So, we have all heard the debates about global warming. It's here, it isn't, we're all gonna die, were not all gonna die. We've all heard it, and even I have chosen to ignore many of the pleas made by Mother Earth (and Al Gore.) Reduce, reuse, recycle, use those swirly lightbulbs, walk instead of drive your Hummer. We ignore it because the danger doesn't seem imminent. And we're lazy. However, if you've been out of your house in the past year or so, you would notice the "green" efforts starting to creep up everywhere.Recycle. You know how to do it, but you don't. It's not that hard, just set aside a different container for aluminum, glass, plastic, and paper. Make it an art project if you must. If your city (like my crappy city) doesn't offer recycling services, do it on your own. Use less paper, don't buy cans of soda, re-use plastic bottles, etc...
Use the swirly lightbulbs. They're cheaper, and since we replaced ONE light in our house, our power bill has gone down significantly.
UNPLUG electronics. This also saved on our power bill. Just because they are "off" doesn't mean they don't use a little electricity. Listen to your TV when you plug it in, and unplug it. That sound it makes is energy being used for no reason!
Google it! There are about a bazillion things you can do to help. You don't of course have to do them ALL. But just one or two things can change the world for the better.
4 comments:
Before you google it, read this. I think most of these "little things everyone can do" are at best overblown, and at worst counter-productive. Take the light bulbs for example. What are we going to do when they do start burning out? You can't just throw them out since they have mercury in them. But many people will, and we'll have a new problem to deal with. (And I find it hard to believe you saw a significant difference in your bill after replacing just 1 light. Did you have a very low energy use to begin with?)
It is also debatable whether recycling is beneficial as far as energy/resource use and polution.
But I don't want to be all a downer. I just want to make sure people do their research before they jump into things without considering all of the consequences (intended and unintended). I wish our government had done the same before subsidizing ethanol.
You may find it hard to believe, but yes, replacing the bulbs have made a dent in our power bill. Overall, the lights are a bit dimmer.
Interesting article, and I have heard and read various things similar. I have also found articles that argue for the opposite, claiming that some of the things, like the cost to recycle, are untrue.
I think small, intuitive and smart changes people make can make a difference.
Until someone starts telling us the TRUTH, and what we are really supposed to be doing here - we need to give the Earth the benefit of the doubt.
I can believe it if you changed a lot of lights. Originally I thought you said you changed just one. But in any case, it doesn't matter. I believe you either way, I just thought it was surprising if it was only one light.
I agree that there are many varying opinions. I only provided the link as an example of the other side of the debate that is often marginalized.
But where I disagree with you is the thought that we should do something until we figure out what we really should be doing. There are always consequences, both intended and unintended, to anything we do. I think we have a responsibility to at least try to understand the unintended consequences of our actions before committing too much to any change in course. It was unintended consequences that got us in this mess in the first place.
In any case, I respect you for trying to make a difference, and for what it's worth I also have energy efficient lights in my home, but I am hesitant to go all green when there are serious questions about whether some of these things could actually do more harm than good.
Hmm, yes good points. It would really be devistating if all our recycling was actually causing global warming or something.
Maybe by USING MORE power and electricity, we are preventing it.
What if the non-organic food is preventing cancer, and by switching to organic we all end up with cancer??
Hey...it could happen right? Who knows.
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