As global warming increases, so does the urgency with which we must act to stop it; but how? A good place to start is at home. Simple actions like changing a light bulb, washing laundry in cold water or recycling may seem small but they add up to making a big difference in the fight against climate change.
The following action steps have been generously provided by our partners at www.stopglobalwarming.org and have been fact checked and researched by climate scientists working with the Natural Resource Defense Council. Starting saving today.
Everyday Cheap and Easy
My Transportation
My House
Smart Choices
Everyday Cheap and Easy
- Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year.
- Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.
- Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.
- Use the energy-saving setting to dry dishes and don't use heat when drying.
- Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.
- Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.
- Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Save 500 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.
- Air conditioner check. Save 175 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.
- Take shorter showers. Save 350 lbs. of Carbon Dioxide and $99 per year.
- Install a low-flow showerhead to use less hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.
My Transportation
- Buy a Hybrid Car. Save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year.
- You can get 50 miles to the gallon and reduce the demand on oil. Your government hears you by how you spend your money. Between tax credits and fuel saved, you can save a lot.
- Buy a more fuel efficient Car. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.
- Consider finding a car that gets more miles to the gallon than your current vehicle. You can save 28 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere per gallon saved.
- Carpool with friends and co-workers. Save 1,590 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.
- Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by thousands of lbs. per year.
My House
- Reduce garbage. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.
- By simply buying products with less packaging and recycling paper, plastics and glass, you can make a big difference. Reducing your trash by 25% is an easy and realistic goal.
- Plant a tree native to your region. Save 5,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.
- Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breath.
- Keep your water heater insulated and save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.
- Replace old inefficient appliances. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.
- New refrigerator = 500 lbs/$60 saved. New washing machine = 440 lbs/$45 saved. Don’t use hot water when you wash clothes and save another 500 lbs.
- Weatherize your home. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.
- Caulk, and weather-strip your doorways and windows.
- In the yard. Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide and $35 per year.
- Turn off un-used electronic devices. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.
- Also, even when they are 'off' and plugged in, your electronic devices still use energy. So, be sure to unplug those devices!
- Instead of turning up the heat in your home, put on a sweater. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.
- Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.
- Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.
- Switch to a tankless water heater. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.
- This way, your water is heated as you use it rather than keeping a large tank of water hot. This is more efficient and gives you an 'unlimited' supply of hot water.
- Switch out your windows to double pane. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.
Smart Choices
- Choose organic food because it does not use chemicals that damage the environment.
- Print and make copies on both sides of the paper to save trees and ink.
- Grow plants instead of buying fake ones. They look better and improve the air.
- Take a shower instead of a bath. Baths can take up to 50 gallons of water.
- Buy products with recycled content and increase your recycling at home by 10%.
- Buy minimally packaged goods and reduce your garbage by 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year. Choose reusable products over disposable ones; don't buy individual serving sizes.
- Buy clothes made from organic cotton and support brands that don't use harmful chemicals.
- Re-think your take-out habit.
- Take-out food waste, like containers and plastic bags, is usually non-recyclable and has increased significantly over the recent decades.
- Eat local food once a week! Food grown locally does not travel the typical 1,500 miles to get to your plate.
- Choose library books over buying new ones and share your own books with friends.
- Sign up for renewable energy!
- Check with your utility provider to see if they have a renewable energy, or green power program.
- Check your oven timer instead of opening the door.
- Your food will cook faster and you won't let out heat and energy. And cover your pots when boiling water. Use a microwave for smaller heating jobs.
- Choose re-usable cleaning products like sponges instead of paper towels that cause excess waste.
- Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
- Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.
- Run your dishwasher only with a full load.
- Save 200 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year. Use the energy-saving setting to dry dishes and don't use heat when drying.
- If you're remodeling your home, install a ceiling fan. On those summer days that are too hot, use the fan instead of air conditioning.
