Over the years humans as they advanced technologically sacrificed the quality of their environment. This generation is now beginning to reap the results of years of abuse or our environment. So what a person do to take better care of the environment we all live in?
Tips to save energy
Reduce your carbon footprint! Use public transportation, carpool, walk, or bike whenever possible to avoid using your car. Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,600 pounds per year. Whenever possible, combine activities and errands into one trip. For daily commuting, consider options like telecommuting (working from home via phone or over the Internet) that can reduce the stress of commuting, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save you money.
Don’t idle! Remind your school bus driver to turn off the engine when the bus is parked to eliminate harmful pollution.
Buy or switch to energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs. Look for the Energy Star label.
eCycle - take your old computers or other electronics to a local recycling center. This helps keep lead, cadmium, and other substances out of the landfill.
Check to see how much of your electricity is generated using renewable sources, like wind, solar, or other types.
Leaving your car at home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions over 1,500 pounds per year. The burning of fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change, but these emissions can be reduced by improving your car's fuel efficiency.
As you start your spring cleaning, do a home energy audit and switch to Energy Star products. When buying new products, such as appliances for your home, get the features and performance you want AND help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Renovating your home? You can build with designs and materials to conserve energy and materials, and save money in the long run. The buildings in which we live, work, and play protect us from nature's extremes, yet they also affect our health and environment in countless ways. As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent, a new field called "green building" is gaining momentum. Green, or sustainable, building is the practice of creating and using healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance and demolition.
During hot weather, don't top off your gas tank. Even a small gas spill adds to air pollution and wastes fuel. Gasoline vapors contribute to bad ozone days and are a source of toxic air pollutants such as benzene. Evaporation from the spillage of gas from overfilling can occur, contributing to the air pollution problem. Remember you pay for the gas that evaporates or is spilled on the ground.
You can reduce polluted storm water runoff -- simply pick up your pet's waste; don't leave it to wash away after a rain. Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and flow into a storm sewer image of person standing over eroded streamsystem or directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or coastal water. Anything that enters a storm sewer system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water.
Test your home for radon. Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that causes lung cancer. The only way to know if your home contains high radon levels is to test for it.