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The Alien Seeker News The Environment in Peril - Can We Make a Difference? by Patrick Cooke Website: The Bible UFO Connection Posted September 3, 2007 The Environment is in grave danger and a continuance of the actions we all take will insure its certain breakdown, with incalculable consequences. Our governments and corporations are doing little to make a difference, but we can all do our part to try and change the damage at a personal level. We have combined the resources of several agencies to compile a comprehensive list of actions we can all take in our lives to reduce global warming, pollution, waste, and consumption and get involved in changing the course and actions our governments and corporations are taking. Over 150 Logical and Simple Things You Can Do! The Home Environment Heating and Cooling: A full 50% of all the energy goes to one thing in your home; heating or cooling it! Trim home heating costs by up to 6% by lowering your thermostat by 3°C / 35°F at night and when no one's at home. Install a programmable thermostat to automatically change the temperature of your home at night or when you're away. Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning, which can save you $100 a year on your energy bill. And if you have one, use it! Three-quarters of people who have programmable thermostats don't use them at all. Leave the air conditioning a few degrees warmer so it runs less often. Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. Older heating and cooling systems are a third less efficient than the new systems. Clean vents, close unused vents. Just these simple things will save 10 percent of energy use. Follow professional advice on how to check filters monthly. These tips can save money from more serious repairs down the road as well as insure cleaner air. Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes, which will save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year. Switch to double pane windows, which keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and over $400 per year. Insulate your home, water heater and pipes. Have air conditioning systems checked in the Spring and heating systems checked in the Fall. Plant trees as a natural way to insulate your home. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. And, a single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. 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. Make sure windows and doors are sealed. Again, this will dramatically improve your household fuel efficiency. Using ceiling fans, instead of AC, can reduce your cooling costs by more than half. Use a fan instead of air conditioning. Use an EPA-approved wood burning stove or fireplace insert. Don't smoke. If someone must smoke, send them outdoors. Don't heat your home with a gas cooking stove. Water Heaters: Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket. You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. Switch to a “tankless” water heater. Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year. Turn water heater regular heating temperature to 49 degrees Celsius / 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which can save another 550 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. And, hot-water costs go down by as much as 50 percent. Install a timer on your water heater to turn off at night and just before you wake up in the morning. Turn off the water heater when on vacation. Lighting: Change all incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent. A 15–watt compact fluorescent bulb produces the same amount of light as a 60–watt incandescent bulb. Remember that there are two price tags: what you pay at the register and what you pay in energy costs to over the bulb's lifetime. So you may pay more up front, but you will actually save hundreds of dollars in your household budget over the long term because of their long life. If every household in the U.S. replaced a burned-out bulb with an energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb, the cumulative effect is enormous. It would prevent more than 13 billion pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere – which is like taking more than a million cars off the road for an entire year. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat. A Caveat: Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and great care should be taken not to break them. they should be disposed of only through approved facilites. Dim lights, when you can and bring natural sunlight into your home, when it is feasible. The Yard: Use a push or electric lawn mower. Avoid using leaf blowers and other types of equipment that raise a lot of dust. Try using a rake or broom. Grow plants native to your area in your garden. Gardens are a major water user, soaking up to 35 per cent of total household water use in some areas. Planting a water-wise garden using native plants is one of the most practical ways to save water and money. Not only do native plants provide good habitat and food sources for birds and other organisms, they are generally adapted to the climate, so require less water than exotic plant species. Do not use chemicals in your yard. Many would not spray or use toxic chemicals in their home but liberally use them in their yards, not thinking of the obvious. What you use in your yard gets tracked right back into your home by you, your pets, your friends, and worse, your kids! Plus it all gets off gassed into the biosphere or washed away into the water system. Other Energy Savings: Turn off electronic devices you’re not using. Chargers for phones and other remote devices should be unplugged, when not in use. They drain resources even when not in use. Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them. Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year! Switch to green power. In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. A good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area is the Green Power Network. Reuse materials like paper bags and boxes when you can. Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.) You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 Recycling Centers, Water Pollution and Conservation: www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=ls&a=Recycle&cat=1 In the Kitchen The Frig: The refrigerator is, by far, the single biggest consumer of electricity in the average household, responsible for 10-15 percent of the electricity you use each month. If your refrigerator is near a heating vent, or always in the sun, then change the location, cover up the heat vent near it or drape the window. Clean the condenser coil. This one, very simple thing can improve the efficiency of your refrigerator by a third! Get rid of your second refrigerator. If you don't need it, don't waste the energy. Make sure the doors seal properly, and keep the cool in. Dishwashing: When hand–washing dishes or cleaning fruit and vegetables, don't run the water continuously. Wash them in a partially filled sink, and then rinse them quickly under the tap. If you have an automatic dishwasher, fill it up, and use the energy saver option or shortest cycle necessary to get the dishes clean. When possible, wash a few dishes by hand. Over time, that will save a few loads in the dishwasher, conserving energy. Don't pre-rinse dishes. Today's detergents are powerful enough to do the job. Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher. Cooking: When boiling vegetables, conserve water by using just enough to cover them and use a tightly fitting lid. Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.) Compost organic food scraps from your kitchen. Buy locally grown fruits, vegetables and meat. The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 to 1500 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website: www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm 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! Eat less meat. Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. Start your barbecue briquettes with an electric probe. Or use a propane or natural gas barbecue. Other Savings: Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator, instead of running the tap until the water gets cool each time you want some. Be sure to rinse the container and change the water every few days. Use a water flow reducing attachment on your sink faucets. Use safer products, such as baking soda instead of harsher cleaners. White vinegar is a natural acid that works well on greasy surfaces, like tiles. In the Bathroom and Laundry: Use a water flow reducing attachment in your sink faucets and low–flow showerheads to reduce water use and wastage. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) Look for EcoLogo™ certified plumbing products when you shop. Turn off the tap. When washing or shaving, partially fill the sink basin and use that water rather than running the tap continuously. This reduces water use by about 60 percent. Use short bursts of water to clean razors. When brushing your teeth, turn off the water while you are actually brushing, instead of running it continuously. Use water from a mug for rinsing. (This reduces water use by about 80 percent.) Check regularly for toilet tank leaks into the toilet bowl by putting a small amount of food coloring into the tank and observing if it spreads to the bowl without flushing. Repair leaks promptly. Also periodically examine whether the plunge ball and flapper valve in the tank are properly "seated" and replace parts when necessary. Never flush garbage of any kind down your toilet. Cigarette butts, paper diapers, dental floss, plastic tampon holders, condoms and the like can create problems at sewage treatment plants or with your septic tank. Short showers use less water than baths. If you still prefer bathing, avoid overfilling the tub one half full should be enough. By reducing your time in the shower from seven minutes to four, you could save over 25,000 liters / 6500 gallons a year. A water efficient shower rose, which can cost as little as $20 at your local hardware store, you can reduce water use by another 20 per cent. The Laundry: Fill it up! Wash full loads of laundry. If your washer has an adjustable water–level indicator, set the dial to use only as much water as you need. Use the shortest cycle possible for washing your clothes. Use warm water rather than hot, and use the "suds–saver" feature if your machine has it. Hang your clothes to dry. You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year. Use less hot water. It takes a lot of energy to heat water and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) instead of hot. Pure soap flakes are a far less damaging laundry detergent than many commercial products. Many washing detergents contain sodium (a type of salt) which is harmful to the environment. Too much sodium in waste water from your home results in: less recycled water available for irrigation, greater reliance on limited reserves of drinking water, increased need for energy intensive processing at treatment plants. Don't over-dry your clothes. That will save 15 percent. On the Road: Drive less, especially during peak traffic periods or hot days. The sad truth is that your car emits as much CO2 as your entire house. Use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike. Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Click here to find transit options in your area. United States Local and State Transit Links: www.apta.com/links/state_local/index.cfm Start or join a carpool. Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. A free national service connecting commuters and travelers is eRideShare: www.erideshare.com/ 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. Many companies offer low emission or hybrid cars too. Instant Advocate Car-Sharing: www.transcoalition.org/ia/carshare/07.html#body World Carshare Consortium: http://worldcarshare.com/ The Car Sharing Library - CarSharing Network: www.carsharing.net/library/index.html Shop by phone, mail or Internet. Telecommute. Even one day a week will make a big difference. Telework Coalition: www.telcoa.org/ Combine your errands into one trip. Get your car tuned up. Just a simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency by half. If 100,000 of us went out and got a tune up, we save 124,000 tons of CO2. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. Use EPA-certified facilities for air conditioner repair. Avoid revving or idling engine over 30 seconds. Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines, for example, at fast-food restaurants or banks. Park your car and go in. Accelerate gradually, maintain speed limit and use cruise control on the highway. Follow your owner's manual on recommendations for maximum economic efficiency. Use an energy-conserving (E.C.) grade of motor oil. Minimize use of air conditioning, if you can. Find out if materials are recycled when you change your tires or change car fluids. Ask before your car is serviced and consider going to someone who is environmentally friendly. Replace your car's air filter and oil regularly. Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. 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! Repair all vehicle leaks promptly. Fill gas tank during cooler evening hours to cut down on evaporation. Avoid spilling gas and don't "top off" the tank. Replace gas tank cap tightly. Look for the most efficient, lowest-polluting model of vehicle. 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! For more information visit the Green Vehicles Guide: www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/ Don't ignore the "check engine" or "service engine soon" light if it comes on. Make an appointment with your repair technician for diagnosis soon. 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 by investing in renewable energy projects. Use cruise control on the highway. As a Consumer When buying new appliances, use the: The EnerGuide Appliance Directory to choose the most energy–efficient model. Better yet, choose an Energy Star® model. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year! Look for the EcoLogo™. This label is used to identify a wide range of environmentally friendly products and services. Buy food and other products with reusable, recyclable and reduced packaging. Avoid heavily packaged products. You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%. Choose recycled products. It takes 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. Choose products that are reusable. Choose products that are well made and durable; that way you'll reduce waste while saving yourself time, money and aggravation. Use cloth bags for your trips to the store. Repair, refinish, or donate items that are en route to the trash? Buy used items Join a Recycling group. Freecycle™ Changing the World One Gift at a Time: www.freecycle.org/ Hazardous Waste: Select products that are water-based or have low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Use water-based paints. Look for paints labeled zero-VOC. Paint with a brush, not a sprayer. Store solvents in air-tight containers. Buy only as much of these products as you are likely to need to do the job. Use them carefully, according to label directions. Inquire about hazardous waste depots and special household hazardous waste collection days in your community. If there is no depot but you know that household hazardous waste collection days will be held in your area, store your products safely, and be sure to watch for instructions on how to transport them to the collection site. If your community does not have a hazardous waste depot or collection days, contact your municipal public words department or work with the community to have one set up. Always store hazardous products in their original containers, so, that handling and disposal instructions on labels can be followed and others are not misled about the contents. Never use empty hazardous product containers to store any other materials. Completely use if you can, or pass on to other people. Store hazardous products in tightly closed containers in a well–ventilated area where children and pets cannot get at them. Do not burn any hazardous household products or their aerosol containers in fireplaces or backyard fires. Do not discard batteries used in flashlights, radios, clocks, watches, calculators and toys in your ordinary garbage; save them for disposal at a hazardous waste depot. Unwanted leftover portions of paint and solvents, spot removers, carpet and furniture cleaners, floor and furniture polishes, and glues should be tightly sealed in the original containers, placed in plastic bags, and disposed of at a hazardous waste depot or safely stored until your community has a hazardous waste collection day. Allow used thinners and solvents to sit in a well–sealed jar until particles settle. Pour off the clear liquid and re–use. Remaining contaminants should be taken to a hazardous waste depot. If you have leftovers of barbecue starter fluid, lighter fluid, gasoline, furnace and motor oil , dispose of them at a hazardous waste depot. Never flush leftover prescription medicines or over–the–counter drugs down the toilet or pass them on to anyone else. Return unused medicines to your local pharmacy for proper disposal. Completely empty medicine containers should never be re–used. Any leftovers of pesticides should be disposed of properly. Phone your provincial environment department for instructions; disposal methods vary depending on the type and amount of pesticide. Never dump unwanted pesticides onto the ground or into drains, sewers, streams, rivers or lakes. Use insecticidal soaps in place of chemical sprays for insects on plants in your home. Consider buying beneficial plants, such as spider plants, that help filter out air impurities in your home. For Home Repairs and Renovations: Paint with a brush, not a sprayer. If your house was built before 1980, the interior or exterior paint may contain lead. Removing old paint is potentially hazardous. Before removing old paint, contact your local environment agency to obtain its safety rules for removing and disposing of lead–based paint. Use less–toxic paints, paint removers, stains and varnishes, waxes, glues and adhesives, cleaners, etc. Use EcoLogo™ or other low–pollutions paints. Asbestos can be a health hazard for renovators of older homes, and is carcinogenic with prolonged exposure. * If you must use products containing hazardous chemicals, wear rubber gloves, eye goggles and, if appropriate, a respirator while doing so. Driveway sealers release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere that can contribute to the formation of smog. This can be reduced by using approved sealers, which contain lower levels of VOCs Get Involved Encourage Community Action: You can work within your community to promote energy efficiency and use of clean energy. Make sure that public buildings are models of energy efficiency and encourage the incorporation of passive-solar techniques in community construction or remodeling projects. Urge your local library, businesses, and church or synagogue to install bike racks. Promote community carpooling plans and the construction of bike lanes. Work to change local zoning ordinances and other regulations that involve energy use. Encourage your local electric utilities to promote energy efficiency and the use of clean, renewable energy sources. Write to your local paper. Support action for healthy air. Let your elected representatives know you support action for cleaner air. Influence Federal Action The United States needs to play a leadership role in addressing global warming, and you can help make this happen. Write to your local newspaper about the significance of the global warming threat and the need for US leadership. Monitor your newspaper's coverage of this issue and write in response to any stories or letters that dismiss global warming. Write or call President Bush to let him know that you expect him to be an international leader on this issue. Contact your congressional representative and senators to encourage them to support actions to address the root causes of global warming: the emission of heat-trapping gases. Ask your governors, state legislators, and public utility regulators to promote energy efficiency, nonpolluting transportation alternatives, and the development of clean, renewable sources of energy like solar and wind power. Support clean, renewable energy. Tell government officials that you want them to push industry to protect the future health of the environment by reducing carbon emissions. Write your leaders now. Urge them to raise fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon. Plant a tree, protect a forest. Your Investments: Buy Green Energy, and invest in green energy stocks. Your Health: Check daily air pollution forecasts and the Air Quality Index (AQI), which tells how clean or polluted your air is, and the associated health concerns. Plan your outdoor activities accordingly. For air quality forecasts visit AIRNow For information on ozone, the Air Quality Index and how it affects you visit Air Quality Index Minimize sun exposure- seek shade. 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