What can each of us do to reduce greenhouse gases?

Are we headed into a climate change that will escalate through the years? Many top scientists think that conclusion is inescapable. One major contributor to the progress of a climate change that could be catastrophic over time is the increase of greenhouse gases that are burning away the ozone layer protecting us from deadly rays.

What can each of us do to slow that catastrophe? There are many simple things that we can do to reduce the greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere. Some of the easiest and most effective are:

• Change your lightbulbs to those with the Energy Star. According to the EPA, changing just 5 bulbs in your home will prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to removing nearly 10 million cars from the road. And ... you will save money on your energy bills!

• When buying appliances and other products, look for the Energy Star logo. There are Energy Star products in more than 50 product categories. And again ... you will save money.

• Insulate your home, including ducts in attics and crawlspaces, and seal all air leaks. Check for drafts around windows and doors, seal ducts that might have gaps. If you can seal off any drafts, you will use less energy to heat and cool your home. If you have older windows and using weatherstripping is not enough, you may want to replace you windows with those that are Energy Star qualified. You can schedule a home energy audit with a professional auditor or conduct your own audit. This can tell you where you need to focus your efforts.

• Reduce, reuse and recycle. You can recycle newspapers, other paper, drink containers and probably other categories of items that you might be discarding. You can also look for recycled products and/or those in recycled packaging. Consider repairing products rather than discarding them and buying replacements. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.

• Recycle used electronics because they contain substances that should be disposed of properly, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. In addition, electronics contain other valuable materials that can be recovered during recycling process (such as glass and plastics). Recovering these materials through recycling, rather than manufacturing new materials, conserves natural resources and avoids the pollution caused by manufacturing virgin materials. Go to Earth 911 to find where to recycle electronics in your community. In our area a local television station sponsors an electronics cleanup day. Nothing could be easier - you simply drive up and pop your car trunk open. They will come to your car and take your electronic equipment. You don't even have to unload it.

• Clean air filters regularly - a good rule of thumb is to change them at the beginning of air conditioning season and at the beginning of heating season. Your heating and cooling systems operate more efficiently with clean filters, saving energy. Your system should also be checked annually and serviced if necessary. If it becomes necessary to replace your old equipment, choose a high efficiency model.

• Saving water around the home is simple. Look for products with EPA's WaterSense label; these products save water and perform as well or better than their less efficient counterparts. There are also simple actions you can take to save water: When irrigating your landscape, water only when needed and do it during the coolest part of the day. Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth. Do not use your toilet as a waste basket - water is wasted with each flush. Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day. You can also find more details on the Fuel Economy Guide Web site.

Some other places to look for helpful information:

Kids' site about climate, climate change and the greenhouse effect: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html

List of Energy Star items you can buy to get a Federal Tax Credit while you help the environment: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index

Information about home energy audits:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_audits

For more on Blog Action Day:

www.blogactionday.org

There are many other things you can do to reduce greenhouse gases and thereby protect the earth, but those I have listed are simple, inexpensive for the most part, and you can start immeditately.

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