Image Courtesy NASA
I thought I would celebrate Earth Day by offering some suggestions of ways you can make a positive impact, or at least less of an impact, on the Earth. Many of these are links I've rounded up over the past years and tagged on del.icio.us.
Go for a bike ride
First of all, why not leave your car keys on the kitchen counter and ride your
bike or walk today? If you're looking for a new bike, check out the
Trek Lime. This has got to be the tastiest looking bike ever. The Lime is perfect for commuting: it shifts gears automatically, offers a "trunk" under the seat, and comes in custom colors. Will someone please buy me the green one?! If you need some ideas for good bike routes near you, check out
Bikely, a site that "helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes." I've been riding a bike exclusively for over 7 months now since I'm without a car and I must say it is pretty liberating. It is much easier than you would imagine to rely only upon your own two feet or a bike to get around your town. Go ahead, give it a try today and scout out a good route to work or school, pledge to walk or ride to school at least twice per week. It is a healthy and relaxing alternative to driving a gas-guzzling vehicle.
Conserve energy
Did you know that the average American home produces
twice the greenhouse gas annually as the average car (
18seconds.org )? So, once you're out of the house with your bike, head to your nearest hardware store and pick up some
compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) to replace those inefficient, archaic incandescent bulbs that have been around since Thomas Edison's days. If you change just 5 of your most frequently used bulbs in the house, you can have a huge impact not only on cutting emissions but also on cutting energy costs since you will save over $60 per year. So don't worry that they cost a little extra, they pay for themselves!
Kenny Luna, an 8th grade teacher and
treehugger has come up with a
bright idea for CFLs. Mr Luna wants to give every student in America (pre-kindergarten - 12th grade) just one CFL. This would save Americans $2.3 billion over the life of the bulbs! Who needs tax cuts? Remember, that's just one for every student in the US. Imagine what a difference could be made if every family changed their 5 most-used bulbs.
If you want to really make a difference, purchase carbon-free bulbs. These guys at ECOfuture have taken the CFL to the next level by offsetting the carbon dioxide produced:
All CO2 emissions generated from the use of THE Bulb are offset through a donation to the Carbonfund.org Foundation making THE Bulb the world's first Carbonfree™ light bulb. All donations are used for the development of renewable energy.
Who said saving the world was difficult?
Take political action
If you
are up for some more intensive Earth-saving efforts, I'll give you a few things to tackle. First of all, you can
boycott bottled water as I have done for the past few months. The amount of fuel and water used to make and deliver a bottle of imported water is astounding. Not to mention the profits made from the most basic and widely available liquid on Earth. Secondly, did you know that the
UK has a $4 per gallon gasoline tax compared to a paltry 40 cents in the US? I challenge the biggest treehuggers to join Greg Mankiw's
Pigou Club, no membership dues required. Read Dr. Mankiw's
manifesto for gasoline taxes and let me know what you think. Often the simplest solution to reducing oil consumption is the best. Finally, get involved with
political action against global warming. It is appalling to me that this even has to be a political issue, but that's what happens when big energy companies have governments on their side. For further information, visit the
Earth Day Network.
So to end on a positive note, I wish you all a Happy Earth Day today and every day. Now turn off your computer and enjoy a great day outside!
James Britton | 
Reader Comments (6)
Nice written article.
Great post on Earthday James. If memory serves me right, the first one was in Philadelphia. I do need to get some of those special bulbs.
JC
I didn't know that about Philly. It's important now more than ever to be conscious of our impact on the Earth.
Go buy some compact fluorescent bulbs and save some energy!
Do people ride bikes to run errands more there than in America? Just curious.
I bought the bulbs after seeing An Inconvenient Truth.
Biking is definitely more popular here. Walking is also just a way of life. Most people don't think twice about stopping at the store on the walk home from work to grab a few things at the grocery store. It's easy to see why Americans have so many health problems.
The pace of life is slower here and people are generally more frugal when it comes to energy. Here's a few tips I would suggest, and which I personally use, to green your home:
The simple things will add up to big energy savings.
Europeans def ride their bikes around a lot more than Americans do. This trend needs to drift its way on over here, perhaps Americans will shed a couple pounds too... not a bad combo is it ?