Solutions to prevent Global Warming

      Go Green

Plant a tree, a single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.

Save energy and stay cool! With two 25-foot shade trees on the west and the east side of your home you can save over 20 per cent on your air-conditioning bill every year.

CTF volunteers managing nursery Bed.

      Switch to green power

 In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.

A picture showing a home using solar power

      Buy locally grown and produced foods.

      The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will keep you healthier, save fuel and keep money in your community.

      Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

      Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

      Come out and support local farmers markets

      They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.

      Buy organic foods as much as possible

      Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

            Forests

Protect and conserve forest worldwide.

Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is released into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on saving forests from global warming.

Picture showing a forest

Chinese officials are planting thousands of trees in the wastelands north of Beijing to prevent the desert from expanding, but you do not have to go to a desert to plant a tree.

Just do it in your backyard or, better yet, get together with your neighbors and rejuvenate a local park or forest. It's a real long-term investment. Every grown-up tree provides enough oxygen for two people.

If you don’t have a garden but still want to plant a tree, check in your community where trees are needed and donate one.

Go for real ones! Fake trees are petroleum based and not biodegradable! If you have a backyard, decorate one of the trees there. If you prefer your tree in the living-room, make sure you buy from a local farm. It’s good for the regional business and also saves transportation costs and emissions.

      Consider the impact of your investments

If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out Social Invest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change.

      Make your city cool

      Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation.

Native plants have adapted to the local climate and are usually more drought-resistant and require less water and fertilizers than lawns. According to the Chicago Academy of Sciences, U.S. households collectively spend about 27 billion dollars a year on their lawns, using 30 percent of their water to irrigate them.

      Make sure your voice is heard!

      YOU MUST have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come    without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth.

Energy

Global Warming is a seriously urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem but each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle ,starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.

Use the sun

By installing photovoltaic solar panels on your building’s roof or in the back yard, you can generate your own electricity, independently from the local utility. Solar panels can be used to power your entire house or as a backup in case of a blackout.

In addition to the panels, you need a battery to store the electricity that is produced during the day and a voltage stabilizer that prevents the battery from being overcharged. If you plan to feed the surplus electricity to the public grid, you would also need an export meter for your local energy company.

                  Calculate the Sun's Power

Before planning your residential solar energy system, you need to find out how much solar energy hits your living area. For example, in the U.S., the Renewable Resource Data Center provides an online tool to help. Most of the United States, receive a daily average of four to five kilowatt hours of solar energy per square meter.

Then, you multiply the solar radiation power with your solar panel’s efficiency, (about seven to 17 percent). So, if you live in an area with four kilowatt hours worth of sunshine per day, cover an area of one square meter with panels, and your panels are 10 percent efficient, you will have 400 watts of capacity. )

      Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb.

      Following the Australian lead, the European Union decided to ban conventional light bulbs in favor of the energy efficient bulbs.

      By 2012, only CFLs (Compact  Fluorescent Light bulbs) will be available to light up European homes.

      CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

    Make sure your Christmas lights are made of LEDs – if everyone would replace the conventional lighting, the savings would be enough to power 200.000 homes for one year.

      Install a programmable thermostat

      Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. You can save much on your energy bill.

      Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer

      Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

      Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner

      Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

      Do not leave appliances on standby.

Green Travel already starts before you leave your home – to save energy and avoid emissions, turn your water heater to "Vacation" or to the lowest setting, turn off your air conditioning and water.

      Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about

      40% of its energy in standby mode.

      Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket

      You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.

      Move your fridge and freezer

      Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.

      Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly

      Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.

     For those who experience Winter seasons, don't let heat escape from your house over a long period

      When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.

      Get a home energy audit

      Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

      Cover your pots while cooking

      Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!

      Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full

      If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.

      Take a shower instead of a bath

      A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.

      Use less hot water

      It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

Take the stairs

Taking the stairs might not always be possible, but if it’s only a few floors try to ignore the elevator or escalator as often as you can.

Whether you are in the office or in a shopping mall, you can save emissions and improve your legs, bottom and overall health by choosing to take the stairs!

      Recycle your organic waste

Be sure you’re recycling at home

      You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

      Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.

 Check if your community offers a recycling service. Instead of clogging landfills, trees can be turned into wood chips to mulch gardens and parks.

       Resort to generating electricity from renewable resources.

For example, the central government in Beijing has set a target of generating 15 percent of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and the effects of China going green are sure to be felt all around the world. Although China adopted an aggressive approach at the recent Copenhagen summit on climate change--some countries even question China’s environmental commitment--the money is on China’s efforts to boost green technology and clean energy options

In November, China pledged to cut the intensity of carbon emissions per unit of its GDP in 2020 by between 40 percent and 45 percent against 2005 levels. While this will not cut the overall amount of emissions, with China’s GDP in 2020 expected to be around three times that of 2005 it is a step in the right direction

In 2006, China spent 1.22 percent of its GDP (around 33 billion dollar) on investments to control pollution. Binding reduction targets have been included in the central government’s 11th Five Year Plan to control the discharges of key water pollutants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfur dioxide.

      Buy intelligently

      One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

      Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can.

      You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.

      Reuse your shopping bag

      When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.

      Reduce waste

     Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.

Many chemical fertilizers and pesticides have organic alternatives. It’s possible to use biodegradable trash like egg shells or vegetable peelings, mixed with leaves, soil or cut grass, to create compost for your garden. Or you could simply buy organic alternatives. If you don’t compost your kitchen and garden waste, dispose of it in public compost bins.

“China has already made a promise on emission reduction. It shows that the Chinese government is committed,” says Huang. “This promise is not only a challenge, but also a huge business opportunity. It lifts China onto the global political and economic stage.”

The central government in Beijing has set a target of generating 15 percent of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and the effects of China going green are sure to be felt all around the world. Although China adopted an aggressive approach at the recent Copenhagen summit on climate change--some countries even question China’s environmental commitment--the money is on China’s efforts to boost green technology and clean energy options

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      Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible

      Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.

      Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates

      Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.

      Keep your car tuned up

      Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

      Drive carefully and do not waste fuel.

      You can reduce CO2 emissions by re-adjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car maintenance.

                 Let us also try electricity driven cars.

China is already a world leader in manufacturing electricity driven cars, so it’s now crucial for the governments to give support to such cars.

A picture showing a solar powered car.

Try to concentrate on the traffic and avoid distractions. Loud music will prevent you from hearing the road environment, such as horns or sirens.

      Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated

      Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

      When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle

      You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!

      Try car sharing

      Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.

      Try telecommuting from home

      Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week.

      Fly less

      Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel carbon emissions by investing in renewable energy projects.

Talking on the phone is also significant distraction, and according to a study by the Allianz Center for Technology, hands-free systems are not much better. Why not turn off the phone before you start driving, or if there are passengers in the vehicle, let one of them take or make