06 July 2007 - International
— Climate change is a big problem. There
are lots of different solutions, and lots
of people all working on them in their own
ways. Today we're highlighting a few of
the things people are doing to play their
part.
An easy way to get involved is to sign
up for the 7 steps. This gets you seven
chances to take real tangible action on
climate change - one email per week for
seven weeks with all the tips and tools
you need. But the 7 steps isn't the only
way to help.
Here are some stories and tips from people
here in the office and on the Greenpeace
forum about what they're doing...
I added a little sign on my bike: "Climate
is changing - how about you?"
It gets people thinking - gosh, this girl
is riding her bike, I could do that too.
Granted, in a bike city, it's easier done,
but the point is still made pretty well:
to counter climate change we have to change
our everyday habits too.
-- juliettelucie
Yesterday, Greenpeace Netherlands delivered
20 tons of coal to Amsterdam headquarters
of the energy company Nuon. It was a "return
to sender" message, saying "hey,
coal is a dirty business, because burning
it will contribute to climate change, and
you guys want to build five new coal-fired
power plants here in the Netherlands!"
We displayed a banner saying "Help
Ons Klimaat - Niet Naar De Kolen!"
("Help Our Climate - Don't 'Coal' It
Up!"). 20 tons of coal is a REALLY
big pile of coal, so we were arrested for
partly blocking the entrance to Nuon.
-- Page
Here are the things I'm doing:
* When oil prices are on the run, driving
is no more fun
* When I drive for pleasure, I always think
about Mother Nature
* I take the bus to avoid all the fuss
* I dry my clothes outdoors and indoors
and I shove the dryer out the door
* I don't turn the lights on if I'm moving
on
* Thinking green should be my business because
being green is good business
* When I drive one less mile, I end the
day with a big smile
That's all folks! Sorry for using only
one-liners in my descriptions.
- Chungtfung
listin's garden....
[ Editor's note: Eating food grown closer
to home reduces your climate footprint,
and it doesn't get any closer to home than
a home garden. ]
I'm house sitting for two months. First
thing I did when I moved in was unplug everything
- the microwave, TV, DVD player, stereo,
etc. All that stuff was on "standby",
sucking up electricity without doing anything.
Next, I checked all the lights for energy
wasting (incandescent) lightbulbs. :)
-- Andrew
My last hot water heater was 16 years old,
and was really not working well (i never
really looked forward to a supposed 'hot'
shower in the morning that in reality ran
hot and cold all the time!). It was also
incredibly inefficient, wasting lots of
energy. When I went to replace it I asked
my local gasfitter which model was the most
efficient, and he recommended a high-efficiency
condensing boiler system. Then I checked
with a friend who's knowledgeable on energy
efficiency, and he said that it was a sound
investment.
The model I wanted cost extra up front,
but it'll pay for itself in savings on my
gas bill and now when I take a shower it's
constant hot water. And i cut my greenhouse
gas emissions too.
Someday, I'll have a passive solar heater
on the roof, which will work with the new
heater to cut down on my gas use even more.
I already buy green electricity (from wind
power), and now that i'll be using less
natural gas to heat my house and hot water,
that will be a further reduction of my carbon
footprint.
-- Gavin
I don't have a car. I don't even have a
license. Even my dog is a big fan of public
transportation. He loves trams and trains.
That and I'm an energy efficient vegan
with a dawning CFL fetish.
- Thinner
Actually I have a funny story for you.
I went and had a talk to my local lightbulb
seller. She runs a little hardware story
near my home.
I asked her if she new about coloured compact
florescent lightbulbs, and she told me they
do not exist! Of course they do exist and
I told her this - she was interested because
coloured lightbulbs are very popular in
our area. (I happen to live in the "red
light" district in Hamburg, so this
makes a lot of sense.)
In the end, she was not completely convinced
about how important it is - even though
I told her that CFLs are up to five times
more efficient than regular lightbulbs.
But we had a good conversation and she promised
to look more into it.
-- Nina
Along with a couple of other guys, I'm
in charge of organizing the first sustainable
concert in Spain : P Well, I don't think
we will actually manage to make it sustainable
but we will provide about 50% of the necessary
energy with solar batteries.
-- ursula
Currently I'm bullying my dad into installing
double glazing.
-- sturmovic
