The Plan

Below is essentially our action plan. By completing the plan below and following subsequent advise provided by this blog or other websites, we can do our part to offset global warming. Not completely, but in our lives. The steps are simple, just start at level 1, and work your way up to level 3. By the end of level three, people should have enough knowledge that they can make globally-responsible choices. Send this to friends, family, neighbors, or just post a link on your myspace, blog, or other profiles and websites. These steps will ultimately save money, resources, and help heal the Earth. The plans gets harder, or requires more initial energy or monetary investment as the Levels progress. However, at the end of the plan, you should be proud knowing that you’ve done your part to help the environment.

Level 1:

1. Educate yourself - This is the most important step. Search the web, listen to the news, sign up for news letters, talk with friends, and gather as much information as you can about global climate change. Only when you know what’s going on can you do something about it.
2. Turn off what you aren’t using – It sounds so obvious, but so much energy is wasted on that DVD player that was left on, or that computer that’s on standby, or that light in the hall that is always on, or that old VCR that is plugged in to show the (usually wrong) time. If you don’t need it, don’t leave it on! Turn off the computer and peripherals, unplug the VCRs and DVD players that you aren’t using, set the TV turn off if you think you’ll fall asleep and forget, and most importantly, don’t leave lights on when you aren’t in the room! And don’t forget to turn off water when you don’t need it!
3. Consult your utility companies – Most utility companies will provide you with a free report that identifies which areas of your home might not be energy efficient. Ask for a report and work on improving the areas that need fixing.
4. Talk! – Talk with your friends, family, and community about the state of our atmosphere, the path we’re being taken down, and the ways we can change our lives to better the world and ourselves. Send emails to long-distance friends, talk with your friends about current events concerning the global climate, and do anything else to spread the word. Awareness comes before action. If people don’t know about a problem, how can they help solve it?
5. Recycle – Some of the biggest polluters of the world are factories where new plastic, metal, and paper is made. Recycling is easy. Set up a few containers, one for plastic, on for aluminum/recyclable metals, one for paper, and one for glass and just toss in all the recyclables. Not only will you save on average 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, you will also make a few extra bucks in the process!
6. Use your AC and heater wisely – If the summer gets too hot, take a walk or get out of the house. If the winter gets too cold, cover in extra layers. Just try to keep your thermostat at moderate temperatures at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

Level 2:

1. Convert to fluorescent bulbs – Electricity is made by using the energy from primary energy sources like coal, oil, water, or other natural resources. Although the situation is getting better, there are still power plants that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Fluorescent bulbs use less energy, last up to 15 times longer, use 66% less energy, give off 30% less heat, and each bulb can save on average 30 dollars a year in electricity. It all adds up!
2. Plant a tree - It sounds minuscule, but plants use photosynthesis, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They are vital to the stability of Earth. The number of cars on the roads keeps increasing, but the amount of plants keeps decreasing due to deforestation. If you have the resources, plant a tree in your backyard, start a garden, or contribute to an organization dedicated to preserving forests and aiding in reforestation.
3. Set up a no drive limit – Americans rely on cars for 90% of their daily travel, adding greatly to greenhouse emissions. Write down on a Post-It, “I will not drive if my destination is less than _______ miles.” Fill in the blank with a number that sounds reasonable. If the market or your friends house is just three blocks away, walk or ride a bike. Not only will you save 3 dollars an hour, you’ll also be working out!
4. If you have to drive, drive with a friend - If you and your friend are going to the same job, the same restaurant, or the same party, why not drive together? If you carpool with just one friend, you two are already using half of the gas you would normally use and you’ll get there much faster using the carpool lane.
5. Avoid products with excess packaging - How annoying is it when you buy something new and you have to open three different boxes, cut twelve pull-ties, and tear three plastic baggies just to see the thing you bought? Buy things that use less packaging. Buy the economy size if they’re available, but otherwise just use your own judgment to buy whatever has the least amount of packaging. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
6. Change your shopping list – Buy locally and buy organic. You save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide by buy locally because the produce you’re buying was not trucked in from a different state. Buying organic reduces chemical contamination that can contribute to species loss and habitat destruction. In addition, it energy is saved by factories that produce less chemicals. And when you go to the local farmers market, or any market for that matter, bring cloth bags. All those plastic and paper bags only accumulate, but cloth bags can be reused over and over again.
7. Maintain your items that use energy – Inflate your tires to increase mileage, change your air filters in your car and AC, keep your car running smoothly, and make sure all other appliances are running at maximum efficiency.
8. Use less hot water – 13% of the average American’s electricity bill is attributed to water heaters. Don’t keep the hot shower water running when you don’t need it. Wrap your water heater in a blanket if it is old. Buy low flow shower heads and set your water heater to 120 degrees. Wash clothes in warm of cold water, and use energy saving options with dishwashers if you have one. These changes alone can save upwards of 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
9. Be active in your community – Your a citizen of the United States, a nation built on the belief that citizens have a role in their government, both local and federal. Pressure your local libraries, government buildings, and remodeling projects to be models of energy efficiency. Go to city meetings and suggest changes in zoning ordinances that promote energy efficiency. Push for more bike racks! Write your senators, governors, and public officials and urge them to support global warming action. Write the president and help persuade him to be a leader in the international community in fighting global warming.

Level 3:

1. Buy Hybrid or electric - Although obviously not within everyone’s reach, buying hybrid or electric helps nearly as much as carpooling with another person. They get more miles-per-gallon, thereby decreasing the cost at the pump and costing the environment less greenhouse gases. Although some cost more than the average car, the annual savings in money can be in the thousands.
2. Buy Energy Efficient – Buy energy efficient appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, water heaters, and other appliances with an Energy Star, or similar label. The amount of energy saved per appliance varies, but any amount helps. Save money and the Earth! And only use the appliances when you have a full load of clothes or dishes, not when you need just one clean shirt of plate. And when you can, air dry your clothes.
3. Add insulation – Adding insulation to the walls, and using weather stripping can reduce your energy bill and conserve energy (fossil fuels). In addition, double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy.
4. Use alternate energy sources – Solar panels and windmills harness essentially renewable resources, and are therefore more environmentally responsible. Either install solar panels, or try to convince your energy supplier to obtain their energy from solar or wind energy.

The number one thing you can do is educate yourself and educate those around you. Read websites, subscribe to RSS feeds, bookmark this site, and keep talking about the issue.