Cool It - An Every Day Guide To Climate Change
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Transcript of Cool It - An Every Day Guide To Climate Change
COOL IT!
Tel.: 52 (322) 297-1212 • USA Toll Free [email protected]
AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic México
´Cool It´ An Every Day Guide To Climate Change Vallarta Adventures www.vallarta-adventures.com
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
“So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of
global-warming pollution into the thin shell of
atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an
open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly
larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations
now trapping more and more heat from the sun.
As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is
rising. The experts have told us it is not a pass-
ing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for
a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And
the consistent conclusion, restated with increas-
ing alarm, is that something basic is wrong. We are
what is wrong, and we must make it right”
Al Gore
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
INTRODUCTION
By now, most of us have heard of ‘Climate
Change’. But few people understand that we can
do something about it. This guide is designed to
help you help planet earth in the fight against
Global Warming!
Global warming is when the average sur-
face temperature of the Earth increases.
This happens because gases, known as
‘Greenhouse Gases’, trap heat inside our
atmosphere. Although large-scale solu-
tions are necessary, there are many ev-
eryday things each one of us can do to
begin making a difference. This every-
day guide is designed to give everyday
advice on what we can all do to begin
to make a difference. Government and
business each have crucial roles to play.
But every citizen of the planet must also
start taking positive action, or else our
children and grandchildren will surely
pay the price.
Some of the sun’s energy is
reflected back into space
Greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere
trap some of the
heat
Solar energy
passes through
the atmo-
sphere, warn-
ing the Earth
“I think the environment should be put
in the category of our national secu-
rity. Defense of our resources is just
as important as defense abroad. Oth-
erwise what is there to defend?”
Robert Redford
The Greenhouse Effect
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
INSIDE THE
HOUSEHere are some things inside that house that we
can all do to help with the climate change issue...
and save money at the same time!
LIGHT BULBS
Changing light bulbs from regular bulbs
to new Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs
(CFL) is one of the quickest and easiest
ways to save energy at home. If every
home in the United States changed just a
single regular bulb to a CFL bulb it would
prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to
the emissions of 800,000 cars!
SEAL IT AND INSULATE IT!
Sealing air leaks and improving the insu-
lation in your home can increase your en-
ergy efficiency as much as 30%. By tak-
ing these steps, you can eliminate drafts,
keep your home more comfortable year
round, save energy that would otherwise
be wasted, and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Look for Energy Star windows
if considering replacing those old win-
dows!
ENERGY STAR PRODUCTS
When purchasing new electronics and
appliances for your home look for Ener-
gy Star qualified products. They use less
energy, save money, and help protect
the environment!
PULL THE PLUG!
Turn off appliances, lights and comput-
ers when you are not in the room. Some
electrical appliances use energy even
when switched off so use a power board
and pull the plug when not in use.
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
AROUND THE
HOMESome of the biggest steps you can take in the
fight against Climate Change are right outside
your door...
GREEN POWER!
EPA defines green power as ‘electricity
produced from solar, wind, geothermal,
biogas, biomass, and low-impact small
hydroelectric sources’. Green power can
be purchased or you can make you own
green power at home! Installation of so-
lar panels are a good way to make your
own environmentally friendly energy or
check with your local government for
green power alternatives in your area.
GREEN GARDEN
Use plants to save energy around your
home. If you live in warm regions, plant
trees that will provide shade to cool
roofs, windows and air conditioners. In
cooler regions plant trees to the north of
your home to protect it from cold win-
ter winds. Use a push mower instead of a
gasoline mower and use your clippings as
part of a composting system. Composting
is a great way to reduce waste in landfills
and to provide rich soil for your garden!
SAVE WATER!
Municipal water supplies use a lot of en-
ergy to provide us with safe, clean water.
So, if we save on water we save on en-
ergy! Saving water around the house is
simple…..only water your garden in the
coolest part of the day, turn the water
off when brushing your teeth or shaving
and fix leaky faucets or toilets immedi-
ately! Did you know that a leaky toilet
can waste 200 gallons of water a day!
PLANT A TREE!
Planting trees is fun and a great way to re-
duce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb car-
bon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air.
Enough sunlight falls on the
earth every minute to meet
the world’s energy demands
for an entire year.
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
ON THE
ROADOne of the biggest contributors to Climate Change is
carbon emissions from the family car. Here are some
ways that you can immediately effect how much Green-
house Gases you are emitting into the atmosphere......
BUY SMART
If you are thinking of buying a new car
check for the most fuel efficient vehicle
that meets your needs. If your new car
gets 3mpg more than your previous one,
you can reduce your carbon emmissions
by 3,000 pounds per year....saving
money and the environment!
DRIVE SMART
Did you know that aggressive driving de-
creases fuel economy? Hard accelera-
tion consumes up to 50% more gasoline
than a slow acceleration! Drive smart
and avoid stress and save money also.
SMART MAINTENANCE
Keep your engine well tuned. You can
save up to 165 gallons per year by do-
ing so and make for a safer ride! Check
that your tires are aligned and properly
inflated.
PLAN AHEAD!
By planning your day you can do a lot in
the fight against climate change. Walk if
possible, carpool with friends, or use pub-
lic transport. Leaving your car at home for
just two days a week will save on 1,600
pounds of greenhouse gas emmissions a
year! Combining trips will save time, ener-
gy and money as well as buying in bulk to
reduce frequent trips to the supermarket.
An estimated 32 million cars
and trucks ride on under-
inflated tyres wasting 500
million gallons of gasoline
annually!
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
REDUCE,
REUSE &
RECYCLEReduce, reuse and recycle are the three essential
components of environmentally-responsible
consumer behavior.
REDUCE
Reducing basically means producing less
garbage. One way of doing this is by ac-
cumulating fewer things. When making
purchases it is important to determine if
the products you are buying are really
necessary. Buy things in bulk to reduce
on excess packaging, take your own bag
when shopping and buy quality goods
that will last!
RE-USE
Purchasing reusable items that need not
be thrown away is another great way to
avoid landfill waste. Look for products
in re-usable or refillable packaging, do-
nate unwanted clothing to charities, use
rechargeable batteries, and carry your
lunch in a re-usable container.
RECYCLE
Recycling is the process by which ma-
terials are collected and used as a
basis for new products or ma-
terials. Recycling items that
you would otherwise throw
away reduces landfill waste and helps
us conserve energy and money. Buying
products made from post consumer re-
cycled materials encourages more recy-
cling. Look for what recycling programs
are available in your area and start now!
Begin your own program in the home by
starting a compost bin for your garden!
COOL IT!VALLARTA ADVENTURES
DON’T STOP
NOWTell your family and friends to join the fight
against Climate Change.
Climate change may be a big problem,
but there are many little things we can
do everyday to make a difference. If we
try, we can all do our part to reduce the
amount of greenhouse gases that we
put into the atmosphere.
Some of the information used in making
this guide was drawn from the following
websites:
www.epa.gov
www.ciwmb.ca.gov
www.epa.qld.gov.au
www.fightglobalwarming.com
www.eere.energy.gov
www.aceee.org
www.ceert.org
www.cool-companies.org
www.consumerenergycenter.org
www.greenercars.com
www.undoit.org