October 15, 2009 is Blog Action Day. This is how you can take action at home...
It is inevitable that climate change has occurred, will occur, and may be our downfall as a species. It has been shown time and again that global warming is rapidly causing our planet to warm, having adverse effects on island populations, glaciers in Eurasia, and even right here at home with massive floods and fires.
Just like in World War II, we are in a fight. We need to stop pollution and greenhouse gases. And you need to do your part to sacrifice some of your lifestyle for the greater good. We are not saying up and turn completely Vegan and only ride a bike (although that is an option!). But making small changes help when hundreds or thousands of other people just like you make those same small changes.
We have watched how much energy we use. It may not be a lot, but saving on electricity not only saves you a few bucks a month, but also saves Texas from burning more coal and polluting the air we breathe. Texas may be the leader in wind energy production, but we also produce most of our electricity from coal burning power plants. Texas consumed 103 million tons of coal in 2006, 96% of which was used to power the plants. Texas leads the nation in energy consumption in total as well. However, we are at our lowest consumption per person since 1965, so those small steps are paying off! Consumption is a direct factor in how much pollution is produced, so pay attention it it.
EnergyStar is the best place to start for ideas on how to save energy and fix common energy wasting problems. Listed below are some of the things we have personally done at The Texas Cloverleaf.
Change your light bulbs to CFL. Yes they cost more. But they last longer and do not use as much energy. They are now cheaper than in past years and come in a variety of designs besides the standard curly Q. Each bulb will save you $30 over its lifetime, using 75% less energy and lasting 10 times longer than a standard bulb. If every home replaced just one bulb, that equates to a savings of $600 million and prevent 800,000 cars worth of greenhouse gases!
Use your dishwasher. Yeah, we said it! And so does Energy Star. Using your dishwasher versus hand washing your dishes can save you $40 per year in energy costs. It also saves 5000 gallons of water per year. You can save even more in energy costs by letting your dishes air dry, rather than heat dry in the dishwasher.
Programmable thermostat. If you aren’t home, why have the heat or a/c on? If you are on a set schedule and work it 9 to 5 like Dolly, then set your thermostat to turn off when you leave and back on just before you come home. Properly insulated and newly constructed homes should have no issue with temperature regulation. Programming your thermostat can save up to $180 a year.
Go gas! Yes, we know natural gas drilling causes some major problems, but it is also the lesser of two evils at the moment. Our water heater, furnace, and stove all run on natural gas. So heat is cheap. A gas water heater can also save you $30 per year. Heating water is the 2nd biggest expense behind heating your home. So save where you can!
Buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. We switched from a gas guzzling 13 MPG Nissan Xterra to a 34 MPG Nissan Versa. Yes it’s smaller. We miss being in the big boy SUV. But you do what you have to do. Our Versa has an automatic continuously variable transmission, similar to those in hybrid vehicles. This means it doesn’t shift gears all jerky. It also has been known to get 37 MPG on trips to Austin and Houston from Dallas. With a 13 gallon tank, that means huge savings and a huge difference in consumption compared to the old Xterra.
So do your part! This is a fight for our own survival. Humans are good at war, and good at scratching and clawing their way to stay alive. So if you can make changes that are so obviously easy as the ones above, then do it! If you want to have 120 degree days in Texas and choke on your own waste, then don’t do anything. But we like the first option much better. If everyone dies, nobody will be around to read our blog.
#bad09
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