300, but
will pay for itself in the better fuel efficiency you
will get out of it.
Drive a
Hybrid - The Toyota Prius is one of your best
options currently on the market. Even better, buy a
diesel car and run it off of biodiesel, which is the
cleanest fuel currently available (It produces less
greenhouse gas emissions than the Prius). While
biodiesel is not available widespread, you can join a
biodiesel cooperative, which do indeed exist.
Animal Agriculture
Eat
Less Meat or No Meat at All - As mentioned, animal
agriculture contributes to 9% of CO2 emissions, 40% of
methane, 65% of nitrous oxide and to one-fifth of all
greenhouse gases. U.S. livestock also consumes half the
water supply and the majority of grain crops grown in
the U.S. Going vegan at least once a week, makes a big
difference. Adopting a vegetarian/vegan lifestyles is
monumental! And while we're on the topic of agriculture,
it's also good to buy local produce when possible. By
supporting local, sustainable agriculture, you are
further cutting back on the energy it takes to ship bulk
produce, which is usually thousands of miles.
Deforestation
Use
Less Paper - How many times have you accidentally
printed something, or your printer prints off a random
page with a few scribbles on it, only to crumple it up
and free-throw it into the trash can? Rather than
trashing it, save it for printing something else on the
other side. If you are in the practice of printing off
confirmations and receipts, this would make a perfect
piece of paper to do it on.
Recycle More Paper - Did you know that a four foot
stack of newspapers is equivalent to a forty foot
Douglas Fir tree? Did you know that you can recycle your
junk mail? You can even recycle the ones with the
plastic window on the envelope. Americans do not recycle
nearly as much paper as they can be. Check your local
recycling office to get a list of what's acceptable.
Although not every recycling center accepts the same
forms of paper, we can all stand to recycle more paper.
Start a paper recycling trashcan and make it accessible!
Plant Trees - If you have a yard, why not? Over the
course of thirty years, 72 trees will absorb the amount
of CO2 produced to power 26 households in a year. Thirty
years may sound like a long time, but if we each just
planted one tree, more than a billion pounds of
greenhouse gases would be removed from the atmosphere
every year. Also, planting a tree or shrubs near a
window to provide shade will help keep your home cooler
in summer months and give your more incentive to turn up
the thermostat a bit - maybe even open the windows!
Join
an Activist Movement - There are several excellent
activist movements out there committed to protecting the
environment, with a special interest in saving and
planting trees.
Green Peace and
NRDC are two excellent ones! Oh, and if you
fly with Delta, they actually plant a tree for every air
travel offset purchased (through The Conservation Fund).
Fluorocarbons
Use
Less Air Conditioning - There are tons of
Hydrofluorocarbons in refrigerants. Open the windows of
your car more often and cut back on the AC overall. Pay
attention to the temperature every day you walk outside.
Sometimes we get so used to turning on the AC, even if
it cools down a bit, we forget to open the windows and
enjoy the fresh air. This is true for inside the home as
well.
Don't Use Aerosols/Keyboard Cleaners - A single
500-gram spray duster emits the same amount of global
warming causing greenhouse gases (HFC's) as an average
person will contribute by using energy in a home for six
months. And with more computers inside homes than ever
before, keyboard dusters pose a major risk for the
environment.
Well,
that's it folks. This edition of "Going Green 101" has
come to a close. Although going green may seem like a
daunting task at times, the hardest part is just making
the habit changes. Even if you can do one of the things
on this list to go green, you will be making a huge
difference for the planet. And if you can tell a friend
about it too, the pay it forward effect is limitless.
And remember, going green is not just about curbing
global warming. It's a holistic way of living that will
enhance your life on every level imaginable. Meditation,
vegetarianism and holistic medicine are just some of the
many manifestations of going green.
Please
see our
Going Green Tips Section
for a wide range of tips on living healthy.
We highly
recommend the daily email eco-tips by
Ideal Bite
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