Take Action

The worse thing we can do is give up and think: what can I do? I'm only one person. Don't despair - this problem can be solved, but only if everyone is willing to do their part. After all, saving energy also saves money and we all care about soaring energy prices. "We may not buy energy-efficient bulbs just because Wal-Mart gives them nice shelf space, but we might if they'll reduce our rising electricity bills. We may not buy hybrid cars to save the planet, but we might buy them to save at the pump. Global warming hasn't forced us to get serious about conservation, but the energy crisis that our runaway consumption has helped to create just might." (Michael Grunwald, Washington Post)

Get Involved


Public awareness is critical and apathy is the greatest challenge to implementing solutions. A Pew Global Attitudes Project poll last month found that only 19 percent of Americans care about it "a great deal," compared with 66 percent of Japanese and 65 percent of Indians. So talk to your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors about the urgency of global warming.

Support environmental groups who are trying to educate the public and directly working on programs to help solve global warming.

The longer we wait to address this problem, the harder it is going to be to solve, and the closer we are to a tipping point where it will be too late. So we need to act now, and since the current administration isn't doing anything, a good way to make a difference is to start or join a grassroots movement.

Get Political

We can write to our government officials. (To learn about where politicians and candidates stand on global warming, go to the League of Conservation Voters website)

Write the president (it probably won't help, but it can't hurt) and tell him to stop ignoring the science and wake up and do something before it is too late. Write to Mayors, Governors, Congressional leaders, Senators and Congressional Rpresentatives and ask what they are doing locally to address the problem, such as providing incentives to businesses and individuals to buy green technologies or reduce carbon emissions.

Petition Your Mayor. While 162 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol to address global warming, the United States has not. When federal leadership failed to lead, mayors across the country rose to the occasion. 279 mayors representing over 45.4 million Americans have signed the Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce global warming emissions in their cities. Has yours?

Not sure which local candidates have strong environmental records? The Sierra Club has issued endorsements for Anne Arundel County. This would be a good start.

We can urge the Congress and Senate to support global warming legislation. On June 20, 2006, Rep. Waxman (Ca.) introduced the Safe Climate Act (H.R. 5642) that addresses global warming. On July 20, 2006, Sen. James Jeffords [I-VT] introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 3698). Ask your representative to become a co-sponsor and support this legislation by clicking here.

Addicted to Oil

The U.S. consumes more gas per day than 20 large countries put together!

Demand Changes

We can demand that something be done about the gas mileage standards in this country. The US is shamefully behind the rest of the world when it comes to fuel economy standards. The European Union has set a goal of over 44 mpg by 2008 for new vehicles, including light trucks, up from 37 mpg in 2002; and Japan has set a goal of 48 mpg by 2010, up from 46 mpg in 2002.

The Sierra Club states: "The biggest single step the U.S. can take to curb global warming and save oil is to raise the fuel economy of our cars and light trucks." Learn more...

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy , "The government needs act now to increase fuel economy standards significantly to reduce carbon emissions. The average fuel economy of cars and light trucks has actually declined from about 26 mpg in 1988 to 24 mpg in 2000 due to increasing vehicle size and power, the rising market share of light trucks, and the lack of tougher CAFE standards.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that increasing the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 33 mpg from the current standards of 27.5 mpg will reduce U.S. oil demand by 1.4 million barrels per day by 2020, save consumers $55 billion per year at the gas pump, create more jobs, and reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 244 million metric tons per year.

We can write to car companies and ask what they are doing to improve automobile technology to improve mileage and reduce greenhouse gases. "While companies like Ford have been investing in hydrogen and teams of lawyers to fight higher mileage standards, Toyota and Honda have been hiring engineers to design more efficient cars."1

Write to big businesses and ask what they are doing to improve the efficiency of their plants, stores, and fleets. Write to energy companies and ask how much of their profits they are investing in research and advancement of renewable energy technologies that will reduce or eliminate carbon emissions from burning of fossil fuels. By the way, BP is a leader in this effort.

Reduce Junk Mail

Here is a simple thing we all can do today. Receive Less Junk Mail! Send a short letter to: The Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008. List your name, in all its infinite variations, and request that all of these names be removed from their national database. This removal lasts five years, so keep this address handy. For more information contact the DMA at 212-768-7277.

Stop Those Unwanted Catalogs! Now, with the internet, we can do most of our mail order shopping online. Stack your unwanted catalogs in a pile and call to request that your name be removed from their mailing list.

Junk mail requires a lot of paper, the fourth most energy-intensive of all manufacturing industries and one of the most polluting. American catalog companies sent out nearly 17 billion catalogs last year, or 59 for every man, woman and child in the nation. To produce these catalogs, the industry used 3.6 million tons of paper. Manufacturing this much paper consumes large amounts of wood, energy and water, and generates significant air and water pollution and solid waste.

If we successfully reduced the number of catalogs and other junk mail produced in this country by 30% we would preserve billions of gallons of water each year, conserve hundreds of barrels of oil, keep millions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Recycle Electronics

The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents electronics manufacturers, encourages people to recycle their e-waste, and has set up a handy Website to make the process simple. Log on to mygreenelectronics.org , where you can search for local recycling drop-off points by zip code and product category. You'll also find tips and info on electronics recycling, and a cool energy calculator that will show you how much juice each product uses.

Offset Carbon Footprint with Wind Energy

With WindBuilders, for just a few pennies per day you can offset the impact of your own energy use with our certified carbon dioxide offsets from clean Native American wind turbines.

Offset Carbon Footprint by Planting Trees

The Conservation Fund's Carbon Zero Calculator estimates and offsets your emissions through a few simple calculations. It will estimate your carbon footprint for the year, as well as the number of trees it will take to neutralize your personal impact on climate change.

Simple Things We Can Do

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life to help reduce greenhouse gases and make a difference.

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year.

Inflate Your Tires

Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

Change Your Air Filter

Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.

Fill the Dishwasher

Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

Use Recycled Paper

Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

Adjust Your Thermostat

Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

Check Your Waterheater

Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.

Change the AC Filter

Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as ed. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.

Take Shorter Showers

Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.

Buy Products Locally

Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

Buy Energy Certificates

Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

Buy Minimally Packaged Goods

Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

Buy a Hybrid Car

The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid. "Hybrid fuel vehicles are twice as fuel efficient as a standard, similar sized car, and trading in your four-wheel-drive or SUV for a medium-sized hybrid cuts your personal transport emissions by 70 percent in one fell swoop.1 "

Buy a Fuel Efficient Car

Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

Carpool When You Can

Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

Reduce Garbage

Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

Plant a Tree

Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breath. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

Insulate Your Water Heater

Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

Replace Old Appliances

Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

Weatherize Your Home

Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.

Use a Push Mower

Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide and x $ per year.

Unplug Un-Used Electronics

Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

Put on a Sweater

Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

Insulate Your Home

Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.

Air Dry Your Clothes

Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.

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.

Switch to Double Pane Windows

Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.

Buy Organic Food

The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

Bring Cloth Bags to the Market

Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.



More things you can do... Global Warming Survival Guide ... 49 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment