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Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day to everyone! (255 words) What can you do to make a difference - pick up a copy of our book, Trash Talk, & we'll show you a myriad of simple ideas to reduce consumption of resources & new ways to manage your contribution to the...
HOW GEEN HOUSE GASES WILL DESTROY THE EARTH
Title: HOW GREENHOUSE GASES WILL DESTROY THE EARTH. Author: Arthur Zulu Contact Author: mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com Copyright: Copyright © Arthur Zulu 2002 Word Count: 515 Web Address: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975 Publishing...
Saving Money by Saving Electicity
Are you aware of how much electricity you consume every day?
With the rising price of fuel, energy costs are on the rise. And
yet, electricity is still one of the most wasted forms of energy
on the planet. There are many ways to save...
The Top 10 Benefits of Spiritual Environmental Design
What would your life be like if you were surrounded by "feel good" people, places, and things so that your spirit really gets the chance to soar? This top ten, taken from CoachVille's Personal Environments Community at...
Water Conservation at the Kitchen Sink
Water Conservation at the Kitchen Sink (577 words) It can sometimes be difficult to visualize the importance and direct effect that simple conservation efforts can have when we are bombarded with negative information regularly. Lets take a look at...
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A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car
We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and
go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and
friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But
automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air
we breathe and, in the larger scope of life, by creating
unusual climate changes.
But there is a simple thing you can do to offset the
negative environmental effects of driving your car, and It
costs less than $100 a year.
HOW DRIVING YOUR CAR AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT
If you drive a standard American automobile, your car emits
about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year.
That's three times the weight of the car! If you drive an
SUV, your car emits around 20,000 pounds of CO2 each year.
CO2 is a major "greenhouse gas." Back around 1800, before
there were cars and industry, the CO2-concentration in the
air was about 280 ppm (1 ppm CO2= one molecule of CO2 per
one million molecules of air). Today, as the result of human
activities, the CO2-concentration in the air is about 370
ppm, and increasing by 1.7 ppm every year. And we're adding
CO2 faster than it decomposes. Every molecule of CO2 we add
to the atmosphere stays there for about 100 years.
Many scientists are warning that this increase in CO2 is
raising the average temperature of the planet, known as the
"greenhouse effect." The widely respected WorldWatch
Institute has warned that severe climate change could
include major shifts in weather patterns and agricultural
zones, resulting in droughts and floods. A wide range of
human and natural systems could be disrupted, displacing
long-standing economic and social systems as well as
established ecosystems.
Twenty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the
atmosphere every year comes from driving cars. That is a
significant percentage. This won't be changed by
international protocols or government regulations. But each
one of us can make a difference by reducing our own CO2
emissions.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS PRODUCED BY DRIVING
YOUR CAR
CO2 emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil
fuels for energy. When you drive your car, use public
transportation, use electricity in your home or at work, or
fly on an airplane, you are contributing CO2 emissions into
the air. Most consumer products you buy are made with energy
from burning fossil fuels that produce CO2.
But there are also other ways to make energy. Renewable
energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass are called
"clean" energy sources because they don't produce CO2.
Today, various products are available that allow you to
offset the CO2 you produce by purchasing an equivalent
amount of energy from renewable sources that do not produce
CO2. This CO2-free energy flows into a local or national
grid, eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels that would
create the same amount of CO2. So while your car is still
adding CO2 to the atmosphere, your purchase of renewable
energy is subtracting the same amount of CO2 that would have
gone into the atmosphere someplace else.
TerraPass is one organization that has a program to purchase
renewable energy to offset the CO2 produced by your car. You
simply choose the TerraPass that corresponds to the type of
car and number of miles you drive. Terra Pass guarantees the
money from your membership will result in a reduction of
carbon dioxide that counterbalances the pollution from your
car through the purchase of renewable energy certificates.
You get a TerraPass decal for your car and the good feeling
that you are doing something to keep our climate as nature
intended.
My husband and I each purchased a TerraPass for our cars. A
TerraPass for my husband's efficient Geo Metro was only
$39.95/year and my TerraPass for my Honda Del Sol was
$49.95/year. A small price to pay to do something real and
practical to protect our beautiful planet.
About the Author
Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra
Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products
and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the
environment since 1982. Visit her website at
http://www.dld123.com to learn more about her new book Home
Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to
browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and
earthwise products.
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| Governmental department whose mission is to advance energy technology and promote related innovation in the United States. |
| www.energy.gov |
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| Department of Energy - Page not found! |
| US Department of Energy information for consumers, business, and communities. Links to many energy pages of the DOE. |
| www.energy.gov |
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| Energy Quest Room |
| California Energy Commission's energy and environmental education site for students, parents and teachers. Includes information, Q&As, projects, ... |
| www.energyquest.ca.gov |
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| The Energy Story - Introduction |
| Detailed guide explains what energy is and where it comes from. |
| www.energyquest.ca.gov |
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| EIA Energy Kids Page - energy facts, fun, games and activities |
| Features various sections about energy including what it is and the forms it comes in. Find out how humans use energy through quizzes and a 'fun facts' ... |
| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy ... |
| Section of the US Department of Energy (DOE) providing statistics, data, analysis on resources, supply, production, consumption for all energy sources. |
| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Free encyclopedia article explaining the scientific notion of energy. Includes units of measure, energy transformation concepts, types of energy, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| U.S. Department of Energy Awards Contract for Management and Operation of Ames ... The Energy Star label is the government's seal of energy efficiency. ... |
| www.doe.gov |
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| Home : ENERGY STAR |
| US EPA Energy Star programs and products help save the environment and save consumers money by using less energy through advanced design or construction. |
| www.energystar.gov |
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| National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Home Page |
| Facility of the US Department of Energy (DOE) for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment. |
| www.nrel.gov |
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| European Commission - Energy - Home page |
| Welcome to the European Commission's "Energy" website ... A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy ... |
| ec.europa.eu |
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| DTI - Energy - Introduction |
| The DTI’s Energy Group deals with energy-related matters, ... UK energy statistics are provided, including production, consumption and prices. ... |
| www.dti.gov.uk |
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| U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Home Page |
| US Department of Energy web site for information on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. |
| www.eere.energy.gov |
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| Energy for America's Future |
| Provides an overview of President Bush's energy policies. |
| www.whitehouse.gov |
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| International Energy Agency |
| Energy Security, Growth and Sustainability through Co-operation and Outreach. |
| www.iea.org |
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| energywatch: Home Page |
| Independent gas and electricity consumer watchdog, providing help to domestic, commercial or industrial energy (gas and electricity) consumers. |
| www.energywatch.org.uk |
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| EnergyAustralia - Home |
| Details of one of Australia's largest and oldest gas and electricity supply companies. Includes information on accounts, energy saving tips, appliance sales ... |
| www.energy.com.au |
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| U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources |
| Has jurisdiction over energy policy, regulation, and research. Also deals with energy and mineral conservation, ports used for energy transport, irrigation, ... |
| energy.senate.gov |
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| bloomberg energy prices |
| www.bloomberg.com/energy/ - Similar pages |
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| Energy Bulletin |
| A clearinghouse of information concerning the peak in global energy such as oil and gas. |
| www.energybulletin.net |
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