As some of you must have noticed by now, I have been reading books from Random House a lot in the last few months. I just wanted to bring your attention to a new book coming in October. It is called Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning by George Monbiot. I am not a very vocal speaker on the subject, but I am always trying to do my part for the better of the environment. Deanna, the blogger responsible for My Tragic Right Hip, is very big on this subject. She also works for Random House, and sent me this list compiled by the author of this new book. The list is as follows:
How You Can Stop the Planet From Burning
Ten Tips by George Monbiot
Author of Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning
1. Cut your flights. Nothing else you do causes so much climate change in so short a time.
2. Think hard before you pick up your car keys. On average, 40% of the journeys made by car could be made by other means - on foot, by bicycle or on public transport.
3. Organise a "walking bus" to take the children to school.
4. Ask your boss to devise a "workplace travel plan" which rewards people for leaving their cars at home.
5. Switch over to a supplier of renewable electricity. You don't have to erect your own wind turbine, but you can buy your power from someone who has.
6. Ask a builder to give you an estimate for bringing your home up to R2000 standards.
7. Ditch your air conditioner.
8. Turn down your thermostat: 18 degrees is as warm as your house ever needs to be. You just have to get used to it.
9. Make sure every bulb in your house is a compact fluorescent or LED.
10. Do NOT buy a plasma TV: they use 5 times as much energy as other models.
I know that some people believe that global warming is a hoax, while some people just pretend it all away. But, even if you don't believe in it, what harm can these ten simple things do.
Anyways, the new book comes out October 17, 2006. I have it on order, because I think it sounds like an interesting book! For more information, visit this link:
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385662215
Also, be sure and check back in here in October for my thoughts on this book! Maybe it sounds silly, but people are always looking for ways to make a difference, maybe this book will be just what you are looking for.
I hope he is kidding with ditching the AC. We have people passing from heat stroke in the summer! LMAO we had no AC once for a whole month and you would not believe how much we sweated all day long. My poor dogs would just plop anywhere and like not move for the day. OMG it was around 90 degrees. Hells no! I am not getting rid of my AC! LOL
ReplyDeleteBut some of those sound reasonable. My mom and I recycle and do little things here and there to help. Will pass these on!
Oh and dude what's your email? I need to ask you some things in preparation for the two blogs.
Here is mine:
mailyns_mail@yahoo.com
5. Switch over to a supplier of renewable electricity. You don't have to erect your own wind turbine, but you can buy your power from someone who has.
ReplyDeleteReaders who wish to buy wind power to cover their own energy needs can do so. If you don't feel that you can afford to go 100% wind, a very inexpensive option is to buy 10% or 20%. For the average household, the cost will be 5-10 cents a day . . .
For info on green power suppliers, see "Your Electric Choices" at www.green-e.org.
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org
Sorry, should add one more thing:
ReplyDelete11. Support an extension of the federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC).
Altogether, U.S. wind resources are enough to provide several times our current electricity use, although other sources (or storage) would still be needed because of the variability of the wind.
The key ingredient for wind's continued expansion? Continuing the federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC), which reduces a wind farm owner's tax payments by 1.9 cents for each kilowatt-hour of electricity the wind farm generates during the first 10 years of its operation. The PTC is currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2007. If the credit is extended for several years, we will see much greater use of this clean energy resource. Readers can help support this and other pro-wind laws here.
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org
Well, there are things you can do to live without air conditioning, like ceiling fans and the like.
ReplyDeleteAnd no offence, but the whole point your dogs are so hot is because of global warming and wouldn't you want to enjoy the Earth for a little bit longer?
Just a thought...
And if you do use air conditioning, you can always buy energy credits -- contribute the same cost of the air to WWF or Pollution Probe or one of the other charities in Canada (if you live in Canada) or, as the fellow above says, find an alternative source, like Bullfrog Power.