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?

There is so much talk these days about “going green” or “being green” for the holidays that some people may wonder how they could ever pull off a great holiday and still have it be environmentally-friendly.  Well, to be honest, it’s not as hard as you’d think.  Your holiday can be just as green as the next guy if you do it right.  Here are a few tips for making your holiday as memorable as ever…and green too!

1) Plan your holiday meal out ahead of time:  Planning your meal allows you the time to pick up fresh produce, fresh herbs and buy locally grown foods for your meal.  For example, rather than running out and buying some canned vegetables, get fresh ones.  Fresh corn tastes great, is good for you and looks just as appetizing (or in my opinion, better) on your holiday table as canned corn.

A fresh salad made with local produce looks great and tastes wonderful.  It doesn’t take much to get fresh instead of pre-packaged either.   If you are looking for high quality, without the high cost, I recommend local growers.

Then after your meal, be sure to package up any leftovers in re-usable containers and have your guests take them home.  Why waste food, right?

2) Get creative on your gifts:  You can give someone the gift of a tree that they can enjoy in their home over the holidays and then plant outside after the holidays.  You can give homemade food – many people love receiving the gift of a homemade meal or dessert.  Make your own gifts; my aunt makes ornaments every year and sends them to the entire family.  She makes them using old pieces of material/fabrics and bits and pieces of things she has around the house.  They are actually very creative and resourceful.  They don’t cost much to make and its one of my favorite holiday memories to be able to see what “new” ornament she sent so we could put it on the tree.

Now as far as the kids are concerned, these types of gifts might not cut it.  Like my kids, they probably want toys and the latest popular ones at that.  But, you can always do what we are doing this year.  I told my daughter that in order for her to get new toys for Christmas, we needed to go through her old toys and find the ones she didn’t use anymore.  Then we could donate her old toys to kids who didn’t have many toys or who wanted some like she had and then we would be able to get new toys.  She was very excited and wanted to ensure good kids got her old toys.

It’s a great solution for parents….cleans out the toys the kids don’t use anymore, gets them into the idea of giving and sharing with others and makes room for any new toys.   And remember their “new” toys don’t need to come from name-brand stores either.  There are many good toys to be found at discount stores and/or consignment stores that may not be 100% new but are clean and new to your kids.  So be smart when you do your holiday shopping.

3) If you are traveling for your holidays take steps to lower your CO2 emissions.  If you have to fly, have a shuttle service take you to the airport. If you are driving, see if you can car-pool with other family members and/or use a proven fuel additive to cut down on your emissions or even rent a zipcar for your trip.  Each of these could help lower your impact on the environment, while still ensuring you have a fun trip!

4) Remember to clean with natural cleaning products.  Especially if you are having family into your home, you’ll want to ensure it isn’t filled with chemical fumes and toxins.  Your home can be just as clean with natural home-made cleaners.  Besides they are usually cheaper and without the added chemicals.  Then fill up your home with the fresh smells of homemade cooking – you’re family will love it.

I could go on and on as I know there are many other “green” steps you could take but I wanted to give you just a few simple steps so you can see it doesn’t take much to make your holiday a little greener.  It may not be as green as it could be, but it’s a good place to start!  What are your tips for making your holiday greener?

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?