Climate Crisis Solutions

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) last up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and use only a fraction of the energy, saving you money over their lifespan.

By planting trees, you can reduce home cooling costs by as much as 50%and grow yourself a little shade on a warm summer day.

If just 1 million homes switched entirely to solar power, we’d cut yearly CO2 emissions by 7 million tons.

If just 1 million households each replaced 4 traditional lightbulbs with Compact Fluorescents (CFL), we’d eliminate 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases.

1.5 million tons of plastic are used to make bottles every year, a waste that could instead power electricity in 250,000 homes.

Calculate your carbon footprint at www.liveearth.org and aim to reduce your individual output by 1 ton.

If just 1 million people cut down their trash by 10%, we could reduce our yearly CO2 emissions by as much as 50,000 tons.

If a million people each replaced just 1 incandescent bulb with a Compact Fluorescent (CFL), we could eliminate more than 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
You can make 20 new cans from recycled material with the same energy it takes to make 1 from scratch.

	Turning down your thermostat just 1 degree can cool your heating costs by 3%.
Wash your clothes in cold water and save yourself up to $400 a year in bills.
Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire year.
Contact your local energy utility about available eco-friendly, green power. Ask for it, demand it, and if you don’t live in a green zone, support the movement by investing in renewable energy certificates.
Consider bamboo the next time you’re landscaping your yard; bamboo stores more CO2 and generates 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.

Computers use up to 70% less electricity when you put them to sleep instead of using a screensaver.

Paper represents more than 70% of office waste. Print and copy on both sides of the page before taking it to the recycling bin.

Look for greener opportunities; recycling is already a $50 billion a year industry with solar power expected to exceed that in the next 10.

Motion sensor lighting can reduce your average energy consumption by as much as 33%.
If just 1 million people shut down their office PCs overnight, we could eliminate up to 45,000 tons of CO2 per year.

	For every 3 meetings held by video conference instead of flying cross-country, it would be like taking a car completely off the road for an entire year.
Find and report ways to reduce waste and inefficiencies in your job, whether you work in a restaurant, factory, farm, or office.


	The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

	Globally, we use as many as 1 million new plastic bags every MINUTE at a cost of 2.2 billion gallons of oil a year. Go reusable whenever, wherever.
Over 25% of your daily household waste consists of excessive packaging used to ship your purchases to the shelf. Next time you’re at the market, shop around for less packaging.
Purchasing 100% post-consumer recycled paper lightens your carbon footprint by 5 pounds of CO2 per ream.

By purchasing digital music online you can help conserve the oil consumed in transporting CDs to and from the store.

Support companies with top environmental records and future-forward products. Visit www.theclimategroup.org for more information.

A 100-guestroom hotel can save an estimated 72,000 gallons of water a year through a linen and towel reuse program. You don’t wash your towel everyday at home, do you?

For only $80 you can purchase a portable solar charger to juice up your next playlist.

Encourage “green” spending by asking your local retailers to move their eco-friendly products to eye-level.

The most fuel-efficient gasoline cars on the road today get 35-40 miles per gallon with hybrids topping out at 50-60. Next time you’re in the market for a new car or truck, buy more efficiency & less CO2 output.

	Buy carbon offsets to help counteract the CO2 pollution from yournext big trip.

	The average commuter burns 340 gallons of gas and creates a 3.4 ton cloud of CO2 a year. Carpool and cut that figure in half.


	If just 1 million people replaced a 5 mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, we could reduce CO2 emissions by about 100,000 tons a year.
Hybrids get roughly 10-20 more miles per gallon than their conventional brothers and put gas money back in your pocket.
Ride public transit and help conserve an estimated 1.4 billion gallons of gas & curb the release of roughly 1.5 million tons of harmful CO2 a year.

Talk to your friends and neighbors about your concerns and interests in the environment; you may be surprised to learn you’re not alone.
Encourage your city to install LED traffic lights which consume 80% less energy than traditional lights and can save a large city millions of dollars a year.
Petition for change in your local governments and get involved in one of the many environmental groups in your area.

	Our planet’s future demands legislation today. Let your civic leaders and representatives know that the polar bears aren’t the only ones skating on thin ice.
Forward your friends a Live Earth text message or email and inspire them to join the movement to combat the climate crisis.

Contact or join a Non-Government Organization and find out what you can do to make a difference in your local community.

Video sharing websites receive millions of hits a day throughout the world; make a video and inspire a global audience with your message.

Fighting to reduce your own carbon footprint is good, convincing others to do the same is even better.

Challenge your city’s professional sports teams to adopt greener policies and turn its resources toward encouraging others to do the same.

Want more? Check out www.livearth.org to learn more about what you can do to combat the climate crisis.

More and more corporate leaders are pledging to fight the climate crisis, reaping huge social and financial rewards by promoting green building standards and enacting comprehensive environmental policies.

New York recently launched a 5-year initiative to "hybridize" the city's taxi fleet and cut its CO2 emissions by an estimated 200,000 tons a year. How does your city roll?

Cities across America are seeing an increasing number of car-sharing programs like Flex-Car in Seattle, which supply convenient access to "community vehicles" at a nominal fee. Is your city the sharing type?

Industry leaders in every field throughout the U.S. are stepping up and committing themselves to renewable energy to meet their companies' growing electricity needs. Get your company to make the same commitment.

Rising seas will put an estimated 70 million African lives at risk of flooding by 2080, displacing an already impoverished people least responsible for climate change. Visit www.oxfam.org today to learn more about how you can help Africa.

By 2025, almost 500 million impoverished Africans will face severe water shortages due in large part to global warming. Without funding and an urgent plan of action, climate change will continue to wreak havoc on an already struggling continent.

Working in concert with specialized contractors, The San Diego School District recently installed solar roofing across 24 of its facilities and expects to reap more than $37 million in total cost-savings over the next 20 years. Inspire your School District to see the light.

More than 100,000 school buses throughout the U.S. circulate in-cabin pollutants up to 5 times more toxic than the air outside. Find your representative's mailing address at www.congress.org and ask him why Congress has yet to deliver on its promise to correct the problem.

Chicago recently launched a tree-planting campaign to lower temperatures, capture CO2, and beautify "heat islands" throughout its bustling city-centers.

The city of Boston has begun installing solar powered trash-compactors throughout city-streets, crunching trash and reducing the number of garbage pickups needed each week.

Though Africa is least responsible for the climate crisis, its people continue to be the most affected by climate change. Industrialized nations must act now to reduce their own emissions and provide financial support to ensure the sustainability of our planet’s poorest continent.

Select Solutions above provided by:

The Global Warming
Survival Handbook
77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change—
or Live Through It

by David de Rothschild

To learn about other solutions and to purchase this book click here.