| With Americans creating almost three times | | | | now to apply your skills towards making a |
| the amount of carbon emissions as citizens of | | | | difference. Opportunities abound in sales, |
| other countries, and climate change on | | | | education, installation, design, and |
| everyone's lips and minds, now is the time | | | | engineering, for a variety of types of |
| for action. Here are eight ways you can | | | | emerging green companies. |
| shrink your carbon footprint and reduce your | | | | |
| family's impact on the planet. | | | | Think globally, act locally. In our global |
| | | | world, the transport of materials, from food |
| Food not lawns. The production, | | | | to lumber, adds a tremendous amount of carbon |
| transportation and distribution of food | | | | dioxide to our atmosphere. Buying local is a |
| releases millions of tons of carbon into the | | | | great way to reduce how much carbon is |
| atmosphere. Consider taking out your lawn | | | | embodied in your shopping cart, while |
| (which consumes vast amounts of water), and | | | | supporting your local economy. Learning |
| use your yard to cultivate edible vegetables | | | | skills and "doing it yourself," whether in |
| which remove carbon dioxide from the air! | | | | your house, car, garden, or neighborhood, is |
| | | | about as local as you can get. |
| Build it green. The construction of buildings | | | | |
| accounts for almost 10% of the world's | | | | Install renewables. Wind, water, and solar |
| production of greenhouse gases. Houses built | | | | power save money, reduce carbon emissions and |
| using green principles and technologies can | | | | provide cleaner sources of energy. These |
| be much more energy efficient than | | | | alternative energies have become increasingly |
| conventional houses, and save money from the | | | | affordable and are easy to use in homes and |
| moment building starts all the way to the end | | | | businesses. |
| of a building's life cycle. | | | | |
| | | | Educate yourself and join others! The power |
| Change Your fuel. Cars are the best-known | | | | is ours to create a safer, healthier, more |
| cause of carbon emissions in the country. | | | | sustainable future. Visit the Solar Living |
| With gas prices skyrocketing and fossil fuels | | | | Center to explore real life examples of |
| becoming more and more scarce, it is high | | | | implemented solutions. Our 12 acres include |
| time to switch to a more sustainable fuel. | | | | demonstrations of renewable energy, |
| Plant-based fuels such as biodiesel and | | | | alternative fuels, green building, |
| ethanol have made a comeback recently | | | | permaculture, and sustainable living |
| | | | technologies. We welcome volunteers, donors, |
| Use energy efficiently. Most electricity is | | | | and friends. We have the tools to turn |
| produced by the burning of coal, a major | | | | inspiration into action! |
| contributor to carbon emissions. Thankfully, | | | | |
| there are many easy ways to save electricity | | | | Established in 1998 as a spin-off from Real |
| every day. Designing your home with passive | | | | Goods Trading Company, the Solar |
| solar, buying energy saving fixtures and | | | | |
| appliances, choosing double-paned windows, | | | | Living Institute in Hopland, CA, is a |
| and turning down your thermostat in favor of | | | | 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization |
| a sweater can keep carbon out of the | | | | whose mission is to promote sustainable |
| atmosphere and comfort in your home. | | | | living through inspirational |
| | | | environmentaleducation. |
| Work for change. There is no better time than | | | | |