Brooklyn Queens Land Trust

27 Things you can do to stop global warming

Mar 02, 2009

27 Things you can do to stop global warming

Believe it or not, there are many simple things you can do in your daily life that can have an effect on your immediate surroundings and on places as far away as the South Pole. Here is a list of a few things you can do to make a difference:

1. Use compact fluorescent bulbs

Which lights in your home do you use the most? Replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. Three CFBs will save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide and $60 per year!

2. Inflate Your Tires
Keeping your tires adequately inflated can save you $840 per year and keep 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide out of the air! Check them monthly to be sure.

3. Change your car's air filter
Check your car's air filter once a month. You can save $130 per year and keep 100 lbs. of CO2 from entering our atmosphere.

4. Fill the dishwasher
Run your dishwasher only when it's full. That'll save $40 and 100 lbs. of CO2 emission a year.

5. Use recycled paper
Make sure your printer paper is 100% post-consumer recycled paper. That saves 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

6. Adjust your thermostat
Move your thermostat down two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer. That can save up to 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and 98 bucks per year.

7. Change the AC filter
Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters. That'll save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and up to $150 per year.

8. Take shorter showers
Did you know that showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. So cut your shower short and save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

9. Install a low-flow shower head
Using less water in the shower not only conserves this precious resource, but it also means less energy is used to heat the water, saving 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and 150 bucks.

10. Buy Products Locally
Think about how much oil it takes to get a bottle of water to you from Fiji or an apple from Argentina.

11. Buy minimally packaged goods
Less packaging reduces garbage by up to 30%. You can also save 1200 lbs. of cardon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

12. Carpool when you can
Own a big vehicle? Does one of your friends? Carpooling with friends saves fuel, and you have the added perk of having all your peeps in one car. Even better, you can save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

13. Don't idle in the car
How many times have you seen someone sitting in a car while it's running? Are you guilty of this? Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Turn your engine off if you have to wait for more than 30 seconds, except of course when in traffic.

14. Drive less
Walk, bike, carpool, or take mass transit. You'll save one pound of CO2 for every mile you don't drive!

15. Reduce garbage
Recycle paper, plastic and glass, and buy products with less packaging. This can save 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide a year.

16. Plant a tree
Trees suck up CO2 and create clean air for us to breathe. A single tree will absorb a ton (that's 2000+ lbs) of CO2 over its lifetime.

17. Use a push mower
We all have chores. Some of us have to mow the lawn. When you do, use your muscles instead of fossil fuels. You'll save 80 lbs of CO2 per year and you'll get some exercise!

18. Unplug un-used electronics
Even when electronic devices, like your stereo and phone charger, are turned off, they use energy, so unplug 'em and save over 1,000 lbs of CO2 and $256 a year.

19. Put on a sweater
Instead of putting up the heat, put on another layer. You can save 1,000 lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and $250 a year.

20. Wash your clothes on the cold water cycle
You'll save energy because the water isn't being heated, and your clothes will last longer.

21. Air dry your clothes
If the weather permits, how about putting your laundry on the line to dry? There's also no better stain remover than the sun, and you'll save 700 lbs. of CO2 and up to $75 a year.

22. Buy organic food
The chemicals used in modern agriculture aren't just bad for your body, they also pollute the water supply and are mostly made of petroleum.

23. Bring cloth bags to the market
When the check-out person asks, "Paper or plastic?," say, "Neither." Using your own cloth bag reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

24. Turn off your computer
Shut it off when you're not using it and save 200 lbs of CO2. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.

25. Eat Your Greens
The average American diet is ripe with meat products and thus contributes an extra 1.5 tons (that's 2500+ pounds) of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eating 20% less meat makes the same impact as switching to a hybrid car!

26. Ditch the plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US alone! A plastic bottle thrown in a landfill will still be a plastic bottle in 200 years because plastic is not biodegradable! Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!

27. Spread the word
Get out there and tell your friends and loved ones the small steps they can take to help Mother Earth. A little goes a long way!

Sources:

Stop Global Warming

Climate Crisis

Cool Action