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AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

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´Cool It´ An Every Day Guide To Climate Change Vallarta Adventures www.vallarta-adventures.com

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“So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of

global-warming pollution into the thin shell of

atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an

open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly

larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations

now trapping more and more heat from the sun.

As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is

rising. The experts have told us it is not a pass-

ing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for

a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And

the consistent conclusion, restated with increas-

ing alarm, is that something basic is wrong. We are

what is wrong, and we must make it right”

Al Gore

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INTRODUCTION

By now, most of us have heard of ‘Climate

Change’. But few people understand that we can

do something about it. This guide is designed to

help you help planet earth in the fight against

Global Warming!

Global warming is when the average sur-

face temperature of the Earth increases.

This happens because gases, known as

‘Greenhouse Gases’, trap heat inside our

atmosphere. Although large-scale solu-

tions are necessary, there are many ev-

eryday things each one of us can do to

begin making a difference. This every-

day guide is designed to give everyday

advice on what we can all do to begin

to make a difference. Government and

business each have crucial roles to play.

But every citizen of the planet must also

start taking positive action, or else our

children and grandchildren will surely

pay the price.

Some of the sun’s energy is

reflected back into space

Greenhouse gases

in the atmosphere

trap some of the

heat

Solar energy

passes through

the atmo-

sphere, warn-

ing the Earth

“I think the environment should be put

in the category of our national secu-

rity. Defense of our resources is just

as important as defense abroad. Oth-

erwise what is there to defend?”

Robert Redford

The Greenhouse Effect

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INSIDE THE

HOUSEHere are some things inside that house that we

can all do to help with the climate change issue...

and save money at the same time!

LIGHT BULBS

Changing light bulbs from regular bulbs

to new Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs

(CFL) is one of the quickest and easiest

ways to save energy at home. If every

home in the United States changed just a

single regular bulb to a CFL bulb it would

prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to

the emissions of 800,000 cars!

SEAL IT AND INSULATE IT!

Sealing air leaks and improving the insu-

lation in your home can increase your en-

ergy efficiency as much as 30%. By tak-

ing these steps, you can eliminate drafts,

keep your home more comfortable year

round, save energy that would otherwise

be wasted, and reduce greenhouse gas

emissions. Look for Energy Star windows

if considering replacing those old win-

dows!

ENERGY STAR PRODUCTS

When purchasing new electronics and

appliances for your home look for Ener-

gy Star qualified products. They use less

energy, save money, and help protect

the environment!

PULL THE PLUG!

Turn off appliances, lights and comput-

ers when you are not in the room. Some

electrical appliances use energy even

when switched off so use a power board

and pull the plug when not in use.

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AROUND THE

HOMESome of the biggest steps you can take in the

fight against Climate Change are right outside

your door...

GREEN POWER!

EPA defines green power as ‘electricity

produced from solar, wind, geothermal,

biogas, biomass, and low-impact small

hydroelectric sources’. Green power can

be purchased or you can make you own

green power at home! Installation of so-

lar panels are a good way to make your

own environmentally friendly energy or

check with your local government for

green power alternatives in your area.

GREEN GARDEN

Use plants to save energy around your

home. If you live in warm regions, plant

trees that will provide shade to cool

roofs, windows and air conditioners. In

cooler regions plant trees to the north of

your home to protect it from cold win-

ter winds. Use a push mower instead of a

gasoline mower and use your clippings as

part of a composting system. Composting

is a great way to reduce waste in landfills

and to provide rich soil for your garden!

SAVE WATER!

Municipal water supplies use a lot of en-

ergy to provide us with safe, clean water.

So, if we save on water we save on en-

ergy! Saving water around the house is

simple…..only water your garden in the

coolest part of the day, turn the water

off when brushing your teeth or shaving

and fix leaky faucets or toilets immedi-

ately! Did you know that a leaky toilet

can waste 200 gallons of water a day!

PLANT A TREE!

Planting trees is fun and a great way to re-

duce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb car-

bon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air.

Enough sunlight falls on the

earth every minute to meet

the world’s energy demands

for an entire year.

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ON THE

ROADOne of the biggest contributors to Climate Change is

carbon emissions from the family car. Here are some

ways that you can immediately effect how much Green-

house Gases you are emitting into the atmosphere......

BUY SMART

If you are thinking of buying a new car

check for the most fuel efficient vehicle

that meets your needs. If your new car

gets 3mpg more than your previous one,

you can reduce your carbon emmissions

by 3,000 pounds per year....saving

money and the environment!

DRIVE SMART

Did you know that aggressive driving de-

creases fuel economy? Hard accelera-

tion consumes up to 50% more gasoline

than a slow acceleration! Drive smart

and avoid stress and save money also.

SMART MAINTENANCE

Keep your engine well tuned. You can

save up to 165 gallons per year by do-

ing so and make for a safer ride! Check

that your tires are aligned and properly

inflated.

PLAN AHEAD!

By planning your day you can do a lot in

the fight against climate change. Walk if

possible, carpool with friends, or use pub-

lic transport. Leaving your car at home for

just two days a week will save on 1,600

pounds of greenhouse gas emmissions a

year! Combining trips will save time, ener-

gy and money as well as buying in bulk to

reduce frequent trips to the supermarket.

An estimated 32 million cars

and trucks ride on under-

inflated tyres wasting 500

million gallons of gasoline

annually!

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REDUCE,

REUSE &

RECYCLEReduce, reuse and recycle are the three essential

components of environmentally-responsible

consumer behavior.

REDUCE

Reducing basically means producing less

garbage. One way of doing this is by ac-

cumulating fewer things. When making

purchases it is important to determine if

the products you are buying are really

necessary. Buy things in bulk to reduce

on excess packaging, take your own bag

when shopping and buy quality goods

that will last!

RE-USE

Purchasing reusable items that need not

be thrown away is another great way to

avoid landfill waste. Look for products

in re-usable or refillable packaging, do-

nate unwanted clothing to charities, use

rechargeable batteries, and carry your

lunch in a re-usable container.

RECYCLE

Recycling is the process by which ma-

terials are collected and used as a

basis for new products or ma-

terials. Recycling items that

you would otherwise throw

away reduces landfill waste and helps

us conserve energy and money. Buying

products made from post consumer re-

cycled materials encourages more recy-

cling. Look for what recycling programs

are available in your area and start now!

Begin your own program in the home by

starting a compost bin for your garden!

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DON’T STOP

NOWTell your family and friends to join the fight

against Climate Change.

Climate change may be a big problem,

but there are many little things we can

do everyday to make a difference. If we

try, we can all do our part to reduce the

amount of greenhouse gases that we

put into the atmosphere.

Some of the information used in making

this guide was drawn from the following

websites:

www.epa.gov

www.ciwmb.ca.gov

www.epa.qld.gov.au

www.fightglobalwarming.com

www.eere.energy.gov

www.aceee.org

www.ceert.org

www.cool-companies.org

www.consumerenergycenter.org

www.greenercars.com

www.undoit.org