How CAN we save the earth??!!?

Question

I know that the question has become quite clichéd,but today being World Environment Day,I couldn't contain myself from asking what measures we could take to prevent the "problem" we all lecture a lot about,but hardly take much action against..Now,I'm not talking of Huge Life-changing steps,such as giving up all fossil fuels from today,replacing it with renewable sources of Energy..No,I'm talking about tiny,but extremely helpful measures,such as taking the trouble to make sure we've turned off all the switches after use..etc.Now,here are some of the tips i have,and my 'question' is,"Could you help me contribute to the following list?":

*Recycle all plastics,newspapers,tins etc..Re-use glass jars,aluminium foils(after washing) if possible.

*Keep separate trash cans for bio-degradable nd non-biodegradable wastes.

*Try to minimise the use of A/Cs etc. and make sure they are off after use.

*Conserve water wherever possible and minimise the number of times you wash a car..

Answer 1

Well first off I hope you know these "stars" that you refer to might have shown up in "green" cars but they flew on PRIVATE JETS, like AL GORE to get there.

And I can easily tell you that Private Jets expel 1000x more pollution then cars.

But back to your answer, I am not worried about it.  I drive my hummer to work every day and I even have my Mustang Cobra that gets like 12/mpg because of the new supercharger on it.   I payoff emissions to pass but hey, you only live once!

Global warming is a lie and people like AL Gore start "carbon offset companies" and make a killing off of dumb reactionary people.  Just live your life, don't waste anything and we will all be ok.

Answer 2

There are many ways in which we can help save the earth. Become an active member in your community to put an end to the destruction of the only planet we can call home, the earth. Here are some ways that you can help:

The first step is to find programs near you and making others aware.

Some things that can be recycled include:

toner cartridges

aluminum cans

newspapers

2 liter plastic soda bottles

milk jugs

steel containers

organic material/cuttings

glass

telephone books

Junk Mail

Americans receive enough junk mail in one day to produce enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes! You actually can help put a stop junk mail, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd St., PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861. Junk mail can be reduced by up to 75%. You can recycle the rest of the junk mail you receive.

Low-Flow Faucet Aerator

This is device which you can install with your water faucets at home. By attaching one of these, water flow can be reduced by 50%. Even if only 10,000 households installed low-flow aerators, 33 million gallons of water would be saved yearly.

Kitchen Habits

Instead of using foil or paper bags, use reusable containers for storing food. In place of paper towels, use rags to wipe up spills, and use biodegradable wax paper and bags.

Hot Water

The hot water heater is about 20% of all the energy used in your home. There are some things that you can do to save energy and save money. Turn your water heater down to 130 degrees. You can also insulate your heater with a pre-fab 'blanket', whcih can save you 7-8% of your energy usage.

Paints

Because oil based paint is toxic, use latex paint. Dispose of paint as hazardous waste or let it evaporate outside for one year. Have extra paint? Instead of getting rid of it, you can donate it to someone who may need it.

Tires

Inflate your tires well to preserve the life of your tires and save gas. Every 2 weeks, Americans wear out nearly 50 million pounds of rubber off their tires. This is enough rubber to manufacture 3 and a quarter million new tires. To help prevent this, you can inflate your tires well. This preserves the life of the tires and saves gas, which ultimately saves money.

Home Appliances

To allow your refridgerator to run more efficiently, clean the condenser coils annually. Raising the temperature in your refrigerator by 10 degrees, you can save 25% of your energy. Clean or replace filters each month for air conditioners.

Batteries

Batteries contain heavy metals which are a main source of contamination in dump sites. They break apart and are released into the soil or into the air. To help you can use rechargeable batteries and recycle alkaline batteries. Mercury and cadmium can be reused.

Shopping Bags

Plastic bags are not biodegradable and do not decompose fully. Paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. Paper bags are recyclable too. If the product you are buying is small, dont take any bag. You can bring a cloth bag when you shop as well.

Animal Products

Do not buy products that are from endangered animals. To help you can substitute your purchase or boycott products from endangered animals.

Toilets

In your home, 40% of pure water is flushed down the toilet. You can creat a low-flush toilet by using small plastic bottles, filled with water or stones to displace the amount of water in toilets. This can save 1-2 gallons per flush. If we had 100,000 families doing this, could save up to 580 million gallons per year!

Showers

A four person family that showers each day for 5-minutes, in one week they would use 700 gallons of water. This is enough water for a person to live off of for three years. To reduce the amount of usage, you can buy either an aerated or a nonaerated shower head to cut your water output by 50%. You can save at least 14,000 gallons of water a year.

Use Fluorescent Light

By using electricity we contribute to global problems by making power plants and industrial businesses generate more emissions that are polluting the earth. Using a fluorescent light bulb, is much more efficient. They last longer. By installing a single fluorescent light bulb in 100 million households in America, "you would save the energy equivalent of all of the energy that is generated by a nuclear power plant running full time, over the course of one year."

Balloons

Never release helium ballons into the air. They can be the cause of the death for sea turtles and whales. They can suffocate or starve to death. Metallic balloons can cause power outages when they get caught in power lines.

Diapers

Use cloth diapers for your child. 18 billion disposable diapers are trashed a year. Diapers take up 1% of America's landfills and they take 500 years to decompose. Cotton diapers can be reused 100 times and decompose in 1 to 6 months.

Here are some more helpful hints:

Along with recycling, buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.

Do not dump oil, grease, antifreeze, pesticides, fertilizers, paints, cleaners, and other toxic household products down the storm drain. They go straight into rivers, lakes, and maybe even the ocean. By putting these toxic chemicals down the drain, marine life may be in danger.

Use CFC free products. ChloroFluoroCarbons destroy the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful UV rays.

Carpool or walk to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the air.

Instead of throwing away items such as furniture, appliances and clothing, look for a place to donate them.

Keep used paper in a stack and use the flip side for scrap work.

Try to buy items that are less toxic to the environment when produced. For example, use vinegar and water as a replacement to glass cleaner.

Answer 3

I'd join this group. If you want to make a 1% or a 99% change in your way of live with a veiw to saving the earth, you'll find ideas and support -- lots of support.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/90PercentR...

And you can put appliances with a constant draw on a strip and turn it off when not using the appliances.

Answer 4

The world is not in need of saving.  The human race, however, is very much in need of saving from ELFs like you.

Answer 5

How to Fight Global Warming

Take these steps and you'll help reduce global warming pollution.



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LEARN MORE

Global Warming Basics

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The biggest cause of global warming is the carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels like oil and coal are burned for energy. So when you save energy, you fight global warming (and save money, of course). Here are some easy steps you can take:

Raise your voice. We need new laws that will steer our nation toward the most important solutions to global warming -- cleaner cars and cleaner power plants. Send a message to your elected officials, letting them know that you will hold them accountable for what they do -- or fail to do -- about global warming.

Choose an efficient vehicle: A car that gets 20 miles per gallon will emit about 50 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. A car getting 40 mpg will emit half that much. When buying your next car, pick the least-polluting, most efficient vehicle that meets your needs. Maybe it's an innovative hybrid that combines a gasoline engine with electric motors (and never needs to be plugged in). Or maybe it's a wagon instead of an SUV. And over the average lifetime of an American car, a 40-mpg car will save roughly $3,000 in fuel costs compared with a 20-mpg car, so compare fuel economy performance before you buy. (See www.fueleconomy.gov's Find and Compare Cars feature.)

Drive smart. Get your engine tuned up and keep your tires inflated -- both help fuel efficiency. If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated (and a government study shows that many don't), gasoline use nationwide would come down 2 percent. A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from 4 to 40 percent; a new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon.

Drive less. When possible, choose alternatives to driving (public transit, biking, walking, carpooling), and bundle your errands together so you'll make fewer trips.

Buy energy-efficient appliances. Use your consumer power when buying appliances by shopping for energy-efficient models. You may spend a little more up front, but you'll save a lot on electricity, and you'll reduce pollution produced by power plants. Look for the Energy Star label, which identifies the most efficient appliances. You can also use the Energy Guide labels to compare the efficiency of specific models. Remember that refrigerators consume the most electricity in the home. Today's refrigerators consume less than one-fourth the energy of models built 30 years ago, so an upgrade could mean huge energy savings for your household. Click here for more energy-saving tips.

Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. While compact fluorescents are initially more expensive than the incandescent bulbs most people use, they last 10 times as long. What's more, a compact fluorescent will lower your energy bills by about $15 a year, and by more than $60 during its life. It will also keep half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the air.

Weatherize your home or apartment. For a very small investment, you can cut your heating and cooling expenses and reduce the burning of fossil fuels. Use weatherstripping to seal drafts around windows and doors. If a draft comes through electrical outlets or switches on outside walls, install foam draft blockers behind the cover plates. Use covers (inside or outside) on air conditioners during cold months. And make sure your home has adequate insulation. Many older homes don't have enough, especially in the attic. You can check the insulation yourself or have it done as part of an energy audit, provided by many utility companies. Call your company to see if it offers this service.

Choose renewable energy. If you live in a state where you can choose your electricity supplier, pick a company that generates at least half its power from wind, solar energy and other clean sources. Even if you don't have the option to select a supplier, you may still be able to support renewable energy through an option on your electricity bill. For details, see NRDC's guide to buying clean energy.

Buy clean energy certificates. Another way to help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution is to buy "wind certificates" or "green tags," which represent clean power you can add to the nation's energy grid in place of electricity from fossil fuels. For information, see Green-e. And here's an innovation that's catching on: calculate the global warming pollution associated with your everyday activities, then buy enough certificates to offset them and become "climate neutral." Two places to learn how: NativeEnergy's WindBuilderssm program and Bonneville Environmental Foundation's Green Tags program. (NRDC worked with these two groups to make our February 2003 Rolling Stones concert to raise awareness about global warming climate neutral.)

Join NRDC/use our resources. You can help secure the changes that will stop global warming by joining NRDC, one of the most effective environmental groups in the country. And we can help you be more effective in your own environmental efforts by giving you information and action tools, and by combining your voice with hundreds of thousands of others. So take your pick, or pick them all: become a member of NRDC, join our Earth Activist Network to receive email action alerts, visit our online action center, read our green living pages.

Answer 6

Turn off your TV, and read more.  That way you save energy and listen to less propaganda.  If you purchase used paperback's you even save a tree.

Answer 7

You put filters on it

Answer 8

We need to educate ourselves as to the real on-the-ground situation that leads to deforestation and global warming.

You might find some things here, at http://www.conflictrecovery.org... click on conflict_futures. Indonesia is the third biggest source of CO2 and deforestation there is quite serious and has been accelerating now for the last few decades. This page also has some primary material on deforestation in South Sumatra that could be of interest to you as well:

http://conflictrecovery.org/sumsel.htm.....

Answer 9

I agree with Ray2play.  The earth doesn't need saving.  She's very adept at self-medication and always corrects back to center when there are temporary imbalances.  Regarding the human race saving itself I'd say there's a lot to be done.  I don't think the solutions will ultimately come in the form of us all becoming more careful and conservative.  Rather it may be more likely in the form of greater use of critical thinking which is sometimes called "mindful thinking" or "thinking in the present" instead of what most of us do now with our minds focused on just about anything but the here-and-now.   A wide awake person is a sane person, and a sane person takes care of the environment around him/her at all times. That's my two cents worth.  Mahalo for the opportunity to respond to a wide open question.

Answer 10

I am not sure I understand your Q:. The Earth is going to live on way after Man is gone. The only thing we are destroying is the ecosystem which supports man and a few thousand other species. But rest assured the Earth is not worried about man.

Answer 11

I am turning my car engine off when I am idling at traffic lights for more than 10 seconds.  I have made a poster to put on the back of my car that says, "Excuse my Delay, I have stopped my engine to save the air.  Please help reduce global warming."  I found information on the net about how other communities in Maine, L.A. and Oregon are trying to spread the word about idling engines.  It hasn't affected my starter at all, and Iv'e been doing it for a couple years.  Just look up engine idling on the net and you will get all sorts of information.

Answer 12

Well stop drilling,stop dumping waste, stop cutting trees, stop mining, stop......hummm imposible! I think we in trouble captain!

Answer 13

Neighbours make an agreement. Each 4 or 5 use one car every day. In one district the number of running cars will be reduced one third at least.

Cutting off water for one day from a district to let people reconsider and ratinalise their use of water.

The same is to be done with electricity.

Bringing up the new generation to environment-lovers and protectors

TV children programmes are to allot a larger space for this issue

Film producers channel their efforts towards this issue.

Answer 14

Why so many people answered this stupid question?

Answer 15

There are several things that we can do to save the earth, many have already been answered by yourself and the previous posters.

I think one of the biggest things is to just start "somewhere" and do "something"... anything... to move in the right direction....

Every move, even a small move, made towards a better environment is a step away from the problems of the past.

One of the easiest, and not terribly expensive, change to make in your home would be to add a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat is going to both save energy and save you money by allowing you to turn the heat down (or the AC if you have central AC) while you are asleep or away at work, automatically... but also have the heat (or AC) go back up a few minutes before your normally wake up or get home from work or school so that the temperature in your home will be comfortable to you.

Another way to help save the earth, and save you money, is to plant a tree.

According to PowerHousetv.com "one well-placed tree can lower your summer air conditioning bills by 25 percent!."

In addition to reducing the heat in your home during the summer, a tree will also help to reduce the cold in the winter by blocking the wind chill, as well as all of the other good things that come along with having a tree.

Although these will take a while to grow, The National Arbor Day Foundation offers all members 10 free trees with a $10 membership. Even if you plant a large tree for today, planting more trees for tomorrow is always a good idea. If you do not want all 10, plant one or two yourself and then pass the others onto neighbors and friends. Every time a tree is planted, anywhere, it is a good thing for the world. :)

Answer 16

sign petitions