Posted on 01/03/2009 4:50:04 PM PST by crazyhorse691
As we begin a New Year, please join me in taking the Climate Change challenge personally. By resolving to get active in your community and make small but important changes in your daily life, you'll not only get to know your neighbors better, but you'll also get connected to a global effort to keep the world a beautiful place for future generations.
While there's been a lot of discussion about Climate Change and its effects, I believe there's enough scientific agreement around how and why the Earth's climate is changing to begin taking action. No matter what happens, climate-wise, we need a longer-term vision and a more sustainable, global strategy of stewardship.
When starting a campaign to combat Climate Change, the same question often arises: "What can' I possibly do in my life to affect the world's climate?" Well, for a start, you and your neighbors can reduce your community's collective "Carbon Footprint." I know what you're thinking: "My carbon what?!" Well, as U.S. residents, we each generate about 6.5 tons (15,000 pounds carbon equivalent) of greenhouse gases per person, per year. More than 80% of these emissions are from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat our homes and power our cars.
By that by making some simple changes in our daily lives, we can make a big difference. For example, the two areas that give us the most Climate Change "bang-for-the-buck" are: how we use energy to heat and power our homes and how we make daily transportation choices.
With that in mind, here are three ways to consider focusing your personal Climate Change effort in 2009:
1. Is This Trip Really Necessary? - Saving fuel means saving money, so consider combining your physical and fiscal resolutions by walking or biking more as you fight Climate Change. You can also try other Carbon Footprint-shrinking strategies like: carpooling or taking mass transit; choosing a hybrid or "greener" car; keeping your car maintained and tires properly inflated and avoiding "race car" starts. For more transportation ideas, take a moment and check out our EPA SmartWay http://www.epa.gov/smartway/ website for more ideas. To go a step further, encourage your community's planners and elected officials to adopt SmartGrowth development principles http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/ to reduce landscape-gobbling sprawl, which means less vehicle-miles-traveled and smaller Carbon Footprints!
2. Power Down - by insulating your home, upgrading to energy efficient windows and lighting and lowering your thermostat, you can reduce your power bill and shrink your carbon footprint at the same time! Shop for Energy Star http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index qualified appliances, since they're up to 40% more efficient than their non-qualified counterparts. Remember: "Saving drops, saves watts," so look for the WaterSense http://www.epa.gov/watersense/index.htm logo when installing faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads, and low-flush toilets to cut water use. Finally, by re-energizing our "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" efforts, we can see real energy cost reductions from consumption and disposal.
3. Join Forces - look for a local Climate Change action group in your area and join or support their work. In the Portland area, the Oregon Environmental Council is leading the charge to reduce the city's Carbon Footprint with their "Global Warming Solutions" Campaign http://www.oeconline.org/our-work/climate. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's Climate Change website http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/climate/index.htm can also help jumpstart your neighborhood campaign.
Join the global movement to protect our home. Make this your year for personal Climate Change action. It's the only resolution that will reap a planetary reward.
Miller is regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle.
Humans create carbon dioxide by breathing. So the best thing for these global warming retrogrades to do, according to their own guidelines, is to hang themselves with hemp ropes in organic compost piles to ensure that they minimize their carbon footprint as much as possible.
Let's see: We live sixty miles from work, out in a rough sticks sort of area requiring a full-size vehicle preferably AWD. We have two cars to choose from. The nearest rail station is 20 miles away, and I doubt Amtrack's schedule or pricing would fall within our requirements. I also like to drive a short distance to have lunch alone once on-site.
So where's the "choice" aspect?
Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown
Ping me if you find one I've missed.
Climate change action group? Being more energy efficient is one thing, but a climate change action group?
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And at no point in there is any rational analysis of
whether “global warming” is actually happening at all,
whether higher CO2 levels are harmful
whether man-released CO2 and climate is linked
whether man-released CO2 is important to total GHG
...
I worked the DNC every day last August where they brought in a huge fleet of sleek, new SUV Hybrids. Yep! ONE SUV Hybrid assigned to each DNC VIP individual. No shared port to port SUV shuttling for any (of the few) peeps I saw - like DENNIS KUCINICH and his hot chickee babe overly doting wife.
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