Image by biofriendly

Well, if you live anywhere in the Los Angeles area,you know how crowded the 405 freeway can get. Talk about an emission and congestion nightmare. Then you also probably know that this weekend the 405 freeway is being closed between the 10 and the 101. This closure is being done so they can demolish half of the Mulholland Bridge in order to widen the freeway and create a carpool lane from Orange County to the San Fernando Valley.

So I figured, with that happening and “Carmageddon” traffic on surrounding freeways expected to get to nightmare levels, it would be a good time to cover some smart ways to lower vehicle emissions.

1) Plan your trip route ahead of time: Road closures, construction and traffic are all major factors when it comes to driving time. Sitting on the freeway idling does nothing but waste gas, spew emissions and pollute the environment. Not to mention how frustrating it can be. So going online to check traffic, using your GPS and planning alternative routes can help get you where you need to go without any added hassle or waste.

2) Add a proven fuel catalyst: When the hydrocarbons in your fuel get bundled together, they often won’t burn completely. This is how you get harmful exhaust and emissions. One way to lower these emissions is by adding a catalyst that will help unbundle the hydrocarbons and allow more of the fuel to burn. It’s a win-win, reduction of emissions and increased fuel efficiency.

3) Stop idling. This one I’ve mentioned many times before but it bears repeating. If you find yourself sitting in your vehicle waiting for someone, don’t idle, turn your vehicle off. When you are ready to go again you can turn it back on and be on your way. Idling wastes gas and produces unnecessary emissions. Of course, if we had this Eco-Star technology in place, it could go far in reducing idling emissions:

4) Take public transportation: This may be a no-brainer, but when you need to commute to work or travel to visit family and friends, check out public transportation options. Using public transportation is a great and smart way to lower vehicle emissions. Besides the more people that opt for public transportation, the less traffic on the roads.

Additional tips for this weekend if you live in the Los Angeles area:

a) Stay away from the 405.

b) If you don’t need to drive anywhere, don’t.

c) If you need to go somewhere ride the Metro – it’s free this weekend.

d) If the Metro doesn’t work for you, extra buses have been added to try and ease travel in and around the area.

But, whether you are driving in Los Angeles, or any other part of the world, if you follow these smart and simple ways to lower vehicle emissions, you’ll make yourself and the environment a little bit happier.

I’m sure you are wondering how an island can manage to cut their CO2 emissions in half.  Well, it started like this…just a few short years ago the residents of the Isle of Eigg did not have access to 24-hour power. They had to rely on producing their own power through diesel-powered generators, wood-burning, etc.

Image by kevinzim

However, since the Isle of Eigg is owned by it’s residents, they got together one day and decided they no longer wanted to be dependent on diesel and other not so environmentally-friendly forms of energy. That’s when they made the decision to switch over to renewable energy: wind, solar and hydro-electric to be specific.

By banning together, the residents on this 12 sq mile island were able to put together an island-wide energy program wherein each household would be able to pull from a “main grid” that collected its energy from the wind turbines, solar panels and hydro-electric generators set up on the island. Individual homes also received solar panels to power their water heaters. Their renewable energy grid went live February 2008.

Now, as expected with this renewable energy program, residents have had to become much more aware of their energy consumption. Each household is allocated a certain amount of energy and they are only allowed to use 5kw of energy at a time. So in order to keep track of how much energy they are using, each home uses a simple ‘owl meter‘. A great way, in my opinion, to really raise awareness on how much energy any home is using.

Image by L J Cunningham via Wikimedia

Because of the innovation and community initiative taken to make such a major change, this small Scottish island actually won a “Green Energy Oscar” for their use of renewable energy.

These days close to 95% of their energy (and hopefully soon to be 98%) comes from renewable energy sources. As a result of their switch to renewable energy, they also have managed to cut their CO2 emissions by nearly 50%.

Quite an accomplishment, don’t you think? It’s very refreshing to see a community join together and make renewable energy not only a reality but a feasible, sustainable way of life. The residents on the Isle of Eigg have become a shinning example of what the future of energy could become.

As for the rest of the world, it will take each of us demanding a change in order to bring about the kind of renewable energy revolution that people talk about. The Isle of Eigg’s Green Team Chairperson described it well,

“in a community-led scheme like ours, people have more responsibility to save energy, but if it’s led by the government, people just leave it to the authorities.”

Remember this though, there are many places around the world where people don’t have access to energy sources like you or I probably do. So please don’t take your energy for granted. Become aware of how much energy you use. Educate yourself on renewable energy options. Figure out where your home uses the most energy and find out how to cut down.

Basically, lower your energy dependence, cut down on your CO2 emissions and take advantage of renewable energy options accessible to you. Everyone could take a few pointers from the residents on the Isle of Eigg and start reaching for more renewable energy sources.

Image from BYD.com

Back in January 2010, Chinese automaker Build Your Dream (BYD) announced they were looking at joining the U.S. Market and bringing their zero emission e6 to the U.S. by the end of this year.

Two months later, the media reported that BYD was looking at moving their operations to Los Angeles. Then in early May 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and BYD Executives confirmed that Los Angeles had indeed been chosen as the new U.S. headquarters for BYD.

BYD coming to Los Angeles seems to fit right in with the goals laid out by Clean Tech Los Angeles. Especially considering the fact that ECOtality’s EV Project was recently expanded to include Los Angeles and ECOtality just released “Blink”, their flagship EV charging stations with a wall-mounted version for at-home installation and a stand-alone version for commercial use.

Blink EV Charging Station image from MarketWatch.com

With zero emissions, low noise, an environmentally-friendly design, great safety ratings, ability to reach speeds of 87 mph (140 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 in 10 seconds, the e6 is pretty good choice if you’re looking for an EV.

Unfortunately, per one of the latest updates from BYD, it’s going to be a bit before you’ll be able to get your hands on a highly regarded e6. Estimates are that there will be only 50 to 100 brought to the U.S. this year with the e6 going to the broad market in 2012.

Until that time, do what you can to keep your vehicle emissions low: keep up with regular maintenance, ensure tires are properly inflated, use a proven fuel additive, car-pool or use public transportation whenever available, etc.

Because, if you’ve ever thought of owning an EV, such as a Nissan LEAF or a Chevy Volt, you might want to check out what BYD has to offer with their zero emission e6. You never know, you might find the e6 is your zero emission dream car.

When it comes to reducing vehicle emissions you usually hear about electric or hybrid vehicles, but what about the PZEV (partial zero emission vehicle)? Are PZEVs just hype and a way for auto makers and states to say they are making a difference or are they genuinely part of the solution to lower emissions and bringing us more environmentally-friendly vehicles?

The Zero Emissions Vehicle regulation and program, from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), was first put into place back in 1990. The program was designed to help dramatically reduce emissions from mobile sources in California.

And although there have been a number of modifications over the years, California definitely considers their ZEV program to be a key part of lowering vehicle emissions and helping to the reach the overall 2050 goal of lowering California’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below the 1990 levels. This is especially true since it is estimated that mobile sources (from vehicles, trains, aircraft, etc) contribute close to 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in California alone.

So let’s go over how the CARB defines a ZEV or PZEV and take a look at an example of a vehicle from each category:

• ZEV: is classified as a battery electric or a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

• PZEV: is classified as an “extremely clean conventional vehicle with 150,000 mile extended warranty for the emissions system and zero evaporative emissions”

• AT PZEV: is classified as a hybrid, CNG or methane fuel cell vehicle with close to zero emissions. It also has an extended emissions system warranty.

• Enhanced AT PZEV: is classified as an AT PZEV that uses electricity or hydrogen, like the ZEV. A plug-in hybrid is an example of an enhanced AT PZEV.

Now of course these days when you go to buy a new vehicle you should check out the EP Label and see its global warming and smog scores before you buy it.

Click to enlarge (Image via drivecleanca.gov)

Look into a proven fuel additive too, if you are going to get a gasoline or diesel-fueled vehicle, as that can also help lower emissions.

Whether you are interested in a zero emission vehicle (ZEV) or a partial zero emission vehicle (PZEV), be sure to factor in harmful emissions and the environmental impact your vehicle will have…before you buy. The EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide can help you with that.

In all honesty though, if you really look at it, you’ll probably find that walking, riding your bike or using public transportation are some of the best options for lowering your vehicle emissions. What do you think?

Every day you hear something about harmful emissions and the environment. However, what does that really mean to you and me? Does it mean we need to go “cold turkey” on emission-producing products? To be honest, probably not…considering that would be pretty hard to do.

Let’s take a look though at 10 different everyday things that produce emissions.

Electricity: Unless you’ve got solar, wind or some other form of alternative energy you use to power your home/business, then you are probably relying on your local utility. Most local utilities still use fuel-burning plants to produce their electricity.

The burning of those fuels is still one of the main contributing sources of CO2 emissions in the United States.

According to a study done back in 2004, the average person living in the Midwest was 20 times more likely to die from particle matter emissions from power plants than someone living in San Francisco. Over the last 6 years, I wonder how much those numbers have changed…if at all.

Vehicles: It is well known that vehicles contribute a large percentage of the CO2 emissions found in the U.S., especially in larger cities.

But, if you have a hybrid or electric vehicle, you are most likely someone who has decided to cut down on the harmful emissions caused by driving a gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. For everyone else, if you want to cut down on those emissions you should drive less, use a proven fuel additive or check out other sources of transportation.

Other forms of general transportation: Yes, other forms of transportation such as buses, trains, planes, etc also produce emissions.

The volume of emissions of course depends on the transportation being used. But if you opt for the bus or train rather than driving your car to work, you are pretty much guaranteed to lower your transportation emissions.

Shipping Industry: Now of course cruise ships have their own emissions and the shipping industry is no stranger to CO2 emissions. Did you know that each ship has the potential of emitting over 150,000 tons of CO2 every year? One good thing is that the world’s largest container ship operator (Maersk) has recently announced their commitment to lower their CO2 emissions by 20% over the next 7 years.

Trucking Industry: The U.S. trucking industry alone is estimated to be more than 15 million trucks strong. One of the most heavily traveled areas for truckers in Southern California is the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The pollution, which you can often see blanketing the horizon, is due in part to the trucking/shipping industry.

In an effort to lower the emissions of trucks coming in and out of the port, the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program was put in place. And apparently it has been very successful so far.

The Port of Los Angeles recently reported: “In its first year, the program reduced the rate of port truck emissions by an estimated 70 percent.”

Manufacturing: Aside from the plants which are there to produce electricity and energy, there are many plants used solely for manufacturing. Manufacturers of products such as steel, iron, cement, chemicals, etc. produce a large volume of emissions during the chemical process involved in making their product.

There are also petroleum based products manufactured, including those used in plastics, solvents and lubricants which can dissolve or wear out over time thus generating further emissions.

For those of you who are interested in a more in-depth report on not just manufacturing emissions, but trends in all greenhouse gas emissions, check out this 2010 draft report from the EPA.

Wood-Burning Stoves/Home Heating Oil: Anyone in a cold weather climate (and even some warmer ones as well, has probably used either a wood-burning stove or home heating oil to warm their home during the cold winter months. Both of these methods, while often considered “greener”, still produce emissions.

Now there is nothing quite like a wood-burning stove and during an especially cold winter, home heating oil is sometimes the only feasible option. But you might want to look into how to reduce your emissions and lower your home heating oil costs.

Animals: Well, it’s pretty common knowledge that most animals produce some form of emissions. Cows and dogs, in particular, have recently been singled out for their contribution to harmful emissions.

One study went so far as to say “a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV“.

And did you know a single cow can produce up to 1000 litres of toxic gas each day?

But one positive note is that reports state you can lower those emissions by changing the animal’s diet. Don’t you think the same should hold true for humans as well?

Gardening/Farming Equipment powered by gasoline/diesel: Just as with the cars we drive, any gardening or farming equipment powered by gasoline/diesel is going to produce emissions.

Take this tractor for instance, it produces emissions every time it gets fired up. One cool note though, is that this tractor is hauling a manure spreader. So at least it’s taking the animal waste and putting it to good use. That doesn’t mean one necessarily cancels out the other, but it’s definitely a plus.

Basically, no matter where you live or where you go, there is some form of emission being produced. However that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to panic or try to immediately stop using anything that generates emissions, because that would be fruitless.

However, it is good to know what produces emissions, so you can be more aware of them and adjust your habits and uses accordingly. What everyday things do you use that produce emissions? And do you feel you need to lower your emissions? Why?

I understand lowering emissions is probably not on the top of your list this holiday, but there is no reason it couldn’t be or shouldn’t be factored in. There are many different ways you can lower emissions this holiday season and I’m not just talking about emissions from your vehicle either. Emissions come from many sources: vehicles, animals, people, factories, food production, etc.  You can make your holiday great while at the same time being aware of the emissions you are generating.

Now, you may be expecting to read tips or ideas that include not traveling, using less electricity, buying local, not using your dishwasher or washer/dryer as much, getting a live tree, not buying as much in general, etc.  Those are all valid tips, but I figured I’d narrow it down to give you just a few travel and a few personal tips to get you through the holidays.

So, if you plan to do any traveling in your vehicle over the holidays, these tips can help make sure your trip is not only a safe one, but a low emission one as well:

1) Get your tires rotated and tire pressure checked. 90% of tire blowouts are caused by under-inflated tires. Having properly inflated tires not only helps with fuel economy and lowering emissions, but helps ensure you and your family have a safer trip.  Here are a few more tire safety tips.

2) At the same time you get your tires rotated, you should get your oil changed and fluids checked/filled up. Regular maintenance done on your vehicle will help keep it running better and running longer.  By getting your oil changed regularly, you help prevent sludge and carbon buildup that could increase harmful exhaust emissions and potentially cause serious damage to your car.  Additionally, use of a proven fuel additive can further reduce harmful emissions and improve fuel economy.

While they may be simple steps, each one can help improve your vehicle’s fuel economy, lower your emissions and keep you and your family safe this holiday. Now onto a few tips for helping to lower your emissions on a more personal level:

1) Pass up the meat this holiday…instead of having your usual holiday meal, have something that doesn’t include meat.  One of the largest sources of methane emissions comes from animal agriculture.  If you do plan on having meat, go for ham (pork) or poultry.  Apparently they generate significantly less CO2 emissions in their production than beef.  One kg of beef generates about 13 kg of CO2…essentially the same amount generated from 6 liters of gasoline.

2) Don’t make too much food.  I know my family always tried to ensure they had enough food on the table during the holidays, but did you know that the “US per capita food waste has progressively increased by about 50% since 1974“?  That’s a lot of food going to waste and since emissions are generated not only in the production and preparation of the food, but also in the decomposition of any leftovers, that is definitely something worth factoring in.  It’s better to make a little less to ensure that everyone has enough without food going to waste.

I won’t get into any further ideas for lowering emissions that can result from the holiday season, as I figured these few should give you a good start.  Let’s be honest, nobody needs a huge list of things to do in addition to all their existing holiday preparations.  But if you follow these simple tips, they can contribute to a happy holiday for yourself and the environment.

Image by by Oran Viriyincy (via Flickr)

If you haven’t already nailed down your holiday plans, you might want to consider a few factors which may help you lower your environmental impact over the holidays.  First is to decide whether you are interested in eco-friendly travel or responsible travel. And do you know what the difference is?  GoGreenTravelGreen.com has a simple article on the difference and it’s definitely something to consider before making your holiday plans.

Another thing to factor in is how you are going to get to your intended destination.  Fly? Drive? Take the train? Or are you one of many millions who are going to stay at home over the holidays?  Whether it’s for financial, personal or other reasons, your decision should factor in the environmental impact as well.  Here’s a tip from MotherNatureNetwork on “What’s the most low-impact way to travel to my in-laws’ over the holiday?”

Image by ricardo-pereira

If you are going to travel, fly for example, and the city you are flying into or out of has a “Climate Passport Program” like the city of San Francisco, then I guess you could feel better about offsetting your travel by using one of these.  However, if you have a lower-emission way of traveling, I’d suggest checking it out.  For instance, try renting a car.  Enterprise, National and Alamo boast of having the world’s largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles. Their Keys to Green site states they have:

“…approximately 448,000 vehicles that average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg and more than 229,000 that average 32 mpg or better.”

Here are also a few other tips that can help lower your CO2 emissions while driving.

Now, where are you going to stay?  Of course one of the simplest answers is to stay with the relatives and/or friends you are going to visit.   If that isn’t an option for you then check out GreenHotels.com and see if you can find a “green” hotel in your destination city.  If you can’t find a green hotel, then use simple logic when you are in your hotel room….don’t waste water, turn off the lights when you don’t need them on, follow the hotel’s “conservation tips” when it comes to getting your sheets/towels laundered, etc.  Just because you aren’t “paying” for the utilities in your room, doesn’t mean you need to waste them.

My final tip is if you do travel, try and cut down your environmental impact in the city you are visiting by walking whenever/wherever you can, taking public transportation, eating local and of course buying local…give back to the community.

In September of this year, Governor Schwarzenegger laid out the progress the state of California has made to reduce emissions since AB 32 was signed (3 years ago).   AB 32 was originally laid out as the world’s first comprehensive law to lower greenhouse gas emissions.  California wanted to set the standard for other states and nations across the globe.  And while there are various plans, standards and executive orders that have been approved in the last few years, is California really serious about lowering vehicle emissions? 

The governor did report that $6 billion in venture capital has been put into California’s economy making California the front-runner in clean energy investments and green jobs.  He also stated California is expected to more than double the power generated as a result of solar power installation.  But doesn’t a lot of that comes from individual businesses and consumers?   What about major results in getting air-polluting, high-emission vehicles off the road by providing state-wide green alternatives and infrastructures?

Individual cities in California, such as San Francisco, have taken some great steps.  I mean based on his actions alone, Mayor Newsom leaves no question as to where he stands on making San Francisco a more sustainable city and with $1 million recently approved for San Francisco’s Electric Vehicle Program, he’s on the way to achieving his goal of “…making San Francisco and the Bay Area the most successful electric vehicle market in the country”.  But what about the rest of the state? 

I was reading a great post the other day about how Better Place and DBS (Denmark’s state-owned passenger train company) had joined forces and were going to be offering a combination of sustainable transportation in Denmark.  Essentially they were offering door-to-door service for their passengers.  Once a train passenger arrived at their station, they could get their pre-reserved EV (already charged and ready to go) and drive to their intended destination.  It’s a smart plan for getting commuters off the roads and providing them with an alternative and more environmentally-friendly mode of transportation.

I then I went to the Better Place website to see if anything like that was going to be coming to California.  I was excited to find that on November 19th, 2008 (almost 1 year ago), a press release was published and announcement made that “Better Place and California Bring Electric Vehicles to the United States“.  The press release went on to state:

“Today, the state has announced a historic private/public partnership for sustainable transportation infrastructure and ‘green’ job creation that once again serves as a model for economic and environmental innovation.

“California has defined a plan for a sustainable transportation model in which state and local government are working in partnership with the private sector to move the state from greenhouse gas-emitting cars that run on fossil fuel, toward clean, electric cars fueled by renewable energy, supported by an open network infrastructure.”

Excitedly I checked around for an update on how things were progressing….but unfortunately I couldn’t find any update.   It’s almost a year later, there had to be an update.   After looking around for awhile, I finally called Better Place to see if they could give me an update.  What did I find?  No update…no further progress has been made in getting this brought to California.   I couldn’t believe it.  

Now I know Californians will continue to do what they’ve been doing – buy electric/hybrid vehicles, use public transportation (when and where available), use fuel additives to lower emissions, ride their bikes or walk, etc. but wouldn’t it be better to have more consumer-friendly options in place?  For example, an electric car ready for you to use when you arrived at the airport, a bike available for you at the train station, electric vehicle charging stations easily accessible up and down California, bike lanes so people feel more confident about safely riding their bike to work, etc, etc.   What do you think, without these in place is California (or your state for that matter) really serious about lowering vehicle emissions?

Image from GoodPlanet.info

I was reading a blog the other day on Mother Nature Network about the Top 10 Cleantech Countries and it got me thinking, what about some of the top cities?  What cities are considered being the best when it comes to being good for the environment and good for the people in them?   

That’s when I came across a website talking about cities for people.  What is a City for People?…”You would recognise a city for people quickly, because of the number of parks, cycle paths, and excellent public transport. You would not see unnecessary waste, too many cars, or lots of air pollution. You would probably see a move towards renewable energy, a great culture, and a strong economy.”

So, here are five cities for the people (and the environment):

1) Freiburg, Germany - Known for its use of solar, Frieburg prides itself on having over 13,000 of its residents living in sustainable districts.  Whole housing communities have been equipped with solar roofs and all new buildings must comply with the city’s low energy requirements.  Those who own houses equipped with solar panels can feed their surplus power into the public grid and get reimbursed for doing so.  

2) Malmo, Sweden – specifically the Western Harbour in Malmo.  A few years ago Western Harbour was apparently an old abandoned shipyard.  But the city decided it should be rejuvenated and now it is a major waterfront attraction powered by 100% local/renewable energy.  Buses in the area run on biogas (created from the waste of local residents), rainwater animates local water features and more. 

3) Portland, Oregon – Listed on SustainLane’s 2008 US City Rankings as the most sustainable U.S. city in 2008.  A lot of Portland’s sustainable actions are attributed to the forward thinking city planners that have apparently been thinking green for over 30 years now.  The city is known for its public transportation as well as being a bicycle-friendly city.  All of these things are above and beyond Portland’s natural beauty, its love of local growers and the city’s focus on green buildings and renewable energy. 

4) Copenhagen, Denmark – With the upcoming Climate Conference being held in Copenhagen this December, you’d assume the city would be at the top of its game.  Did you know that they hold a world record for consumption of organic products? (51% of food consumption in the city’s public institutions are organic and 23% in the private sector.)  They’ve apparently reduced their CO2 emissions by 25% since 1990, which they credit to their switch to natural gas heating.  They also offer more than 300kms of bike paths and plan to be the world’s leading bicycle city by 2015. 

5) Curitiba, Brazil – Sometimes referred to as the ecological capital of Brazil, Curitiba is well known for its urban planning.  The city reportedly has about 12 acres of parkland for every 1000 people and with 1.5 million people, that’s a lot of parkland.  It should also be noted that many of the parks near rivers and streams also serve as flood buffers between the water and the city.  And in terms of making the environment part of the city, even their Opera House is surrounded by the beauty of nature.   

I know there are many more cities for the environment (and the people), but these are just a few I thought were worth mentioning.  Do you have a city you feel is worth mentioning? 

Image by biofriendly 

When it comes to lowering your carbon footprint and doing something about climate change there are many actions each of us can take.  Now, you may ask yourself, “I’m just one person, what can I really do?”.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be people just like you and me who are going to be the driving force that can really make a difference. 

You can add solar panels to your home, you can add a wind turbine in your yard, you can grow your own vegetables and herbs, you can unplug your appliances/computers when not in use, you can use a fuel additive to lower harmful emissions coming from your vehicle or get a hybrid/electric vehicle, you can use public transportation, bike or walk to your destinations, you can cut down on your meat consumption, you can volunteer and help clean up your local beaches/parks, you can educate your children on water and energy conservation and the list goes on and on.

Of course there are also big steps that companies and governments can take, but without individual people changing their own actions and demanding that change in others, it’s going to be a much longer road.  Here are a few more steps you, as an individual, can take to do something positive about climate change while educating others to do the same:

1) The No Impact Project starts this Sunday (Oct 18th).  The No Impact Project is a basically a one-week carbon cleanse.  Whether you want to create as little impact on the environment as possible or you just want to save some money or you want to see how no impact living would affect your life, this is for you!  It’s a day-by-day project that lays out simple ways for you to impact your own life and habits, your community and the environment.  And remember, this project isn’t designed to preach about all the things we are doing wrong, it’s designed to give each of us tips and suggestions to help live a better life and have less impact on the environment.  Check it out!

2) You can get your child’s school to join the I count for my Earth Campaign. I count for my Earth is a program created to get our children educated and more environmentally aware of the world around them.  It also helps empower them to be able to do something to make a difference.  My daughter always makes sure lights that don’t need to be on, get turned off and reminds us that leaving them on “wastes power”.  Get your child(ren) more environmentally aware and knowing ”I count for my Earth”. 

3)  Last week I wrote about carbon dioxide and International Climate Action Day.  On October 24, 2009 people around the world are being asked to take one day – one moment of their life – to help get the word out….actually, get the number out.  You can organize your own activity or attend an already planned activity in your area, that helps draw attention and awareness to the number 350 and what it means to all of us.

4) You can go to the Seal The Deal! website and sign the petition for a fair climate agreement at the upcoming Climate Change Conference.

5) From December 7th-18th, 2009 world leaders are gathering in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Conference 2009.  Their goal is to negotiate and come to an agreement on a new climate treaty.  You can do your part by requesting your leader takes the bold actions needed to reduce greenhouse gases.  You can even submit your own video with your views, opinions and questions on climate change.  (The best ones will be aired on December 15th during the COP15 CNN/YouTube TV debate.)

6) And last, but not least, blog about it.  Today is Blog Action Day ’09.  It’s a day uniting bloggers from around the world to write about climate change all on the same day.  Bringing awareness to the issue is the first step.  Hopefully this action will not only bring about more awareness to the issue of climate change, but will result in global discussions and actions.

Hopefully these tips will help you answer the question “What Can I Do About Climate Change?”.  Let me know….I’d love to hear your ideas and find out more about what you are doing about climate change.