About Me
Why did I make this Myspace page?
I only made it because we need to change. Sure we might not see the distruction of our world because of Global Warming, but we've already seen some of its effects; the climate change, the weather, the floods, the hurricanes, the dying of certain species, the melting of the ice caps. What gives us the right to be able to continue on pumping unnecessary amounts of emissions? You've finally made it big and are now able to purchase everything that you've wanted for example that massive sized vehicle. What does it do for you? Nothing, only increases the emissions, and decreases the amount of money in your wallet since it eats gas like crazy. But that's okay aslong as you look cool right? We're selfish by nature, and now finally we have an opportunity to give back and help, so do it.
Get informed and make a difference.
The future can't change; if we don't change now
"It’s not just an environmental issue. It affects our public health and national security. It’s an urgent matter of survival for everyone on the planet — the most urgent threat facing humanity today. It’s going to take action from you..."
FACT: Studies have shown that several massive extinctions were caused by RAPID GLOBAL WARMING!
...Do you want to be extinct?
Global Warming
–noun
an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect
Expected long-term effects of current global warming are rising sea levels, flooding, melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, more frequent and stronger El Niños and La Niñas, drought, heat waves, and forest fires
The Earth's surface is warmed by the Sun and radiates heat back into space. Gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, methane, and CFCs in the atmosphere trap some of this heat and warm the lower atomosphere. The atmosphere radiates heat back to Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect , and without it the Earth would be so cold that life could not exist. Huge amounts of these greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by industrial processes and burning fossil fuels which is causing change in the world's climate and rising sea levels.
The massive ice sheets in the Arctic are melting at alarming rates. This is causing the oceans to rise. Most of the world’s population lives on or near the coasts. Rising ocean levels, an estimated six feet over the next 100 years or sooner, will cause massive devastations and economic catastrophes to population centers worldwide. A rapid transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources will combat global warming, protect human health, create new jobs, protect habitat and wildlife, and ensure a secure, affordable energy future.
As temperatures rise, disease-carrying mosquitoes and rodents spread, infecting people in their wake. Doctors at the Harvard Medical School have linked recent U.S. outbreaks of dengue fever, malaria, hantavirus and other diseases directly to climate change.
Super powerful hurricanes, fueled by warmer ocean temperatures are the “smoking gun†of global warming. Since 1970, the number of category 4 and 5 events has jumped sharply. Human activities are adding an alarming amount of pollution to the earth’s atmosphere causing catastrophic shifts in weather patterns. These shifts are causing severe heat, floods and worse.
Dengue Fever: An acute, infectious tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever, rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint pain.
Malaria: An infectious disease of tropical areas caused by the parasitic infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Malaria is characterized by recurrent episodes of chills, fever, sweating, and anemia and is endemic in Africa, Central America, and much of Southern Asia and northern South America. Also called Jungle Fever.
Hantavirus: Any of a group of viruses of the genus Hantavirus, carried by rodents, that cause severe respiratory infections in humans and, in some cases, hemorrhaging, kidney disease, and death.
SOME EASY STEPS TO
Taking Action
Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds
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.
Don't leave appliances charging unnecessarily
If you leave your phone or other gadgets charging they continue to use electricity even once charged. When the charger feels hot that's because it's wasting electricity. Make sure you unplug them as soon as they've finished.
Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Americans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode. 'Appliances on standby pump one million tons of carbon into the atmosphere, and the energy wasted could power 400,000 homes'. It makes no sense to leave appliances on if you're not using them - you're simply wasting energy, losing money and contributing to climate change.
Switch off lights when you leave the room
It only takes a second to switch a light on when you re-enter a room so why leave it on when you leave? It wastes energy and harms the planet.
Make good use of natural lighting
There's absolutely no point in having lights on when the sun is shining outside. By opening the curtains you'll not only enjoy the natural daylight you'll also reduce your energy use and save money.
Take Shorter Showers
Take a shower instead of a bath.
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
Buy Products Locally
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 save fuel and keep money in your community.
Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
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!
Use Recycled Paper
Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.
Energy Saving Tips when it comes to Dishwashers
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.
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.
Buy Minimally Packaged Goods
Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can, you will also cut down on waste production and energy use!
Reduce Garbage
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. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.
Unplug Un-Used Electronics
Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.
Put on a Sweater
Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.
Air Dry Your Clothes
Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible. You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
Buy intelligently and when possible in bulk
One bottle of 1.0 gallon requires less energy and produces less waste than six bottles of 12 oz bottle. 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.
Reduce waste take a lunch box
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 re-usable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
Inflate Your Tires
Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated Proper 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!
Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting 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.
Change Your Air Filter
Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per 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.
Carpool When You Can
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.
Ride a Bike
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!
Plant a Tree
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%.
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. 194 cities nationwide representing over 40 million people have made this pledge as part of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
Replace Old Appliances
Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases.
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models available.
BUY EGGS IN CARDBOARD CARTONS
Cardboard egg cartons are normally made from recycled paper, which biodegrades relatively quickly, and are also again recyclable—Styrofoam or plastic cartons take a much longer time to biodegrade and their manufacture produces harmful by-products.
Fix things that leak
A steady faucet drip can waste 20 gallons of water a day. Leaky toilets are even worse, wasting upward of 100 gallons a day. Since toilet leaks are generally silent, check for them regularly by removing the tank cover and adding food coloring. If the toilet is leaking (and 20 percent of them usually are), color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.
STOP THE WATER
By leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, you can waste 150 gallons of water per month—that's 1,800 gallons a year! Turning the water off while you brush can save several gallons of water per minute. Also pay attention to this water-saving principle while shaving or washing your face.
DON'T BE A BUTT TOSSER
About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year—making them the most-littered item. The myth that cigarette filters are biodegradable is just that, a myth. Although the filters do eventually decompose, they release harmful chemicals that enter the earth's land and water during the decaying process. There is nothing earth-friendly about the breakdown. If you must smoke, carry a 35-mm. film canister to store your used butts in until you can properly discard them.
AVOID DISPOSABLE GOODS
Institute a mug policy in your office. Americans throw away some 25 billion polystyrene cups every year, most of which end up in landfills. Refill your water bottles once or twice, and make your coffee in a ceramic mug. If you bring in cutlery from home, you will als
Get off the bottle
By many measures, bottled water is a scam. In most first-world countries, the tap water is provided by a government utility and is tested regularly. Not only is it more expensive per gallon than gasoline, bottled water incurs a huge carbon footprint from its transportation, and the discarded bottles are a disease. If your water at home tastes funny, try an activated charcoal or ceramic filter. (NY Times) An estimated 47 million gallons of oil are used to produce the bottles that Americans drink each year. You can invest in a water filter at home/work and also drink out of a reusable container. Most Bottled Water Containers never make it to a recycling bin and therefore millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills.
Unplug before go on vacation
Before you leave for vacation, unplug all unnecessary appliances — televisions, DVD players, stereos, microwaves. They can still consume energy even when they're off, says the EPA.
Avoid excess idling in non-traffic situations. For example, consider parking your car and going inside instead of using "drive-up" lanes.
Avoid "topping-off" the gas tank when refuelling
Overfilling your gas tank could result in spilled gasoline that contributes to air pollution when it evaporates.
Plug in a laptop, not a desktop
In the market for a new computer? A laptop uses about half the energy of its desktop counterpart. Choose a model with the federal government’s Energy Star rating and use 70 percent less energy than a noncertified model.
Free the lint bunnies
The average U.S. household spends up to $135 a year in energy costs drying clothes. A dirty lint filter can use 30 percent more energy to get the job done.
According to LocalCooling.com - More than 30 billion kilowatt-hours of energy is wasted because many of us simply forget to shut down our computers when we’re not using them. If we could just improve the efficiency of how we use our PCs, the savings in energy costs would be over $3 billion dollars! The CO2 emissions from just 15 computers are equivalent in energy terms to the gas consumption used by one car.
You can Stop Chopping Down Trees by Eliminating JUNK MAIL
The average American receives 11 pieces of unsolicited junk mail each week, according to the Center for a New American Dream, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting responsible consumerism. Tallied up, that bulk accounts for 100 million trees lost each year. By reducing the amount of junk mail you receive each year, you personally will save two trees and prevent some 92 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the air.
...Learn other ways to take action around your home or school at:
personallygreen.com
