Top 10 Things Individuals Can Do

1. Buy energy-efficient electronics and appliances.

Replacing an old refrigerator or an air conditioner with an energy-efficient model will save you money on your electricity bill and cut global warming pollution. Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances or visit their website at www.energystar.gov to find the most energy-efficient products.

2. Reduce Garbage and buy recycled

Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. It takes less energy to manufacture a recycled product than a brand new one. So if you and every other consumer buy recycled, you'll help create a market, and conserve energy along the way. Recycled is often considerably cheaper than non-recycled, so it's cost-effective as well as conservation-minded. For instance, recycled paper can be as much as a third cheaper than non-recycled paper.

3. Plant a Tree and Green your Greens

Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. As for plants, do everything you can in your yard and garden to create ways in which plants use less water. Choose hardier native plants, plant things in groups that need more water and put in mulch to help keep moisture in. When you mow your grass, make sure you do it smartly – with sharp blades, and only when the grass needs cutting. Finally, make sure you water your lawn sparingly. All of these will conserve energy.

4. Drive the change you wish to see in the world

The fact is that your car emits as much CO2 as your entire house. Buying a fuel-efficient car (like a Hybrid) is a great first step and replacing an inefficient car with a fuel-efficient one is by far the best thing you can do, out of all your choices. But not all of us can afford to do this. Alternatively, you can strive to drive less. Telecommuting and public transportation are great options – once a week saves a ton of CO2 a year -- but even piling multiple errands into one trip helps. If you can walk instead of drive, even better.

Get your car tuned up. Just a simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency by half. If 100,000 of us went out and got a tune up, we save 124,000 tons of CO2. Slow down, don't race your car's engine, and watch your idling. All of these save on gas (saving you money) and have a big impact on burning gasoline.

5. Buy Local and Organic Food

Buying locally and reduces the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store. The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce, so also, choose organic. Organic agriculture also sequesters carbon dioxide 9 times more effectively than conventional agriculture.

6. Weatherize and Insulate Your Home

Caulk and weather-strip your doorways and windows. Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Taking all these actions will both help you reduce your emission and help you save money on your energy bill’s.

7. Adjust Your Thermostat

Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

8. Offset what you can’t reduce

Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

9. Mount a local campaign against global warming.

Educate your community about how it can cut global warming pollution. Support measures at the national, state, and local level that:

• Make automobiles go further on a gallon of gas;
• Accelerate the use of clean, renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind;
• Increase energy efficiency and conservation; and
• Preserve forests around the world.

10. Make your vote count at the voting booth and cash register

Choose environmentally conscience candidates and products.

These are just a few things that you can do. For more tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint visit these links:

• 51 Things you can do
• Global warming Action Items