It’s Pretty Easy Being Green

Well, she got your attention, didn't she?

After going to see Al Gore and the makers of his film, An Inconvenient Truth, speak about the global-warming crisis last week, I was inspired to make some changes to my own energy-consumption habits. I live in New York City, so I already use public transportation instead of a car, but I figure I can do better. Today I visited climatecrisis.org and used the online calculator to figure out how many pounds of carbon dioxide my lifestyle is contributing to the atmosphere. I weighed in at 5,400 pounds—not terrible compared with the American average of 15,000, but far from the ideal, which would be zero.

Then I visited the Web site for my utilities provider, ConEdison, and discovered (after some digging—they sure aren’t advertising sustainable-energy programs front and center on their homepage) that I could enroll in a program called Green Power that would allow me to buy energy from local wind, solar and low-impact hydroelectric sources (many utility companies have similar programs—check your company's Web site for details) . It will cost only a few extra dollars a month and will help to cut down on fossil-fuel consumption. That alone will bring my carbon net down to 4,600 pounds.

Next, I’m planning to sign up for a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program in my neighborhood. Basically, I’ll buy a subscription to a nearby farm, and the farmer will bring me a bag of fresh vegetables every week from now till October. This will ensure that most of my food is grown organically and locally, cutting down on the fossil fuels used to ship foods from distant destinations.

The final big contributor to my carbon output is air travel. I fly at least eight times a year, and planes are not gas-sippers. There’s not much I can do to increase the fuel-efficiency of 747s, but I can offset the impact by buying bundles of clean-energy credits—CoolWatts—from nativeenergy.com. Each $2 bundle offsets a ton of carbon dioxide emissions while funding alternative-energy programs and getting you closer to carbon-neutral. Just one bundle will get me to zero for the year, but maybe I’d better purchase a few more to offset the damage done by the gas-guzzling hoopty I drove during college. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the July issue of PopSci, in which we lay out our 10-point plan for solving the energy crisis….  —Megan Miller

Related: The Life Aquatic

Comments

[Grant Lockie]

Carbon Dioxide is not pollution.
The "Home Harvest" folks are making good money selling CO2 generators to Greenhouse farmers to boost their crops... here http://www.homeharvest.com/carbondioxideenrichment.htm
Do all the greenery on the planet a favour and keep the supply of extra CO2 coming, it is a valuable fertiliser.

No need to worry - CO2 is not a greenhouse gas at all, Water Vapour causes all the Earth's greenhouse effect - Water Vapour is up to 40,000 parts per million volume of air - variable - typically 10,000 - and it's molecule has a greenhouse effect three times that of Carbon Dioxide.
Carbon Dioxide at a concentration of 370 parts per million volume is, in effect, not actually a Greenhouse gas at all.

http://home.austarnet.com.au/yours/Greenhouse_Bullcrap.htm

[Gildas Dubois]

Much in same sense that crack is not addictive, but creates a rich and innovative innercity market and culture.

G.Dubois

[Changed to protect the guilty]

Don't forget, the best way to stop your CO2 production is to stop breathing.

[Juanita]

There really is no "debate" about the nature of global warming at this point. Scientists have established that the problem exists (as if the spate of hurricanes, melting glaciers, rising temperatures and earthquakes weren't empirical evidence enough), and now it's time to start fixing the problem. It's true that carbon dioxide feeds plants, but that's kind of beside the point when we're churning out so much of it that the icecaps are melting and some of our favorite planty places are being submerged by floodwaters.

[Jason Pierce]

Global Warming is garbage science, just as Global Cooling was garbage science two decades ago, just as Overpopulation was garbage science three decades ago. The only constant in this world is the level of fear and panic a few chicken littles can create whenever Mother Nature does something we don't like or don't understand. We're fleas on a dog, folks, fleas on a dog.

[David]

garbage science
+ political motives
x financial gain
--------------------
global warming!

[Spoonman]

Garbage science...as opposed to Unintelligent Design (I just can't bring myself to type it normally), which is fully supported by the scientific community.

[Scribbler]

The idea that we, as a species that is the result of many millions of years of work by nature, are currently capable of affecting that nature to such a great degree as the global warming crowd would like us to believe, is pure hubris. Like the commenter above said, fleas on a dog. At most, we give the planet a mild itch.

But aside from our current insignificance, the environment and our evil impact on it is another thing people have 'faith' in. Well, boys and girls, maybe you should have faith that the environment made a sentient tool-using people for a reason; considering there were other species of primates that evolved far enough to have rudimentary tool-making/using abilities, we were just better. And I can't help but think that any environment that would do so may have a reason to do it.

Not saying that we should be ingnorant towards our affect on the environment, just saying that losing a few species here or there won't kill it, and that maybe Gaia wouldn't mind it at all if we're able to stop the next extinction level event, whether that be rock or volcano or space-phlegm.

But then again, that sounds far too much like what all the Jesus-freaks believe, so we can't even begin to ponder it, no?

[Marcel R.]

Not sure that the fleas on a dog analogy is to your favor. Fleas on a dog, if bad enough, can cause anemia and kill it.

[Pete]

It's a shame that Mr. Gore doesn't believe enough in his own "Inconvenient Truth" to stop flying around the globe in a private jet to give a powerpoint presentation.

If his assertions are true, his behaviour is horribly irresponsible. He produces more C02 on a day-to-day basis than most people will be responsible for in a year.

[Steve S.]

Of cours, Pete, that'd make you (and every company making money from the status quo) happy if nobody bothered to tell others about what's going on. Then the net change would be... oh, wait, small.

Why, that almost sounds like you and Grant ("CO2's good for plants which is why there's so many on Venus") Lockie have a vested interest in things staying the same...

[anonymous]

Pete: Gore flies in his personal jet, yes; but he also calculates the carbon cost of his home, lifestyle, and global travel. He then purchases offsets on "carbon markets" equal to his carbon usage for the year. From May's Wired: "Last year, for example, Gore and Tipper atoned for their estimated 1 million miles in global air travel by giving money to an Indian solar electric company and a Bulgarian hydroelectric project."

[Gary]

The overwhelming consensus of scientists now agree that global warming is real, and it is caused by human activity. In recent years a wide variety of evidence has begun to prove this quite clearly. Ironically, it is "scientists" in the employ of American energy lobbyists who have worked hard to deliberately create the impression that there is still valid scientific debate on this issue. Their main methodology is an unsubstantiated claim that thousands of respectable scientists around the world are somehow involved in a vast conspiracy to fake their science about global warming simply so they can "get more funding" -- something I find highly dubious -- and yet these same people have utter faith in the claims of corporations who have a clear financial interest in denying global warming. Unfortunately, it seems thousands will die and our economies will be devastated by ever more frequent floods, droughts, and hurricanes before the majority of people wake up -- and by then, it may be too late. Hang in there, Megan.

[Nick]

There is no proven link to anthropogenic CO2 and the current warming trend we are seeing. We are in a turbulent period of the current interglacial (hey, 15,000 years ago it was about 3-4 degrees C cooler, and the ice caps extended down to 40-50 degrees from the equator) that has natural cyclical variations in temperature. We just came out of the little ice age, which was defined by shorter growing seasons and famine, which itself was preceded by the Medieval Warm period, which was preceded by the Cold Dark Ages, which was preceded by the Roman Warm Period. The two mentioned warm periods were WARMER than the climate is at present, and were marked by the expansion of human society across the globe, longer growing periods, vineyards in England (where it is impossible to grow wine grapes today). Why do you think Iceland is called Iceland and Greenland, Greenland? Because of the periods in which they were discovered. Greenland didn't use to be an ice sheet, and supported maize growing Nordic settlements. Until the climate decided to drop the thermostat a few degrees and it was abandoned.

As for the glaciers we all seem to be lamenting, they have grown and subsided for centuries. When the next cooling cycle takes place, as quite a few scientists are worried about after about 2012 due to an approaching solar minimum cycle, they will likely start growing again.

Really people, read past the newspapers and actually research the data that is out there. There are many well informed climate skeptics that make better arguments than those who cherry pick data, use poorly understood proxies, and promote a climate of fear. Besides, Kyoto will have no impact, and over 400 coal power plants are planed before 2012 in the US, China and India. People want power, and they wont give it up.

So rather than try to stop wont may or may not be human induced global warming, focus instead on fostering energy security so we don't have to prop up despotic regimes that control the world's oil. This means moving towards renewables, plug-in hybrids, and coal to gas.

There's plenty more to read at my site http://greenr.com

-Nick

[P Smith]

I just leased a Gas Guzzling 469hp Cadillac STS-V. I travel a lot also. I am a little worried about my carbon footprint.

[TomL]

It is inevitable that a high-profile site like this one would attract trolls (albeit somewhat more polite trolls than the ones on many blogs). Nevertheless, it is unwise to feed trolls, who cannot be convinced and feed on your time and energy. Corporations that profit from the release of carbon into the atmosphere will continue to finance global warming skeptics until the last glacier melts and the last coastal city is inundated, either by rising oceans or mega-hurricanes. They would love to continue the debate as long as it inhibits action. Trolls have the right of free speech but they do not have the right to be taken seriously.

[Megan]

P Smith: If you're interested you could help to offset your carbon footprint by purchasing a monthly Nativeenergy.com CoolWatts bundle. I think for a large vehicle it's just $8/month. Good luck!

[robert]

i know a good way to decrease the amounts of CO2,just grow a tree it doesn't even have to be a big one and it will cost you less than 15 bucks

[Gary]

Nick says above "We just came out of the little ice age, which was defined by shorter growing seasons and famine" in trying to prove that Global Warning isnt happening. I Have just read and article on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4755328.stm that says the cause of this was, Because there was less carbon in the atomosphere because, wait for it.. the Plague.. IE less people.. MORE TREES GREW and 300 years of colder weather.... However before we think oh thats ok then lets just plant more forests this will not work either i'm afraid. Apparently although CO2 is absorbed by trees, The forests also produce CO2 and with the current levels of CO2 the effect will be that the forests will soon release more CO2 than they keep.. read.. http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/globalcooling/ for more information on this. THE ONLY ANSWER it seems is to educate people and stop our addiction to carbon and to find ways to reduce our footprints. WALK your kids to school, buy local produce and holiday in your own country.

[Nathan - How To Prevent Global Warming Newsletter]

I'm amazed at how many people on here are saying they think global warming is bad science. Have any of you looked at the recent scientific reports coming out?

The evidence is overwhelming. Humans are contributing to global warming and we need to act now to reduce our CO2 emmissions!

[Cristina E]

HAS EVERYONE FORGOTTEN ABOUT POLLUTION?
Geez, with all this 'debate' about global warming/climate change, people have forgotten that even if global warming is a joke, the stuff we spew out of our homes, factories, cars, sewers etc. cause disease, destroy our fisheries, wetlands, forests...
Remember, environmentalists were around before Al Gore.

--Cristina E

[Jesika]

I can't believe all the god damn idiots on here. Grant, David , and Jason it seems as though you fell off the f&@#in dumb tree and hit every branch. Go to your nearest library and sit down and read the scientific journals about global warming. The evidence will date back to somewhere around the 60's when they started investigating the overwhelming trends.
Really people is conserving energy a bad thing? Even if global warming is all a conspiracy why can't you use cold water tide or ride your bike downtownn instead of driving? Like how the freakin hell is conserving energy bad? Don't be stupid peeople. To think that all our energy sources are renewable is so, so, so ignorant. That's something you could expect from an adolecent, thinking they're invincible and that your actions have no consequences.
And everyone, you need to know that the past ice ages happened because back then there were no cars, or electricity, etc. so yeah the cooling and warming trend was normal. When you've thrown all the crap in the air that we do, then the cooling and warming trend aren't really a duo anymore.
Jesus just watch nat'l geographic if you're too lazy to read. Watch the damn scientists dig out logs of ice and listen to them talk about how frighteningly thin the ice shelves are and that it's a trend that continues which means that they're melting and are not regaining at all!!!!Why do you think the god damn polar bears are drowning? Jackasses!

[Scott VanPala]

Al Gore cherry picks his facts. Here are some other facts:

Polar bears in 1970: 7,000
Polar bears in 2005: 22,000
you are 4 times more likely too see a drowned polar bear.

Global warming is happening on Mars. Proving it is a natural occurence.

Laying a co2 chart over a temperature chart fits only adequately and doesnt account for cooling periods, i.e. the 1960's. Laying a solar activity chart over a temp chart fits perfectly

Nuclear power is the cleanest, greenest, SAFEST, and longest lasting power mankind knows of. But the green beans dont want to hear it because it would limit their plight and/or funding.

Human kind is more threatened by large space asteroids. But no one is speaking about that because you cant blame it on anyone.

For every scientist that believes in global warming, there is one who doesn't. But they are encouraged NOT to speak out because they get ostracized.

San fransico wanted a ban on cars in the 60's because of global cooling.

2005 was the hottest year on record- out of only 120 of 100,000,000+ years the earth has supported life. (comparing surface temps with ice core temps are apples & oranges)

How many hurricance made land fall in 2006? NONE

Jesus Christ and Julious Ceasar lived in a time 2 degrees HOTTER than we do.

And the best for last. April, 2007, global warming protest was cancelled due to cold weather.

Bottom line: global warming is a natural earth cycle.

[jackee]

Pretty Easy Being Green nice article i read and enjoy it i love also wine blogs because i am a wine lover

[tony]

nice article i read all this article its wonderful i also blogging in alcoholic things i like whisky voda and differnt type of alcoholic drink