INDIVIDUALS
Sometimes, like voting, you might wonder how what you do matters. But, like voting, if everyone did what they could, the world’s outcome could be changed. And, curiously it doesn’t even have to be difficult. Turning out lights, eating less meat, conserving water — all simple and take neither time nor money.
This page is packed with things to do whatever your resources, whether you have five minutes or 5 hours a week, whether you have the ability to reduce plastics in your world, add solar to your home, or organize to create an climate change advisory board in your town.
You might take a peek at the NYT New Year Resolutions. And, if you could do with a bit of hope, try this…
18 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
TELL YOUR
LAWMAKERS
The worst impacts can still be
avoided if we compel local and
national leaders to step up and lead
the fight against climate change.
Call on your officials today.
More here:
NRDC
CANCEL
JUNK MAIL
Quitting junk mail is one way to curtail the flow of trash in and out of your home.
More here:
The Washington Post
TIME TO BUY AN
ELECTRIC CAR
In addition to lowering your carbon footprint, electric vehicles are more affordable to run, have lower maintenance costs, and tax incentives can reduce the purchase price.
More here:
My EV
STOP EATING
RED MEAT
Keeping everything else (chicken, dairy, pork) we could achieve between 46 and 74 percent of the reductions needed to meet the 2020 greenhouse gas emission goals. Yikes. We can do that!
More here:
Climate Crocks
WEATHERIZE
YOUR HOUSE
Start by closing up the cracks around windows and doors.
More here:
The Washington Post
CONSERVE
WATER
The average American
uses 2,000 gallons per day
and only one percent of
the world’s water
supply is freshwater.
More here:
Water Conservation
COMPOST
Enhance the soil,
protect the climate,
and reduce waste.
More here:
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance
NO MORE
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!
Every day
66 million bottles
end up in landfills,
or, more likely,
as land or ocean litter.
More here:
Rainforest Alliance
BRING A
BAG
Be a zero waste shopper
More here:
Mother Nature Network
RIDE A
BIKE
A bicycle doesn’t burn gasoline,
creates less fossil fuel
pollution, and is
more cost efficient.
More here:
Mother Nature Network
TURN DOWN THE
HEAT
Every degree
reduces your energy
use by 3-5%. Add a
sweater, a blanket or a
nice cup of hot chocolate.
More here:
ECOSYSTEMS
SAVE BY USING
LEDS
Switch out your light bulbs,
and reduce your electricity
by more than 80%.
More here:
The New York Times
TEN WAYS YOUR HOUSE CAN REDUCE
CLIMATE CHANGE
From getting an energy
audit to setting your
water heater at 120 degrees
to installing a programmable
thermostat, here are simple
cost saving solutions.
More here:
Huffington Post
WASH IN
COLD
Washing your clothes
in cold water uses
15X less energy than
hot and gets clothes
just as clean.
More here:
Climate Change Connection
The New York Times
INSTALL
SOLAR
A typical two-person
household reduces their
carbon emissions by
three to four tons annually
with a solar power system.
More here:
Solar energy world
REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE
What you can
do at school, at home,
at work, and in
the community.
More here:
EPA
TURN ON THE
FANS
The average air
conditioning unit in
American homes releases
about two tons of
carbon dioxide each year.
More here:
The Takeaway
New York Public Radio
PICK A
CAUSE
Understanding and adapting
to climate change is
a massive, interdisciplinary
undertaking and the sites listed
here have lots of information
from every possible angle.
More here:
environmentalsciencedegree