This should be post yesterday..entah macam mana..terlupa...i have forwarded this message thru email to few of my close friends..
10: Cut Energy Consumption
The
human race has grown to nearly 7 billion strong, and our seemingly insatiable
consumption of energy plays a major role in destroying our environment. One of
the most important steps we can take to save the environment is to
significantly cut down on this consumption. On a personal level, this
translates into a host of simple actions:
·
Insulating our
homes so they heat and cool more efficiently
·
Turning off
lights and other electronic equipment when we leave a room
·
Using cold water
when possible, instead of hot or warm
·
Turning the
thermostat up or down (depending on the season) when we're not at home
·
Turning the hot
water thermostat down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius)
·
Washing only full
loads of laundry and dishes in the machines
9: Produce and Use Sustainable
Energy
Mankind
will inevitably continue using energy, even if we all make a concerted effort
to cut down on our consumption. So another important step to take if we want to
save the environment is to find alternative ways to produce and use sustainable,
clean energy.
You
may have seen buildings adorned with gleaming solar panels or wind farms
covered in turbines that stand like sentinels in the breeze. These are two
forms of "green" energy that can help reduce our reliance on energy
derived from burning fossil fuels. In addition to making decisions about using
already existing sources of alternative energy, it's crucial to promote and
invest in research that will help harness other sources of sustainable energy.
The world will always have a high demand for energy, regardless of how we
change our personal habits, so we need to find ways to make sure that we're
using clean and renewable sources of energy to meet that great demand.
8: Conserve Water
We
can't live without water, and anyone who's experienced a drought can attest to
the preciousness of H2O. The natural world around us needs water just as much
as we do, so we can't save the environment without saving our water supply, as
well. Conserving water starts with looking at it as a limited resource and
consuming it with that in mind.
A
good way to force ourselves to cut down on water use is by installing Water
Sense labeled appliances, such as low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads
and faucets. These water-saving devices can reduce water consumption by more
than 30 percent. Such solutions can translate into saving millions of gallons
of water when even a relatively small number of people choose to implement them
[source: U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, WaterSense].
We
can also make choices about how much water we use in our daily lives by, for
example, taking shorter showers or not running the water while we're washing
dishes. Choosing to conserve water can have a significant impact on the overall
goal of saving the environment.
7: Buy Energy-efficient and
Eco-friendly
Low-flow
aerators and low-flush toilets aren't the only products we can choose that will
help us save the environment. It's now possible to buy household appliances
with an ENERGY STAR® label, and these newer appliances can sometimes reduce
energy use by approximately 30 percent [source: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency].
Refrigerators
are an excellent example of an appliance that's worth upgrading. It may be
slightly painful to cough up the dough for a new fridge, but in the long run,
you'll save on energy costs. You can sometimes save hundreds of dollars each
year, and you'll be doing the environment a favor. Once you have the new
fridge, make sure to set it at a temperature a few degrees warmer than you
might usually (36 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit or 2 to 3 degrees Celsius), while
your freezer should work just fine at 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -15
degrees Celsius) [source: Sustainable Environment for Quality of
Life]. Even these slight changes will have an impact on your energy bill.
And, of course, don't leave the refrigerator door open unnecessarily!
In
addition to buying energy-efficient products, it's a smart idea to buy
household cleaners and other items that are eco-friendly. Steering clear of
chemicals that harm the environment is always a good choice. But if you aren't
thrilled about paying for "green" cleaners that may come at a price premium,
you can make simple, safe household cleaners with ingredients like baking soda
or vinegar. Your kitchen may not smell like "mango sunrise" or
"pink grapefruit passion," but it'll still be clean, and the Earth
will thank you.
6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This
trio of "R" words has become almost as pervasive as the old
"reading, writing, arithmetic" combo. But it's no less important
today than when it was first introduced. The overwhelming amount of garbage
produced each year -- hundreds of millions of tons in America alone -- is one
of the biggest hurdles to a healthy environment [source: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency].
We
can each play a part in improving the trash situation by reducing our waste.
This can mean buying fewer items and reducing our overall consumption. If we
consume less, we use less energy and produce less waste. But regardless of how
we limit our consumption, we're bound to produce some waste. We can buy in bulk
to reduce packaging we throw away, but to make a difference, we also have to
focus on recycling and reusing.
We
can make simple changes, like shopping with reusable bags and keeping food and
other items in reusable containers, rather than defaulting to plastic bags and
disposable containers. And recycling obviously refers to buying recycled
products and sorting waste into the appropriate categories: aluminum cans,
glass, plastic, paper and cardboard. However, the definition of recycling can
be expanded to encompass donating items you no longer need or want to Goodwill
or the Salvation Army so others can reuse them. Many cities have
"freecycle" e-mail lists that fill a similar role. If you can't reduce
your consumption or find a way to reuse a product, recycling is a better choice
than simply throwing something into the trash.
5: Drive Less and Drive Smart
Cars
not only guzzle gas, they also emit loads of CO2 into the atmosphere, making
them a major player when it comes to damaging the environment. While it may not
be possible to give up driving completely, it's entirely possible to cut down
on driving and to drive in a smarter way. One easy way to reduce driving is by
joining a carpool. This not only benefits the environment by reducing the
number of cars
on the road, but it can also help get you into the HOV lane during rush
hour. This had two advantages: it shortens your commute time, and that means
you use fewer resources and pollute less.
When
possible, forego the car and take public transportation, instead. If public
transportation isn't a viable option, transportation of the two-wheeled variety
(i.e. a bike) is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint and stay in
shape. Who doesn't like killing two birds with one stone?
If
you are going to drive, at least make sure to drive smart by always having
enough air in your tires and by staying within the speed limit, which will also
help you save on gas. Drivers with some cash to burn on making their commute
more earth-friendly can consider investing in a hybrid car, which will go even
further in saving the atmosphere from CO2 and saving you from exorbitant gas
prices.
4: Support Climate Change
Initiatives
For
the last 10 to 15 years, world leaders have been attempting to make meaningful
progress on climate change. One of the ways they've tried to do this is through
climate change initiatives. These initiatives generally focus on setting firm
deadlines for reducing CO2 emissions, and they often place caps on the amount
of CO2 that can be produced.
A
number of such initiatives have been successfully adopted on the local,
regional and national levels in the United States. On the international level,
initiatives like the Kyoto Protocol have garnered support and ratification from
a large number of countries. But the world hasn't yet succeeded in coming up with
a climate change initiative that involves all countries, including big
polluters like the U.S. and China.
That
said, climate change initiatives have still had a positive impact where they've
been adopted, and voicing support for them contributes to the adoption of more
such initiatives in the future. Another way to help further the cause of
climate change is by supporting political candidates who support the passage
and ratification of these initiatives.
3: Live Where You Work, Eat Where
You Live
It
may seem like living near your place of employment is just common sense. After
all, if you spend eight or more hours working every day, that's a pretty big
chunk of your time. Living near your work means that you can cut down on what
would otherwise be a lengthy commute. That's a good thing for the environment,
as well as for your daily schedule. But what about eating where you live? Does
that just mean eating at home or never venturing downtown for a nice dinner?
Actually,
it refers to an idea known as the "100-mile diet." The concept behind
this diet is that you only eat food that is produced within a 100-mile radius
of where you live. The focus is on eating locally grown and produced food. This
not only tends to support smaller farms, which generally use more sustainable
and organic practices, but it also cuts down on the monetary and physical costs
associated with transporting food across long distances. If everything you're
eating comes from relatively close by, your food isn't contributing nearly as
much to the world's CO2 emissions as it would if it were being shipped, flown
or trucked from distant lands. It may be difficult to commit 100 percent to the
100-mile diet, but even making the decision to get a significant part of your
food from local sources can have an impact. Moreover, many people find that
buying locally means they get much fresher, better-quality food and have more
delicious meals -- a delightful upside to saving the environment!
2: Plant Trees and Protest
Deforestation
This
list has talked a lot about ways to cut down on undesirable CO2 emissions, but
what about proactive ways to put good things back into the atmosphere? One of
the best ways to do this is by planting trees, which is a favorite Earth Day
activity. Trees play a critical role in keeping our air clean, both by
releasing oxygen into the air and by trapping carbon. The more trees we have,
the better our air quality, and that's why planting trees is an excellent step
to take toward saving the environment. While you're at it, plant a tree in a
spot that will give your house shade, as that will help reduce your need to
crank up your air conditioning in the summer months
It's
also important to take a stand against deforestation. Losing large swaths of
forest, such as the rainforest, to development or industry means that we're
losing millions of trees that would otherwise be cleaning the air for us.
Protesting deforestation, both through activism and by refusing to buy products
that are created at the expense of the world's forests, can help slow and even
halt deforestation.
1: Encourage Others
Gandhi
wisely said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
That's certainly true when it comes to saving the environment, and each of us
has an individual responsibility to make the changes and decisions that will
benefit the natural world around us. But even our most concerted efforts will
have a minimal impact if we're the only ones making them, or even if we're part
of a small group making such environmental choices. The power in the steps on
this list comes from getting everyone to take them together. After doing all
the other things mentioned here -- cutting energy consumption, conserving
water, driving less and everything else -- the most important thing is to be
bold and vocal about encouraging others to do the same. The environment won't
be saved by a handful of activists or even by a collection of powerful world
leaders. It will be saved by the collective action of mankind. So play your
part by taking the first nine steps and then asking everyone you know to join
you. You never know … you might just end up being one of the heroes that help
save our environment. –LIKE WHAT I DID RIGHT NOW!!
