50 Ways You Can Fight Global Warming

1. AVOID FAST FOOD. Methane-producing factory farming and long-distance shipping are the heart of its business model and they’re clear-cutting rain forests to graze their cows.

2. Buy local and organic foods when possible

3. Eat meat less: Because energy is lost at every step of the food chain, eating one pound of meat is the environmental equivalent of eating 12 pounds of grain.

4. Whenever possible, drink out of a cup or reusable canteen instead of bottled water.

5. Have the family over: cooking for large numbers of people is cheaper is less carbon intensive per individual.

6. Use a natural gas grill- it’s the cleanest burning fuel for grills.

7. If that’s not possible, use propane, a the second cleanest burning fuel.

8. If you’re going to use plastic forks and spoons, clean and reuse them.

9. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.

10. Plant a vegetable garden in your back yard.

Waste Reduction

11. Recycle electronics, plastic, paper, glass bottles, and metal cans

12. Minimize packaging. Try to shop at stores that sell items with minimal packaging. When buying groceries go for large packs of items instead of individual wrapped ones.

13. Get rid of your junk mail: according to 41pounds.org , the average American Adult gets 41 pounds of junk mail each year.

14. When shopping, don’t accept the plastic bags. Bring your own tote bag. All those bags the stores give out will just end up taking up space in a landfill anyway.

15. If you do accept plastic bags, reuse them as trash bags.

16. Don’t use DISPOSABLE CUPS: Buying coffee every day in a disposable cup generates at least 20 pounds of paper a year plus several hundred mega industrially produced plastic covers. Styrofoam cups are worse. Bring your own coffee cup!

17. Pay your bills online.

18. Recycle your clothes at the Salvation Army when you’re done with them.

19. Use a smaller font, thinner margins, and less space in between lines when printing text to save paper.

20. Don’t print papers unless you really need to.

21. Start a mini compost heap in your back yard.

22. Instead of getting new ink cartridges, go to the store and get your refilled.

23. Use the public library. There’s no point buying a book when you can conserve paper and your money buy temporarily checking one out at the library.

24. Don’t accept freebies and imported giveaways that you don’t think you’ll ever end up using.

Energy Saving Tips

25. Buy efficient 5 energy star appliances.

26. Run the dishwater only when its full.

27. Turn off the computer, manually or automatically, when you’re not using it.

28. Use the sun to dry your clothes: it uses up no electricity and often leaves your clothes smelling better than the dryer.

29. Turn down your thermostat. Not only does turning your thermostat down by one degree save you money, it saves gas.

30. Close and or line your curtains for insulation to minimize heating

31. Turn off standby: TVs and other appliances use a shocking amount of energy even while shut off on standby. Instead unplug appliances from the wall if you are done with them and won’t be using them soon again.

32. Use energy saving light bulbs like fluorescents or halogens. Believe it or not, the money you save in energy savings will more than make up for the higher cost.

33. Don’t boil more water than you need when cooking.

34. Use cold water whenever possible when doing laundry. Not all loads need to be done with hot or even warm water- and warming water takes a lot of energy.

35. Take shorter showers: also gives you more time to spend doing other things

36. Turn off lights when you leave a room. A surprisingly high percentage of people don’t.

37. Open a window instead of using the AC

Miscellaneous

38. Switch water heaters to vacation mode.Most water heaters have a “vacation” setting for when you are away from home for an extended period of time. Switching to that “away” mode still keeps the water warm, but will not use the energy it takes to keep a tank full of piping-hot water. Enjoy your vacation even more, knowing that you’re saving money and reducing your footprint.

39. Window Shop: If you’re feeling the urge to buy, try window shopping first. This ensures that you only buy things that you actually need, or really want and don’t just think you want. Remember, every item you buy, no matter how small it is, has a carbon footprint.

40. Go Native. Grow plants in your garden that are native to the area you are living in. Not only does this cut back on gas for transportation and growing but native plants usually don’t require as much fertilizer or extra watering.

41. Install low flow adapters on shower-heads to reduce the amount of water used.

42. Plant a bamboo fence: it grows faster and absorbs more C02 than a rosebush.

43. Install solar panels on your roof: eventually, if you keep them around long enough, they will end up paying for themselves.

44. Get involved. Attend a rally, speak out at community meetings, support green candidates.

Transportation

45. Cut down on your car commute by carpooling, biking , or combining trips: do your shopping once

46. Inflate your car tires more often. Cars have better fuel efficiency when they’re running with fully inflated tires.

47. When traveling by air, take direct flights. Avoid wasting gas by taking detours by plane.

48. Keep Your Car. With gas prices seemingly always on the rise, it’s tempting to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle. But if your older-model car is in good condition, you’re better off keeping it in good running condition. Even hybrids create a big footprint when they’re built, so consider driving that old clunker for a little while longer

49. If you need to buy a new car anyway, make it a hybrid or a very fuel efficient car.

50. Take the bus to work.