July 1999

Ten Things You Can Do to Help Curb Global Warming

by Ana Arias Terry

Scratching your head, wondering what to you can do to help alleviate climate change? Try these out:

1. Step out of your car. Consider commuting by bike or walking. If that’s not practical, take public transit or carpool. When you have to drive: group errands, go for most efficient routes, ensure your car’s well tuned, and the tires inflated. Say no to long idling or rubber-burning starts. If you have to buy a car, make fuel efficiency the priority.

2. Seal the drafts. Caulk or weather-strip windows and doorways and request an energy audit from your utility company. Consider energy-efficient windows and better insulation.

3. Get "enlightened." Swap your incandescent lights for compact fluorescent bulbs. You’ll save 400 pounds of coal from being spewed per fluorescent bulb and save money on your electric bill.

4. Take up the mighty pen. Compose a brief but effective letter to local and national representatives to request that they hike up mile per gallon standards to 45 mpg for cars and 34 mpg for small trucks and sport utility vehicles.

5. Attend to the heat of the matter. Maintain your furnace and air conditioning (a/c). Place an insulated jacket on your water heater and set its temperature so that the water at the farthest reaches of your house is just hot enough for use. Use fans instead of a/c whenever possible, and set the thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter.

6. Get cooking. Purchase energy-efficient appliances, electronics, and tools, turn them off when not in use, consider manual tools such as a pushmower and rake, and opt for Energy Star products. Consider low-flow faucets and showerheads and taking shorter showers to reduce your usage of hot water. Forgo the electric can opener. Invest three bucks in a booklet by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy entitled "The Most Energy Efficient Appliances" (ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036).

7. Let the sunshine in. Take advantage of solar rays for daytime indoor lighting, to dry your hair and your clothes (or even without sun, dry your clothes on a line or indoors). Pull up curtains to warm your house on cool days and place outdoor shades so you can protect your house from excessive heat in the summers.

8. Get it locally. Food goodies sold in this country travel an average of 1,200 miles and often by truck. Help reduce gas or diesel emissions by buying local groceries.

9. Eat your veggies. Eat lower on the food chain to reduce the demand for meat. Bovines produce lots of methane, a serious greenhouse gas. Fewer cows means less flatulence.

10. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. You didn’t think we’d leave that out! Consider whether you really need to make the purchase — and if you do, try to buy a recycled version. Use products over and over, and then pass them on sustainably or recycle them. Making glass, metal, or paper items from recycled goods saves 70-90 percent of the energy and pollution (including carbon dioxide) that would occur if the items were made from virgin products.

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