Defenders' Experts
What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming
Buy green power
More than 750 utilities across the nation, including investor-owned, municipal utilities, and cooperatives, offer a green pricing option. Visit the Department of Energy's Green Power website to find options in your area.
Retire your car
Or at least give it a day off. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Leaving your car home two days a week can reduce your impact on emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.
Speak out for better fuel economy standards
In 1908 Ford Model Ts got about 25-30 miles per gallon--more than many of today's vehicles. If all U.S. vehicles averaged 40 miles per gallon, it would cut global warming emissions by 600 million tons a year. Write your representatives and tell them that you want cars, trucks and SUVs to go farther on a gallon of gas.
If you are in the market for a new car, choose a fuel-efficient vehicle. U.S. cars and light trucks consume 10% of the world's oil and are some of the leading contributors of greenhouse gas pollution. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Light bulbs matter
Light bulbs matter and so does your thermostat and washing machine. Yearly carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by replacing a regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent (150 pounds), lowering the thermostat two degrees in the winter (2,000 pounds) and washing clothes in cold water (500 pounds).
If your old washing machine is about to go, start off right and buy energy-efficient appliances. All major appliances come with energy-efficiency ratings. Energy-efficient appliances may cost more, but quickly pay for themselves, especially at today's high energy prices. Many energy-efficient choices are also now covered by state and federal sales and income tax incentives.
Buy organic food
The chemicals used in modern agriculture not only pollute the water, they require energy to produce. Buying locally to cut down on food transportation and eating lower on the food chain also helps. For example, meat production uses six to 20 times more fossil fuels than soybean production, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Welcome wildlife into your garden.
You can help creatures adapt to shifting habitats by planting native, pollen-rich plants for bees and butterflies, creating bogs and ponds for amphibians and insect-eating bats, and providing berry-producing plants for birds.
Don't wait for Washington
There's no need to wait for Washington! Look to families in your neighborhood who are already acting to stop global warming in its tracks.
Liz Cohen, a hospice-care social worker based in Princeton, New Jersey, says, "If enough people make some small and easy changes, we may be able to slow down climate change. I am terrified by what I've seen in just the last year--melting ice caps, sinking islands and level-five hurricanes. It's time for some urgent measures."
Your local government can also actively participate in our fight to stop global warming. One of the easiest ways for your mayor and city council to get involved is to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Learn more about what this agreement is and how it will reduce global warming on the Mayors Climate Protection Center website.
Defenders of Wildlife strongly urges you to contact your mayor and your city council and ask them to add your hometown to the growing list of cities taking the initiative and working as a community to reduce global warming.
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