With all the blackouts and extra energy being used this season due to intense heat, and the general overuse of energy everyday, there is a call to save energy nationwide.
Here are 10 things you can do to save energy at home and help stop Global Warming!
1. Change a light: Changing one regular lightbulb for one compact flourescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Drive less: Walk, bike, carpool, or take mass transit more often. You'll save one pound of carbob dioxide for every mile you don't drive.
3. Recycle more: You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year just by recycling half of your household waste.
4. Check your tires: Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxode out of the atmosphere.
5. Use less hot water: It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year).
6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging: You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down on your garbage by 10%.
7. Adjust your thermostat: Moving your thermostat just two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in
the summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
8. Plant a tree: A single tree will absorb over 1 ton of carbon dioxide in its lifetime!
9. Turn off electronic devices: Simply turn off your television, dvd player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them...you will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
10. Spread the word! : Share this information with friends and family, and see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
For more information on how to help save energy and fight global warming, visit these links:
Calculate your carbon dioxide output
grist.org
idealbite.com
treehugger.com
StopGlobalWarming.org
Natural Resources Defense Council
Greenpeace on Global Warming
Global Warming- in plain English
Global Warming- Undo It
Global Waming.org