1 Give your car a break. The carbon emissions from each gallon of
gasoline combine with oxygen to create 20 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Walk, ride a bike, push a skateboard or use public transportation
whenever you can. Here are a dozen organizations and ideas that can help
you get out of your car in Atlanta.
2 If you must drive, maintain your car and change your driving habits.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, changing air filters
regularly can improve gas mileage by up to 10 percent, tune-ups can
boost gas mileage by 4 percent, properly inflated tires can give 3
percent, and using the right motor oil can make a 1 percent to 2 percent
difference. Driving less aggressively and keeping your highway speed
under 60 can reduce your gasoline costs by a up to a third.
3 Cuddle up (or get naked). About 60 percent of the average home's
energy bill goes toward heat and air conditioning. In winter, set the
thermostat to 65 and grab a blanket, a sweater or a warm body. In summer
set it at 75 – and strip down if necessary.
Go a step further by sealing leaky windows, doors, attics and chimneys.
Instead of using the energy to heat outside your place, start
insulating. Go to Energy Star for a free do-it-yourself guide.
4 Take a cold shower. Hot water is one of the home's top energy hogs. If
you've gotta have the heat, you can use less hot water by screwing in a
low-flow showerhead.
You can pretty easily check your water pressure: Put a two-quart pot in
the tub in front of the shower and turn the shower on full-blast; see
how long it takes to fill the pot. If it takes fewer than 12 seconds,
then you're using more water than you need. Most hardware stores carry
low-flow showerheads that mix air into the water stream, which maintains
pressure but reduces the flow. They cost as little as six bucks, are
easy to install and can cut your water use by as much as half. For
ultimate efficiency, buy one with a shut-off valve. You won't have to
readjust the temperature if you shut off the water between rinses. There
are similar gadgets for your bathroom and kitchen faucets.
Check out the EPA's WaterSense program, for more information on saving water.
5 Switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs. They use about a quarter the
energy of conventional bulbs and have about eight times the lifespan.
Your local hardware store carries them for about $12 a six-pack, which
might sound expensive, but, when energy and replacement costs are taken
into account, you'll save about $30 over the life of each bulb,
according to the EPA. Because they can contain mercury, it's important
to dispose of fluorescent bulbs carefully.
6 Turn off electronic devices. TVs, stereos and computers are more
powerful than ever; they use a surprising amount of energy. Or save even
more energy by pulling the plug from the socket when you're out for an
extended period.
Go a step further than that by buying appliances stamped with the Energy
Star logo. Energy Star certifies that the appliance (including
refrigerators, washers, dryers and computers) is 10 percent to 50
percent more efficient than non-Energy Star in the same class.
7 Support your local farmer. The average meal travels about 1,200 miles
to get to your table. Pay attention to the labels that say where your
produce comes from; the closer the source, the less energy likely was
used in transportation. To really make sure you're getting local food,
buy it at a community farmers' market. Click here to find the one
closest to you.
Check out Georgia Organics to learn more about sources for local, organic food, including farmers, shops and events.
Consuming less red meat [pdf] may be the most important single decision
you make when it comes to eating and global warming, because a
substantial amount of emissions come straight from the cows (yes, we
mean by farting), forests must be clear-cut to make room for cattle and
basically the larger the animal, the more feed crops are needed per
pound of meat.
8 Stop your junk mail. The average home mailbox is force-fed about 900
pieces of junk mail a year. Those coupon booklets and credit offers used
to be trees that absorbed carbon. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to
stop the mail as it is to stop telemarketing. You've got to attack each
variety of junk mail one at time.
9 Reuse what you can. Disposable bags, throwaway cups and conventional
batteries all have two things in common: It takes energy to make them,
and each has a reusable replacement. Switch to cloth bags, mugs and
rechargeable batteries.
In general, durable, nondisposable products – such as cloth rags and
porcelain tableware – require less energy to produce and wash than does
producing and shipping single-use paper materials.
10 Recycle the rest. Recycling glass, plastic, aluminum and newsprint
shortens the production cycle, which generally cuts down on the energy
required to produce the end product.
11 Plant a tree. A shade tree will suck a ton of carbon out of the
atmosphere during its lifespan. And trees help to lower the temperature
in urban areas, reducing the need for air conditioning. Trees Atlanta
has loads of tree-planting events and educational activities.
12 Get involved. Certainly start by calculating your own carbon
footprint. But even if you shrink your own footprint, the voices of
millions will be needed to press politicians to take substantial action
to reduce the footprint we all make together. A good place to start is
www.climatecrisis.com. Locally, check out these groups.
Comments