12 Things You Can Do To Help Mitigate Climate Change

An Environment Cartoon By Cris Madden

The terms Global Warming and Climate Change can sound daunting and uncomprehensible to some folks.  But these issues are not just the concerns of global corporations or eco-advocates (come to think of it – we SHOULD BE eco-advocates).  Our behavior and the way we conduct our lives on a daily basis impacts the earth.  Small actions are part of habits. Make no mistake, we are all interconnected.

Believe it or not, there are some things that we can all practice to do our share in mitigating climate change.

Since the principal greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2), we need to reduce our our personal usage of fossil fuels.

1. Keep your car in tip top shape.  A untuned-up vehicle uses up more fuel and therefore releases more CO2 in the atmosphere.
2. Check your tires regularly.
3. Drive smart.  Use progressive accelerating so as not to waste fuel.  Driving in spurts and quick stops wastes fuel.
4. Carpool, if you can. Not taking your car for even just two days per week will reduce your CO2 emissions by 721 kilograms per year.
5. Remove excess weight from your car.  The engine will labor more from the excess baggage.
6. Buy local produce.  This reduces the need to transport these products.  You also help your local farming communities.
7. Buy recycled paper products.  It takes less energy to recycle paper than to make new paper products.
8. Reduce garbage.  A reduction of about 2% in your garbage output can reduce your CO2 emissions by 453 kgs.  Bring your own cloth bags to the market.
9. Turn off unused electronic devices.  Keeping VCRs, TV sets, DVDs, lights and computers on Standby Mode still requires energy from the grid. What’s more vampire power can also take a bite out of your wallet.
10. Replace frequently used bulbs with compact flourescent lamps (CFLs). The new bulbs will last longer and use less energy. This means less energy required from the power grid.  Replacing two incandescent bulbs with CFLs, for instance, can reduce our personal CO2 emissions by 136 kgs.
11. Support recycling.
12. Share this with others.