Looking for ways to reduce your impact on global climate change? Try any or all of the following or visit the websites listed below for more information.

Simple Steps

At Home

Air dry
Using the air-dry setting on your dishwasher saves 663 pounds of CO2 per year

Change a bulb
According to the EPA, if every American household replaced the regular bulbs in 5 light fixtures with 5 compact-fluorescent bulbs, we would prevent more than 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions

Plant a tree
One tree will absorb a ton of CO2 over its lifetime

Use water efficiently
Municipal water systems use a lot of energy to purify and deliver water to residents. Reduce the amount of water (especially hot water) you use and you’ll also reduce associated greenhouse gas production; take shorter showers, turn off the water while you brush your teeth or shave or use leftover drinking water to water household plants

Reduce
Buy products with less packaging; reducing your trash production by 10% will save 1200 pounds of CO2 in a year

Reuse
Keeping products or packaging out of the waste stream entirely prevents the release of greenhouse gases in landfills and from incinerators, reduces the need to transport waste and new products, and eliminates the need for new products to be produced and transported to replace what we just threw away

Recycle
Recycling half of your household waste will eliminate the production of 2400 pounds of CO2

Reduce your electric bill
Turn your air conditioner up and your heat down by 2 degrees and save 2000 pounds of CO2 each year; better yet—turn your AC off and open windows during milder spring and summer weather—it not only helps the environment, it also helps your pocketbook

Turn them off
Turn off computers, monitors, lights and printers when they’re not in use to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On the Road

Change your commute
Try commuting by an alternate mode of transportation just once a week--walk, bike, carpool, telework or try transit--Based on an average commute distance of 30 miles roundtrip and 1 pound of CO2 produced for every mile you drive, in a year you can prevent the release of more than 1500 pounds of CO2

Air them up
Under-inflated tires can reduce your gas mileage by up to 3%; every gallon of gas saved translates to 20 pounds of CO2 kept out of the air; if you don’t know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door of your glove compartment or on the driver’s side door pillar

Shed extra pounds
Remove roof racks when they’re not in use or not in season--the extra drag can reduce your fuel efficiency by up to 5%; use overdrive and cruise control when possible; and unload unnecessary weight from your vehicle

Walk or bike for short trips
American drivers now make an average of 3.4 vehicle trips per day, many of these to destinations within 1 mile; replace some of these short trips with a walk or bike ride

Buy smarter
Each gallon of gasoline burned releases approximately 20 pounds of CO2 into the air, so less fuel-efficient vehicles contribute more to global climate change

In the Yard

Use people power
Replace your gas or electric lawn mower with a rotary mower—they’re quieter than their gas or electric counterparts and they produce no greenhouse gas emissions

Let it lie
Yard waste is one of the largest components of the American waste stream (second only to paper). Disposing of yard waste can result in greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of ways: buring yard waste releases CO2, vehicles used to haul yard waste to a landfill or incinerator releases CO2, and the anaerobic breakdown in landfills releases methane. To reduce your emissions, regularly cut your grass to 2-3 inches in length and allow the clippings to decompose where they fall--this will not only save you time, but it also cuts associated emissions and returns valuable nutrients to your yard

Resources

An Inconvenient Truth
Official website of the award-winning documentary, includes additional information on global warming as well as steps you can take to reduce your impact

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Link to the climate change section of the EPA website. Includes background information on climate change, steps you can take to reduce your impact, and additional resources

Global Warming International Center (GWIC)
The international body disseminating information on global warming science and policy, serving both governamental, non-governamental organizations, and industries in more than 145 countries.

Western Regional Climate Action Initiative
Formed by the leaders of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California and New Mexico reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

US Conference of Mayors--Climate Protection
Committed to substantially reducing cities' contributions to climate pollution with actions that make sense for the city, the environment and the economy. Past Initiatives include the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.