About San Leandro's Hillcrest Knolls

From the moment we get out of bed to the time we come back to sleep, we make decisions that affect our climate and increase the carbon emissions that contribute to the greenhouse gas effects that are causing our climate to change. What is the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain YOUR consumption patterns and absorb YOUR wastes on an annual basis?

Almost every activity in our lives has an effect in our planet’s climate. The choices we make in our homes, when we travel, the food that we eat, what we buy and throw away, they all leave behind our very personal carbon footprint that could affect the world climate for future generations. The USA National Average for a 2 person household is 53 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. The world average is only 11 tons per year, what is yours? What is YOUR impact in this earth? Use this Carbon Footprint Calculator and find out where you stand.

Making environmentally friendly home improvements not only beautifies the house but also adds to its value. It is a win-win for everybody, your house will have a better return on your investment and you will be helping to save the planet. Here is a list of simple items that can be accomplished very easily:

• Begin by replacing all your light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescence ones, they can use up to 75% less energy
• How many times have you left the outdoor lights on? An inexpensive motion detector will turn them off for you
• Make an inspection of all bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor faucets and fix all leaks, the amount of water saved is tremendous
• Take shorter showers and turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving. Install low flow shower heads
• Create a compost pile in your backyard, your garden will appreciate that, your garbage costs will be lower, your city dumps will be smaller and will not have to spend gas transporting your leftovers to their place. Are you with me so far? This is easy stuff! doable in a day!
• Replace your air conditioner and heating system filters, or clean them up more regularly
• Install more ceiling fans in your house, use them instead of the air conditioner and heater
• Insulate your home and use weather stripping around doors and windows
• Remember the 3 R's: Refuse, Reuse and Recycle, keep them in mind at all times, specially when shopping
• Stop all junk mail! Here is how to do it. Use online banking where you can receive your bills by e-mail instead of snail mail.

As you see, you can reduce your personal environmental impact by making a few simple changes in your everyday behavior. Your efforts plus mine multiplied by many others will make a big difference in the fight to slow climate change.

YOU have the power to change the world! Even to the end when you can choose to be buried in an Ecoffin, a unique casket made from naturally hardened 100% recycled paper to make a graceful exit… and a final contribution to the planet, way to go...! Bravo!