Doing Your Part to Prevent Global Warming
Would you change your lifestyle, give up a few conveniences and encourage those around you to do the same if it would help clean up air pollution and slow down global warming?
It can be overwhelming to be faced with an urgent, worldwide problem like global warming, and you may think there’s nothing you can do. We tend to underestimate the importance of our own actions and become indifferent when we think a problem is out of our control. But if our actions are causing the problem, it makes sense changing our actions can solve the problem. Scientific study has shown that global warming is at least in part due to human activity. Consider this:
The average U.S. household is responsible for the emission of almost 60 tons of carbon dioxide every year. Of these emissions, about 32 percent, or 20 tons, could be reduced by making more sustainable choices in the use and sources of electricity, how much we drive our cars and how much stuff we purchase, recycle and reuse.
When you need to make a decision about a purchase, transportation or use of a product, follow the principles of sustainability and ask: Is it good for you and your family, is it good for society and is it good for the environment? Encourage your friends, neighbors, the businesses you support as well as government representatives to use sustainability as a guide in their decision-making too.
For more information, check out the CLEAN Living section of CLEANHOUSTON.ORG, the website for CLEAN, Citizens League for Environmental Action Now. I’m Vicki Wolf and that’s EarthCare for today and a better tomorrow.