Four ridiculously easy and absolutely imperative things everyone can do to help momma earth…
Sitting on the beach barefoot in January watching friends surf. I am not in Florida, or southern California, I live in New Jersey.
Everyone I meet has a large smile on their faces and s they walk by, commenting on the “beautiful weather”. The weather is beautiful, I don’t deny, but not natural. Its kinda crazy to me that no one seems to be concerned with the why. Even the local news anchors are smiling away, not questioning what I think should be a major news flash, “Why is it 70 degrees in NJ in January?”
The effects of global warming are very evident, look around, I have new growth in my garden for pete’s sakes, it’s not lovely, it’s alarming. The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening, and that it is the result of our activities, not a natural occurrence. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.
In coastal communities such as ours, we should be especially concerned. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide. That’s us folks.
By burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.
These four things that will not take much effort at all can make a major change.
Jesus! turn the lights off.
Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%. Turn off unnecessary lights, if you are not using it, shut it off.
Put that shit in the recycling bin.
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Google recycling resources in your area.
Plant one dam tree.
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.
Eat a fucking salad one in a while .
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. I’m not asking everyone to be an instant vegan, but by cutting meat out of your diet for a day or two out of the week, it helps.
There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now. Educate yourself; there are plenty of resources on the web.
Yes 68 degrees is beautiful in January, just not in New Jersey.