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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.  

Image by ^riza^ 

Now that we are going to be heading into the holidays, I figured I’d give you a few tricks and treats you can use to make the most out of your vehicle’s gasoline consumption.  These tips can be used anytime actually whether gasoline prices are up or down or whether you are driving to work or heading out for that holiday vacation.  Just keep them in mind as they can help you lower your emissions, speed up your travel and of course put more of your money back in your wallet.

1. If you have a vehicle that uses alternative fuels, take the time before you leave to find out where the alternative fueling stations can be found.  It will save you time and speed up your arrival time if you know exactly where you can/can’t stop along the way.  GreenCar.com has a great tool that shows you all kinds of alternative fuel filling stations within a 1-10 mile radius of the location you enter. 

2. Know before you go.  Entering your destination on your GPS or mapping your route via a service like Mapquest will help you save time and fuel.  Studies have even shown that use of a GPS can reduce emissions by up to 21%.  Mapquest also has a cool gas price programwhere you can see what the price of gas (or diesel or alternative fuel) is along your route and/or at your destination.  This way you know whether its smarter to fill up now or just put in 1/2 a tank as there is cheaper fuel further along.  This is particularly valuable when going on long trips as we all have probably experienced filling up and then seeing a sign for cheaper fuel only 5 miles down the highway.

3. Get your vehicle fully tuned up regularly.  Changing your vehicles’ fluids, rotating your tires and/or checking to ensure they have the correct air pressure in them, getting your brakes checked, etc are all regular maintenance activities that when done properly will help keep your vehicle running properly.  A proven fuel additive will also help reduce build-up in your engine and provide a more complete burn, thus helping fuel efficiency.  Keeping your vehicle running well improves gasoline consumption and lessens harmful exhaust.

4. Empty your vehicle of all unneeded items.  A heavy, loaded-down vehicle tends to use more gas to get where you need to go.  On trips, I know this isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do as you are usually packed full for your trip.  One simple tip to lessen the weight of your vehicle is to only fill up half-way.  It will mean stopping more for gas, but may get you better mileage.  However in your regular week to week, day to day commutes, keeping your vehicle cleaned out is definitely a smart move.

5. Car-pool or take public transportation whenever you can.  Not only does car-pooling help save gasoline, but if your car-pool members each take turns driving their vehicle at least once a week then you save big on maintenance costs as well.  Driving as part of a car-pool or taking public transportation whenever you can is one of the simplest tricks for saving gas. 

6. Drive smart.  Aggressive drivers who rapidly accelerate or brake while driving are wasting gas.  Did you know that driving that way can actually lower your gas mileage by up to 33%?   There is no reason to rapidly accelerate only to have to slam on your brakes a little further ahead.  Just be smart when driving.  It will not only give you better gas mileage, it is also safer for you and those around you. 

These are simple tricks but some of the treats are better mileage, less harmful emissions, less gasoline used and more money saved.  Even for those who drive a hybrid or electric vehicle, many of the tricks I mentioned can be used by you as well. 

Image by Chewonki Semester School 

Global climate change is something that concerns everyone.  Scientists and climate experts alike have said that our planet already has more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere should safely contain and that we need to get carbon dioxide levels down from almost 390 parts per million to 350 ppm.  And while that may sound like a big task there are things each of us can do to help. 

You can start by signing the petition for a fair climate agreement on SealtheDeal.org.   Then on October 24th, 2009 people all over the world will be celebrating “International Climate Action Day”.  It’s a day where you too can join in and take a stand toward a safe climate future.  International Climate Action Day is a day where everyone is being asked to take one day – one moment of their life – to help get the word out….actually, get the number out.  More than 100 nations have already pledged to take part. 

The plan is simple, organize or attend an activity that brings awareness to the number 350 and what it means to all of us.  For example, school children in Bangledesh are planting 350 trees, 350 divers will be diving at the Great Barrier Reef, scientists hanging banners saying 350 on the Easter Island statues, farmers making crop designs to display the number 350, etc.  Even places like the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA are planning events, like their ”Climate Change is Scary Too” on October 24th as part of their Scarium of the Pacific Halloween celebration.  Prizes will be awarded to the best costumes using recycled materials or the best portrayal of climate change.  You will even be able to sign up to pledge to lower your carbon footprint.

All of these are being done because on December 7-18, 2009 The Copenhagen Climate Conference (aka COP15) takes place where world leaders will meet in an attempt to reach an agreement on a new climate treaty.  We need them to look at the science and research and come up with a workable and viable treaty that will effectively limit and thus lower the human-induced emissions from greenhouse gases.  

Changes are happening in the world all around us, every day.  Changes in sea levels, in the weather, changes in the earth we stand on….but one key thing we need to change is how we relate to and affect the earth we live on.   Driving a hybrid car or using a proven fuel additive may cut down on your car’s harmful emissions and adding solar panels to your roof or putting a wind turbine in your yard may help lower your electricity costs.  But we need broad and far reaching actions to be taken as well, actions that will help make “going green” the norm, not the exception.   

So take a minute and go to 350.org, they have some great ideas for actions/activities you can do in your area.  Then once you figure out how you are going to get the word out on International Climate Action Day that we need to lower our global carbon dioxide output, let your friends and family know too…this is something that concerns us all.