Sunday, July 8, 2007

Here Today, Green Tomorrow

Wordle: Here Today, Green Tomorrow (Sunday, July 8, 2007)Wordle: Here Today, Green Tomorrow (Sunday, July 8, 2007)Wordle: Here Today, Green Tomorrow (Sunday, July 8, 2007)


CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT TODAY!!!

My current carbon footprint: 19 TONS of carbon output - ECP Score: 348
What's yours?

Find out at one of the following Carbon Footprint Calculators:

(http://www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=10 ,
http://web.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/programs/climatechange/carboncalculator.xml ,
http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=calculator ,
http://www.begreennow.com/users/calculator )


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TODAY, NOW IS THE TIME, CARPE DIEM!!!

The future will be green only if you start today! Don't put it off for tomorrow or hope that other people will figure it all out. You have the power for change. If everyone else is thinking just like you, then no one is going to do anything, so you need to act now!

Whether you believe in global warming or not, energy crisis is a main concern of the future of our country and the world. The amount of oil left in the world is very limited if not declining. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not say how much oil they actually have in their reserves, so we don't know for sure how well off the world is, but in any case we need to be energy independent and many steps can be taken today to make this happen and not by politicians, but by you the consumer and every-day person. Conservation of energy is the biggest concern, so begin with the pledge and go from there...


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MAKE A PLEDGE TO THE EARTH THAT YOU WILL IN THE NEXT YEAR...

Take the pledge here (Quick and simple!): http://www.liveearthpledge.org/

and or do the following...

I will plant one tree. (Plant an actual tree that will grow in my climate, or purchase a planted tree through an organization that plants them for me.)

I will switch to green power. (Either through the electric company or by purchasing an REC.)

I will change at least 4 light bulbs to CFL's. (Buy these bulbs at Target, Walmart, HEB, Lowe's, Home Depot...)

I will carpool at least twice per week or ride the bus. (Mass transit, or bicycle, or walk...)

I will check my tires every three months to make sure they are properly inflated. (Every time you get an oil change have them check your tire pressure.)

I will buy carbon offset the next time I fly anywhere. (Available when purchasing your ticket.)

I will turn off my monitor when not in use and other devices such as the computer, stereo, and TV.


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TOP 30+ EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY!!!

1. Sign the FREE and EASY pledge.

(http://liveearthpledge.org/answer_the_call.php )

2. Invite your friends to sign the FREE and EASY pledge also.

(http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/invite/passiton )

3. Invite your friends to this facebook group.

(http://txstate.facebook.com/editgroup.php?members&gid=2386999950 ,
http://txstate.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2386999950 )

4. Switch your light bulbs out to CFL bulbs. It saves on energy costs too!

(http://green.yahoo.com/18seconds ,
http://www.simplyswitch.philips.com ,
http://www.asimpleswitch.com/?country=us ,
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=561674 )

Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent lights (CFLs). Look closely at labels when buying light bulbs, buy CFL light bulbs with a low color-burning temperature of less than 3000K (warm colored light like incandescent bulbs). CFL's use about 1/6th of an incandescent light bulbs power to generate the same, if not more, light output in lumens. They last much, much longer and don't burn as hot (Only about 160 degrees versus halogen bulbs which can burn up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit hot! This makes your A/C work less hard also.)

5. Turn up your A/C at least 2 degrees to 76 to 80 in the summer months.

(http://lifehacker.com/software/saving-money/save-money-on-cooling-costs-182518.php ,
http://www.thegreenguide.com/reports/product.mhtml?id=9&sec=2 ,
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=494892:kuwait-texts-consumers-to-turn-down-ac&Itemid=72 )

6. Use fans instead of more A/C. Get a "whole house" fan, if possible. Less electricity is used than A/C if you use fans alongside A/C. Reverse your fan blades in the winter time to keep energy costs down by blowing the hot air back down.

(http://www.wikihow.com/Cool-Yourself-Without-Air-Conditioning ,
http://www.energy.iastate.edu/news/pr/pr-acmaintenance.html ,
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/wholehousefan.html#Why )

7. Turn off your A/C when you leave.

(http://www.suntimes.com/news/richards/434745,CST-EDT-CINDY20.article ,
http://soundmoneytips.com/article/10816 )

8. Turn off your lights when you leave rooms or not in use.

(http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12280 ,
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:5gh7glmtCeUJ:www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic%3D12280+http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic%3D12280&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us (Google's cached page because EERE servers are not working correctly) )

9. Turn off your computer when you aren't using it, or at least make it hibernate. Great details on computer usage in following link.

(http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/hardware/do_you_need_to_turn_off_your_pc_at_night.mspx )

10. Inflate your car tires to their proper inflation level. Don't under-inflate or over-inflate! Pumping them up can improve your gas mileage by about 3.3 percent – a savings of about 7 cents per gallon. It‘s the right thing to do for your wallet and the right thing to do for the Earth.

(http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/103164/article.html ,
http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-check-your-tires-pressure )

11. Bank Online - Saves paper and the production of carbon emissions from making paper.

(http://www.compassbank.com/personal/online/index.cfm ,
http://www.fool.com/money/banking/online/one.htm ,
http://www.bankofamerica.com/state.cgi?section=generic&update=&cookiecheck=yes&destination=nba/onlinebanking/index.cfm?template=overview )

12. Get catalogs emailed to you instead of mailed to you or view them online at the Google catalogs website.

(http://catalogs.google.com )

13. Recycle all of your envelopes and junk mail from the postal system.

(http://www.stopthejunkmail.com )

14. Recycle all batteries.

(http://earth911.org/blog/2007/07/05/how-to-recycle-and-properly-dispose-of-batteries/ )

15. Recycle all paper waste, cardboard and paperboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans, tin cans, plastic bottles. Just get a few plastic bags from your local grocery store and keep them in your cabinet below your sink. Recycling is easy, just think before you toss!

(http://www.greenguyrecycling.net ,
http://www.therecyclingcenter.info )

16. Turn down the water heater setting to about 120 to 130 degrees to cut your energy bill down about 10 percent.

(http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/water_heating.html ,
http://www.homeownernet.com/articles/waterheat.html )

17. Turn your fridge settings to cool instead of really cold. Don't turn it down too much, but turning it down a little will reduce your energy usage.

(http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=Energy/Conservation/FlexYourPower/flexyourpower.html#freezer_energy_tips )

18. Conserve water by turning off faucets when brushing your teeth or in between rinsing dishes.

(http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/proper_tooth_brushing_canconserve_water )

19. Eliminate "phantom electricity" from your living space and office. (http://www.pfadvice.com/2006/04/24/phantom-electricity-loads-daily-financial-tip )

Kill "phantom" electricity. (Put your TV and other appliances and devices on surge protectors that you can flip the switch when not using.)

Unplug your cell phone charger, put your TV and electronics devices like stereos on a power switch to turn off when you leave so they don't drain unnecessary power (however little it might be) when you aren't using them. Yes it may not be much power drained, but over a year's time it consumes a considerable amount.

About 20 watts of power can be leaked at all times when you aren't using the devices. That is the same as turning on a 60 watt incandescent light bulb for 8 hours a day, everyday and for no reason! In the United States alone, “phantom electricity” emits roughly 12 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Avoid this by plugging office equipment into a power strip and turning it off at night and on weekends or weekdays, whenever you are not at home much.

(http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2765757&cp=2032056.2032151&allCount=73&fbn=Price%2F%246.00+-+%249.99&fbc=1&fr=StorePrice%2FRSK%2F00000600%2F00000999&parentPage=family ,
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2361990&cp=2032056.2032151&allCount=73&fbn=Price%2F%246.00+-+%249.99&fbc=1&fr=StorePrice%2FRSK%2F00000600%2F00000999&parentPage=family ,
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2361991&cp=2032056.2032151&allCount=73&fbn=Price%2F%246.00+-+%249.99&fbc=1&fr=StorePrice%2FRSK%2F00000600%2F00000999&parentPage=family )

20. Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers, and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

(http://energysavingnow.com/peakdemand/what.shtml )

21. Close shades and blinds during the day to lessen A/C usage in warm climates.

(http://www.blindcrafter.com/energyefficiency/cold_and_warm_energy_tips.cfm )

22. Use mass transit at least twice a week. Ride the bus or carpool with friends. Available during the fall and spring semesters. Priority will be given to carpools of three or more coming from outside the San Marcos area.

(http://www.parking.txstate.edu/van.htm ,
http://www.parking.txstate.edu/regulations.htm ,
http://www.urbanhitchhiker.com ,
http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php?city=Austin , http://www.carpoolworld.com/gcarpool.html ,
http://www.icarpool.com/en/MainPage.aspx ,
http://www.universitystar.com/index.php?id=674&option=com_content&task=view )

23. Walk or bicycle to work or school.

(http://sanmarcos.craigslist.org/bik ,
http://austin.citysearch.com/profile/10198581/san_marcos_tx/pedal_power_bicycles.html )

24. Plant twenty-four (24) trees each year to offset your carbon footprint. Either plant them all yourself, or invest in companies that will plant them for you with your tree purchases. This can completely offset your carbon footprint.

(http://www.americanforests.org/planttrees )

25. Buy household plants for your balcony, patio, and inside your living space to reduce some of your carbon emissions.

(http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?marketID=401&onlineStore=true&locStoreNum=8125&Ntk=AllProps&N=10000003+90401+500889&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1 )

26. Opt to purchase wind-power (http://www.windtricity.com ) or other green sources of energy if available by your electric company. You can also purchase green energy certificates to pay your electric bill to help electric infrastructure for green energy.

Green energy cost a little bit more than regular energy, but if we start now by flowing our funds into green energy the costs will come down and eventually help us build the massive infrastructure needed to provide the enormous demand for green energy.

(http://www.greenthegrid.com ,
http://www.carbonfund.org/site ,
http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/pdfs/0602_newwind_cert.pdf )

IF YOU LIVE IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA...
Get http://www.windtricity.com that's all you have to do to switch...it's really easy...
( https://www.cpsenergy.com/Forms/Customer-Service-Forms/signup.asp )

27. Purchase new showerheads and faucets that use less water. The new showerheads and faucets aerate the water to provide the same force as normal ones.

Install a motion sensor faucet in high use areas only if you have the money to purchase one as they are not cheap yet. Retrofitting just one showerhead and two faucets will reduce water usage by 50 percent to 70 percent, while maintaining the same user experience. The cost savings you’ll see on your water and electricity bills will pay for the retrofit in only three to 12 months.

(http://www.eartheasy.com/live_lowflow_aerators.htm )

28. Purchase local meats and produce to reduce carbon emmisions - (http://www.localharvest.org )
(San Marcos Area - Kyle, TX - Peach Trees: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M17359 )
(San Marcos Area - Kyle, TX - Organic Farm: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M8987 )

29. Drink less bottled water and drinks. It reduces plastic production and carbon emissions from production and shipping.

(http://www.filtersfast.com/Brita-On-Tap-water-filters.asp ,
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/402_h2o.html ,
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/waterchrt.html )

30. Buy canvas bag to get groceries at store instead of plastic and paper.

(http://www.ecobags.com )

31. Repair and reuse items instead of throwing them away.

(http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/87/04700603/0470060387.pdf )

32. Use the stairs instead of escalator or elevator. It saves electricity, provides good exercise.

(http://www.thepeoplesmovement.co.uk/fact_4b.php )

33. Purchase Recycled Paper

(http://earth911.org/about/partner/staples ,
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=745190&D=2%20recycled%20paper&No=10&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntt=recycled%20paper&N=100000&uniqueSearchFlag=true&Nr=100000&Ntk=all&An=text )

34. Buy carbon offsets anytime.

(http://www.greenthegrid.com ,
http://www.carbonfund.org/site ,
http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/pdfs/0602_newwind_cert.pdf )

35. Buy carbon offsets when flying.

(http://www.terrapass.com/expedia ,
http://www.carbonoffsets.org )

36. Buy a hybrid as your next vehicle

(http://www.hybridcars.com/cars.html ):

SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe, Dodge Durango, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, Honda Ridgeline, Lexus RX-400h, Saturn Vue, Mercury Mariner, Ford Escape (http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/escapehybrid/?searchid=4264411593259580553077 ), and more coming soon...

Trucks: GM Silverado and Sierra, Dodge Ram, and more coming soon...(http://www.hybridcars.com/trucks.html )

Sedans: Chevy Malibu, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Saturn's Aura (Cheapest Hybrid in the USA w/ $1,300 tax credit - http://www.hybridcars.com/compacts-sedans/saturn-aura-green-line-overview.html ) and more coming soon...

Learn how hybrids work: (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm )

37. Grow your own tomatoes and food. If you have the means to grow them, it is easier on the environment and brings you a connection back to Earth by growing your own food. Growing your own food reduces carbon emissions from your driving to the store and the food being shipped to the store from its long journey from the farm.

(http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/VegFruit/tomatind.htm ,
http://www.verdant.net/food.htm (refresh page once you click
because the website doesn't accept redirection links from
facebook or other sources which is very lame!) ,
http://www.daycreek.com/dc/html/DC_ss_growandstore.htm ,
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/grow_your_own_f.php )

38. Buy two stage flushing toilets - These toilets have two settings for flushing to lessen the water usage when light flushing is all that is needed.

(http://www.wasauna.com/contemporary-toilet-8014.html )


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OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO:

Recycling Basics - The Four R's:

(http://www.sunysb.edu/centralservices/recycling/4rs.shtml ,
http://www.wastecycle.co.uk/index.asp?c=1102 ,
http://www.city.davis.ca.us/pw/recycle/fourrs.cfm )

Find a recycling center near you:
(http://www.therecyclingcenter.info/ )

DIY Green Living:

At Home: http://web.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/getinvolved/whatyoucando/athome.xml

At The Office: (http://web.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/getinvolved/whatyoucando/atwork.xml ,
http://earth911.org/blog/2007/06/25/turn-your-office-green/ )

At The Market Place: http://web.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/getinvolved/whatyoucando/marketplace.xml

In The Outdoors: http://web.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/getinvolved/whatyoucando/outdoors.xml

General Green Living Information:
(http://www.begreennow.com ,
http://green.yahoo.com/?q=action ,
http://www.alittlegreener.com ,
http://earth911.org ,
http://www.co2balance.com ,
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/summer.html ,
http://www.smud.org/residential/saving/conservation.html ,
http://guidetogreenliving.blogspot.com/2006/06/tips-to-more-efficient-home-cooling.html )

Tree Planting - Carbon Offsetting:
(http://www.americanforests.org/planttrees ,
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/shop2.html ,
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/plantingtrees.html )

Free Shade Trees for Sacramento California Residents: http://www.smud.org/residential/saving/trees/index.html

Hydrogen Cars (Scientific American with Alan Alda): http://www.pbs.org/saf/1506/video/watchonline.htm

Alternative Fuels: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070620154945.htm

Former Vice-President Al Gore's Recent Campaign: http://www.liveearth.org

List of Top Countries with CDO (Carbon Dioxide Output) per GDP (Gross Domestic Product):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_ratio_of_GDP_to_carbon_dioxide_emissions

Recycled Clothing Apparel: http://www.wornagain.co.uk
Purchase Recycled Shoes: http://shop.terraplana.com/shoe.aspx?ProductID=84
Bamboo Bike: http://www.calfeedesign.com/bamboo.htm

Hot Alaska (Scientific American with Alan Alda): http://www.pbs.org/saf/1404/video/watchonline.htm

Hot Planet, Cold Comfort (Scientific American with Alan Alda): http://www.pbs.org/saf/1505/video/watchonline.htm

Heat Islands (Cement Jungle Raising Temperature of City):
( http://www.coolcommunities.org ,
http://www.officecommercial.com/frmMagazine.asp?Action=View&Article=7&Volume=Volume%20IV&Season=Spring&Year=2001&Market=Atlanta )

News of Amazing Green Achievements: http://greenjunkie.com/search/label/Recycle

Technology Embracing Green: http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=ecogeek

America Is Slowly Turning Green: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070419/1a_cover19_dom.art.htm

Aliance For Climate Control: http://www.climateprotect.org/splash

Green Building Design (Glossary): http://www.pbs.org/designe2/programfeature.html

Electric Grid: http://www.energetics.com/gridworks/grid.html

Track Your Green Living Transformation: http://www.earthlab.com

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