what can we do?

So what can we do?  There are alternative answers to our problems. I was reading an article today about a village in Alaska that gets its electricity from diesel driven generators. Sounds expensive and dirty? It is. I think we know how dirty diesel emissions (CO2) are and the cost is like $6 per gallon for diesel and at 1000 gallons/day that amounts to about $2 mil/year and that’s just for the fuel cost. So someone thought how about a wind turbine. It’s only 200 watts but it’s a start. They did it and it works great especially sense they live in one of the windiest areas of the world. Now they are looking into adding more turbines.

I think individually we should do everything we can to help reduce greenhouse gases not only because it is the right thing to do but in the long run it is the best thing for a better quality of life. Here is my short list of things that we can do with very little effort.

1. Buy organic foods, better for you and the environment. Buy locally.

2. Stop buying water out of plastic bottles. Use reusable bottles with filtered tap water.

3. Plan your driving. On your way home stop at the bank, get a haircut, go grocery shopping. Do this instead of several trips from home.

4. Maintain your car, proper tire pressure, oil changes, etc.

5. In the city use public transportation.

6. Buy a programmable thermostat. In the winter 68-70 degrees at night 60-62 degrees and the hot summer days 68-70 degrees while at home and 74-76 degrees when away. Some programmable thermostats can even sense whether you are at home or not.

7. Insulate, insulate, insulate! Insulate attic, walls, hot water heater and pipes, outside wall switches and outlets, and even behind that programmable thermostat so no draft can affect the thermostat.

8. Use reusable grocery bags.

9. Plant trees.

10. Buy a hybrid car. See Hybrid Center Scorecard.

11. Live a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainability is improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the supporting eco-systems. Go to Eartheasy for some ideas.

12. Join a local/national group like citizensclimatelobby.org or 350.org and act!

13. 100 Ideas For A Sustainable Lifestyle.

Here is my short wish list for the government.

1. Put a price on carbon. To help regulate polluting industries.

2. Encourage renewable energy. Take away the tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies and give them to developing technologies.

3. Stop deforestation and promote new forest growth.

4. Promote organic farming both plant and animal.

5. Find better ways to deal with waste.

Look, I never thought in my wildest dreams that we would be buying water in a plastic bottles that cost 10 to 12 times more than gasoline when we can get it out of the tap for pennies a gallon and it’s just as good, it is the same stuff. The damage that making just the plastic bottle does to the environment is mind boggling. See the movie: “Tapped”.

We need to change how we live by being more responsible. Here is a link to a You Tube video on how to start: Clean Bin story with Jen and Grant.