It’s January, and here in the Northern Hemisphere, that means winter. Cold, bitter, frigid winter. As you’re out shoveling the driveway or knocking the icicles off your roof (or off your own nose), it’s really hard to get riled up about the threat of global warming. “Global warming?” you say.“Bring it! I’m freezin’ my knees off here!”
Although it may be the farthest thing from your mind as you strap on your earmuffs and tuck into another cup of hot cocoa, even during our winter, global warming still is a significant part of our global climate crisis. This week we’re going to zip up our parkas and talk about what we can do to help.
1. Scientists currently believe that the most important thing we can do to combat global warming is for each and every one of us to reduce our carbon footprint (defined as “a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization, or location at a given time”). Of course, awareness is key. Also, wearing multiple layers is the best way to keep the chill off as you wait for the bus. Kill those two birds with one stylish stone by picking up a 100% organic cotton “A Low Carbon Diet Keeps Me Cool” shirt from Tee Hugger (http://www.teehugger.com/Low_Carbon_Diet_p/thas1001.htm).
2. But how can you reduce your carbon footprint if you don’t even know how big it is? You can find out by taking the Environmental Defense Fund’s “personal pollution inventory” here: http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.cfm
3. If your results were anything like ours, you’ll have to take a moment to catch your breath and wait for the shock to wear off. (Man, cross-country flights are brutal for carbon emissions. Who knew?) Luckily, after they scare you, the Environmental Defense fund is there to hold your hand with a PDF pamphlet full of tips on how you can put yourself on a low carbon diet(complete with cute pictures of the Earth as a weight-loss enthusiast) here: http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/documents/5119_LowCarbonguide.pdf
4. Call the mayor! If you’re doing everything you can to help fight global warming in your home, maybe it’s time to step it up to the next level and get your whole city on the bandwagon. The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement—an initiative launched by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels in which mayors commit to reduce emissions in their cities to seven percent below 1990 levels by 2012—is supported by over 500 mayors across the country. Is it supported by yours? Visit USMayors.org to find out, and if your mayor isn’t on the list, do something about it! (http://usmayors.org/climateprotection/list.asp)
Only by working together can we help reduce greenhouse gasses and reduce the risk of a catastrophic global temperature hike. Now get fired up, bean activist, and stay warm this winter!
No comments:
Post a Comment