Taking Action on the Pledge

erin — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:16:25 -0700

If you're like most of us, you've taken the pledge because you are interested in taking personal action to solve the climate crisis but are wondering how you should get started. If you haven't taken the pledge yet, take the Pledge. There are a variety of impactful measures you can start with. Some take one minute and cost nothing. Some take a little time and money up front in order to reap the climate benefits and saved costs. Here are a few tips for each section of the pledge to help you get started on the pathway to a lower climate impact.

We Count

emily — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:31:19 -0700

Every day, all over the world, we participate in activities that produce global warming gases. How much pollution are we generating? The global greenhouse gas emissions counter on the collage started from zero on January 1st, 2007 and increases at a rate of approximately 1,268.51 tonnes CO₂-equivalent per second. We refer to global emissions in metric tonnes (rather than short tons, with which we’re more familiar in the US) because metric units are the standard for global reporting and analysis.

Tune In: Podcasts about how you can make a difference

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:35:41 -0700

These podcasts are a joint podcast series between Live Earth and the Alliance for Climate Protection. Each episode provides information and resources to help individuals make real, meaningful, and measurable changes to their life to help address the climate crisis.

Podcast 1:

Introduction to Live Earth, Climate Science 101, what you can do, introduction to the Alliance for Climate Protection
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 2:

Tips for greening your home: appliance energy efficiency, washing in cold water, insulation, CFLs, thermostat
Greening of Live Earth concerts
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 3:

Tips for greening your transportation: check your tire pressure, public transportation, demand better public transport, carpooling
Offsets
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 4:

Greening your community: sharing, green investing, voting, staying informed, Live Earth calls to action
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 5:

Things you can do to save energy while shopping
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 6:

Town hall meeting
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Podcast 7:

Behind the scenes
Click here to download the podcast. Right-click to save the file.

Black balloons: making CO₂ real

emily — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:32:54 -0700

Check out the Alliance for Climate Protection's first ad in our national advertising campaign. We are helping alert Americans about the urgency of the climate crisis and engage them in solving it.

You can see the first ad by clicking the video above.

The ads bring to life the contribution that each household is making towards climate change and demonstrate some very easy ways to help reduce it while saving money. You'll recognize the voice as that of the actor Tommy Lee Jones.

AC/DC Green Power

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:27:31 -0700

Consumer choice probably isn't what comes to mind when you think about your electric company. The grid is one-size-fits all: electrons work the same whether they come from organically sourced methane or strip-mined coal, and they don't care if they're pumping tunes from the stereo or milk from a cow.

I pledge, you pledge, we all win

emily — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:09:52 -0700

Talk is cheap, but inaction is expensive, especially when the climate is in crisis. Take this pledge and then post it on your fridge, make it your screensaver, tape it near the back door or put a tiny version inside your wallet. Then explain to others why this is important so that they too will take the pledge. Hang it up in the coffee room at work. Post it on the community bulletin boards downtown or at the local library. This is all about doing something for yourself and your loved ones.

Pack lightly

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:43:24 -0700

When the good people at the Environmental Protection Agency get around to counting your trash, the numbers get scary. Containers and packaging are the single largest category in the waste stream, making up 31% (76.7 million tons) of total municipal solid waste (the waste that goes to the city landfill or gets recycled).

Are you kitchen aware?

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:00:28 -0700

If your refrigerator is more than 10 years old, it could be using twice the energy of a new one and costing you twice as much in power bills. If you've been thinking about getting a new refrigerator, energy efficiency is a good excuse to go shopping today.

Sweet Dreams - sleeping computers

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:48:21 -0700

Myths abound in the world of office technology: how turning computers on and off shortens their life, how screensavers can save the world, the photographic limits of a copy machine, and how IT department performance is linked to vending machine sales of Jolt.

However, the reality is that a few easy steps can set up the automatic power savings options on your computer. You have the power to be energy efficient.

Wrap it up. Save energy with R-49.

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:53:03 -0700

Only about one-fifth of homes built before 1980 are well insulated. Is yours?

To get an idea of what insulation could do for your comfort, your pocketbook, and the climate crisis, consider what it's already doing: without existing residential insulation U.S. carbon dioxide emissions would increase 15%. That's 1.35 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide, and it would take a forest of 300 million acres, equivalent to all of our harvested cropland, to take it back up.