Save the planet: Get involved

Get Involved: Save the Planet

The most important thing you can do to slow global warming is to get involved. In fact, this campaign was inspired by President Barack Obama's call to ordinary Americans to become the change we wish to see in the world. Truth to tell, I have been profoundly saddened by Canada's slow, dishonourable slide off the international stage. We are now one of two or three developed nations standing in the way of a comprehensive agreement to combat climate change. At the climate summit in Bali last December, the Canadian and American delegations were booed!

But the old Earth Day expression — Think Global, Act Local — still makes a great deal of sense. An ordinary person can still make a difference. Every Canadian and American emits more than 20 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, more than any country in the G8, and five times as much as the average Chinese, or 20 times as much as the average Indian.

The Conservative government's plan, called Turning the Corner, will actually see our emissions rise dramatically over the next dozen years. Emissions at the Alberta Tar Sands, for example, are expected to triple!

And so ordinary Canadians need to make a difference. Explain to friends and family and neighbors that the Liberals and the Green Party are proposing a tax shift, not a tax increase. If you decrease your carbon footprint, you'll pay fewer taxes every year. And the NDP plan will work differently, but with a similar result.

Cutting Carbon

So here are 10 ways to cut carbon, stolen from a David Suzuki Foundation brochure. We've added a few notes here and there. For example, if you need to drive an old car, learn to ecodrive. We've been doing it, and we've improved out fuel economy by more than 25 percent (and I thought that I was an eco-driver before!).

1) Get informed and get involved. Read books and newspapers and watch films and DVDs about global warming. Then talk to your neighbours, co-workers, friends, family and community groups about ways to reduce global warming. I'll post a list of books soon.

2) Fly less. Business travelers can take advantage of great new technologies such as video conferencing and webcasting. And explore new areas close to home for your next vacation. Travel by train, when you can.

3) Take public transport (walk, bike, car pool). Consider moving to a location where taking transit and walking are an easy alternative to driving to work.

4) Take care of your trash. Composting all organic waste – and recycling paper, cardboard, cans and bottles – will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfills. Methane, produced by landfills, has 21 times the greenhouse gas potency of carbon dioxide.

5) Create an energy efficient home. Look for the “EnergyStar” label when purchasing new appliances, and replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Remember to switch off lights when you leave a room, and unplug all appliances that are not being used. Explore alternative ways to heat your home, including high-efficiency Combined Heat and Power (CHP) that are all the rage in Europe.

6) Purchase your electricity from sustainable energy sources. If renewable energy is not available from your utility, consider purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates, which are like using green power. Write your utility and tell them you want more renewable energy sources!

7) Get your home an energy audit. Many communities now have local groups that will come into your home and give you an energy audit. It will reduce your energy consumption and save a bundle.

8) Eat wisely. Choose foods that are local, organic and low on the food chain whenever possible. Make the most of seasonal foods. Vegetables have a lighter carbon footprint than meat, so maybe make one vegetarian meal per week.

9) If you buy a car, make fuel efficiency a top priority. Think about the day ahead and plan your trips so that you run as many errands as you can at once. If you have an older car, practice Eco-Driving principles!

10) Go carbon neutral! After you’ve reduced, recycled and reused, you will still have a carbon footprint – we all do. Become one of a growing group of people who are becoming carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets.

The Suzuki Nature Challenge has other tips for fighting climate change.

Lest we forget: global warming is ultimately about people

Climate change leading to dramatic surge in refugees

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