I watched the show "Global Warming: What You Need to Know with Tom Brokaw" on the Discovery Channel last night. A very informative and eye-opening experience. Many are worried about the dangers of excessive greenhouse gasses but it seems like such a huge problem that many wonder - what can they do?I think it would be too much to ask for everyone to suddenly give it all up (sell their SUV, go completely solar, and start their own farm) but it was great to see some suggestions we could implement immediately. Our goal, overall, to reducing global warming, is to reduce what's called our greenhouse gas footprint. How much we personally contribute to the problem. The show talked about a few easy solutions and I wanted to share them with you.
First, you could make a very simply change tonight -- stop by the store on your way home and buy some fluorescent bulbs. If every home in America replaced just one bulb in their house with one of these bulbs, it would help tremendously. These fluorescent bulbs were more expensive than the incandescent bulbs found in most homes but not as much anymore. And they last up to 10 times as long. And each fluorescent (CFL) bulb will lower your energy bills by about $15 a year, and by more than $60 during its life. It will also keep half a ton of carbon dioxide and mercury out of the air.
Next, you could replace most of our old appliances with new energy efficient ones. Not only will it cut down on the greenhouse gasses used to keep them running, but your energy bills will be lower, too. For example, refrigerators consume the most electricity in your home. Today's refrigerators consume less than one-fourth the energy of models built 30 years ago.
Finally, you could drive smarter. I'm not saying you need to buy a Toyota Prius (yet :) but you can make your current vehicle more efficient. By replacing your filters, tuning up your car, and keep your tires inflated, you'll keep your car from having to work as hard. If everyone kept their tires properly inflated, gas use nationwide would drop 2 percent. A tuneup could increase your miles per gallon from 4 to 40 percent; a new air filter could bump your mpg by 10 percent.
Click Here For more info on the Discovery Channel Global Warming special
If you're ready to make your home more green, you should consider talking with companies about energy alternatives, greening your home, or getting a home energy audit.
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