I was surfing around on the internet and came across an article titled “Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming.” The number 1 ‘thing’ is to switch to CFLs, but you already knew that. For those of you who have already switched their light bulbs, here are my second through fifth easy global warming fixes.
2) Take a shorter shower
3) No more plastic bottles
4) Wear a sweater—don’t turn up the heat
5) Bring a cloth bag to the grocery store
CFL of the Week: I noticed mini CFLs in the light fixtures in my school’s oldest classroom building—very cool!
Check It Out: http://www.blackle.com/
“Green is the new black.” Everywhere we look—online, in newspapers, in magazines—“going green” dominates headlines. The majority of the solutions involve sacrifice or change in your lifestyle: buying a hybrid car or simply just walking more. Switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents requires 18 seconds of your time with practically zero sacrifice. Transitioning to CFLs should be the norm in American households.
Wow: only 47% of Americans view global warming as a “very serious” problem
Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2 008/04/19/magazine/index.html
CFL of the week: seeing five Hybrid NYC taxis in a row!
Our future looks ‘bright’…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/business /06solar.html?ref=environment
Email me with feedback for the blog or stuff that you think I should feature: peter_ginsberg@loomis.org. I think this has some awesome potential and the more you guys are involved, the better.
I don't understand why more people don't use CFL bulbs. What is the big deal. Considering all the great reasons why we should use them, eg. lower electric bills, fewer carbon emissions, last longer. Relative to our population size, we Americans are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the carbon emissions contributing to global warming. We could all make a difference if we start by using CFL bulbs. And then we start doing other good things.. So what's the big deal. It takes 18 seconds. It isn't like we are saying turn the lights out.. just change the bulb. Let's just make it happen already. Spread the word.
I apologize for my recent lack of attention to the blog. We’ll just consider this juicy entry a “Double Article.”
This week while walking around the city, I was approached by an extremely fast-talking environmentalist. Attempting to persuade congress through local support, her motive became obvious very quickly: sign up as many people as possible to give their credit card for a monthly $20 contribution. Great—more people care about the environment, but do they actually? And is this the right approach to a mass change in order to solve our climate issues? Just taking money to essentially build a campaign? Although it is fantastic to see that more people care, the only way a difference can be made is if people make the difference, not just support it financially.
Many people who know that I am involved with RelightNY often try to poke holes in our system. The most common remark being “Yeah that all sounds great, but it’s so bad when they break! And you can’t throw them out!” Follow the link below to learn every tidbit you want to know about CFLs:
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/pr omotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury .pdf
CFL of the Week: One of my friends from school—who rarely ever calls me—called me. I curiously picked up the phone to hear screaming on the other end: “I GOT MY FAMILY TO SWITCH TO CFLS!!”
Earlier this summer the Relight Team went to Twin Parks housing units in the South Bronx to donate a few thousand CFL bulbs. The NYC owned apartment building houses many senior citizens who pay their own electric bills. It was one of the hottest days we had seen to date. 98 degrees and humid! Relight joined forces with the Clinton Climate Initiative to provide eager residents with some much needed bulbs. The good thing about CFLs is that they release less heat then incandescent light bulbs. On a day where you can practically fry and egg on the side of the road, any way to be the heat is always welcomed. Not only are you beating the heat by using a CFL bulb, but you are also cutting energy costs. When you thought the benefits stopped there....using CFLs lessen the load put on the energy plants. The demand they have to meet during hot summer months are sometimes overwhelming. This is why we sometimes get blackouts. Using CFLs is a great way to avoid blackouts. So if you hate saving money, love sitting under hot lights in the summertime, and can't wait to lose power for extended periods of time... then by all means continue to use your light bulbs. If you feel differently go to a hardware store and get yourself some CFLs. I sure did!
Lately, I have been obsessed about checking for CFL's. When friends invite me to their apartments, I can't help myself. As soon as my friends leave the room, I look under their lamp shades to see whether they have CFL's or whether they still use incandescent bulbs. I drive myself crazy. Okay, so not every one of my friends has been smart enough to make the switch.
Last month I was in a hotel in Boston.. The Liberty. Right off Charles Street. Nice place. Except for one thing. The room had incandescent bulbs in each lamp. What a drag. I don't get it. If the hotel switched to CFL's they would a)look environmentally conscious to their visitors who care about the environment b)they would save tons of money on their electric bills. And when you consider that many people leave hotel lights on in their room, even when they leave, it seems like a no-brainer that hotels would be the first to make the switch. So what gives. Why don't they use cfl's..
So, what do we do? COMPLAIN. Next time you go to a hotel and see that they aren't using CFL's, tell them you want the bulbs changed, or you will stop staying there.
In preparation for my AP US History class this year, this summer I read William Cronon's Changes in the Land and wrote a few reflections. Below is part of the reflection that I wrote for the third and final section of the book. Although a bit random, I believe that this reflection fits into the blog well. Enjoy!
“We live with their legacy today,” says Cronon in the final paragraph of his book. Certainly, the colonists and the Indians had opposite views about how to live in a landscape, but Cronon’s remarks reflect modern day effects of these views: climate change. Now, rather than the opposite views coming from two different continents, the views are from those who are environmentally-conscious and those who are much less so. In recent years, the concept of climate change and global warming has been accepted and promoted internationally, even becoming a fad in our country. Every company touts their “green initiative,” but what does that really mean? Companies claim that they are reducing their “carbon footprint” by using recycled goods, making their packages more efficient, and using less energy. Many farms are switching to organic methods, preserving the natural health of their landscape and of their customers.