Dear EarthTalk: My New Year's resolution is to reduce my "carbon footprint" to help fight global warming. Do you have suggestions for ways I can make good on my promise? Carrie
EarthTalk: There's never been a more urgent time to reduce your carbon footprint. With the U.S. government still opting out of mandatory emissions cuts, it's up to every individual, business owner and city or state government to take steps to improve the environment. So here are 10 ways to get you started in the new year:
1. Step up recycling and composting. Recycling prevents carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by saving the energy it takes to make products from new materials andby saving the energy it takes to incinerate trash or add to our landfills. (The city's recycling information can be found at mpw.net/Pages/MilwaukeeRecycles.htm.) And composting food scraps turns organic material back into fertile soil, which itself is an efficient carbon "sink." To get started, see: www.earth911.org and www.howtocompost.org.
2. Stay close or stay put. About half the CO2 we generate comes from our car trips, so walk, bike or take mass transit instead. Everything you need to know about biking in Milwaukee can be found at www.ci.mil.wi.us/BiketoWork1989.htm. Air travel also produces huge amounts of CO2, so the less you fly, the smaller your carbon footprint. See: www.culturechange.org.
3. Eat organic and local. Stick to foods produced organically and you prevent harmful pesticides and fertilizers from polluting air, waterways, soils and family members. And if the food is grown nearby, thousands of pounds of CO2 won't be emitted to get it to your grocery store. See: www.100milediet.org or www.MkeUrbanAg.org/Main/HomePage.
4. Buy green power. Your power company might just source part of its supply from renewable sources like hydroelectric or wind, and will sell it to customers who know to ask for it. Check out www.we-energies.com/business_new/altenergy/renewable.htm or www.green-e.org.
5. Change out your light bulbs. A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) uses less than a third of the energy of an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of lightand it lasts 10 times longer. And some CFLs now have three-way capabilities and can be dimmed. Visit Energy Federation Inc. at www.efi.org.
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6. Upgrade and unplug. Upgrading any appliances (including computers and TVs)? Be sure to look for the "Energy Star" logo, which only energy-efficient models can earn. Eligible Wisconsin residents can get help at www.focusonenergy.com. Also, turn off appliances when not in use to prevent wasting so-called phantom energy coming in from the grid. See: www.energystar.gov.
7. Adjust your thermostats. If you don't need a sweater indoors during the wintertime, your heat is too high. Likewise, in hot weather turn down the air conditioner. Also, keeping your hot water at no more than 120 degreesthe minimum temperature to keep the water bacteria-freeis another way to save energy, money and the environment.
8. Plant a tree…or 300. An average tree stores 13 pounds of carbon per year; a mature tree can absorb upward of four times that amount. Just 300 trees can counterbalance the amount of greenhouse gas pollution that one person produces in a lifetime. See: www.americanforests.org/planttrees. Each year, the state donates 75,000 tree seedlings to fourth-grade students to celebrate Arbor Day. To sign up for free trees, go to dnr.wi.gov/forestry/Nursery/Order/arborday-order.asp.
9. Buy offsets. Many organizations sell "carbon offsets," whereby you pay a voluntary fee to offset your daily CO2 emissions. The money usually goes to develop alternative, renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar. See: www.climatetrust.org, www.nativeenergy.com and www.my-climate.com.
10. Get involved. Donate time or money to groups working to fight global warming. Just about all green groups devote some effort to climate change, and they need your help. See: www.volunteermatch.org.
Got an environmental question? Send it to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.>earthtalk@emagazine.com.
