Global Warming - what can we do?

I think the most upsetting aspect of it is how many people just don't care. I was on another forum today (that based on recent things said there, I won't be returning to), and the topic of boycotting Wal-Mart came up. SO many people said, "If I stop shopping there, that's not enough to make a difference." But maybe if ALL of those people who have that mindset stopped shopping there, it could! Lots of people seem to have the attitude of "I can't make any difference by myself right here and now, so there's no point."

As for us, we buy organic, local produce whenever possible (famers' markets start opening this month, YAY!), only have one vehicle, use non-disposable alternatives to things (like cloth diapers, no paper towels or plates, etc.), and try to create as little garbage as possible (reusing things, fixing broken things instead of throwing them away, buying things made from sustainable sources, spending a little more money to get really high quality things that will last for a long time instead of plastic junk, etc).

I have an idea that I wanted to bounce off you all. It is somewhat similar to Cumulus, but a bit more direct action oriented.

I was thinking of starting a website focused on getting moms active in the cause (I'm saying mom, but anyone could join). Each day three suggestions are made (can be e-mailed, or can check at the site) giving an idea of what that person could do that day to make a difference. The suggestions would be on three levels: a basic change, a more involved one, and a long-term action. A small bar graph will show how many people are making a change each day. After 25 days of involvement, a mom could post a blog entry about her changes. After 100 days, their name is listed on an honor roll, etc., etc.

I'm aiming for simplicity (since this would be a "spare time" activity for me - haha - what spare time), POSITIVE energy, and concrete ideas.

I got this idea when I hear an NPR show saying that although politicians know it is a problem, they say their constituents are not in their faces about it.

Here's a basic idea:
So the site says: "yo moms" here are three things you could do today:
>
> Quick and powerful, wash and reuse your ziplock bags;
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> Putting up your dukes, call local school and find out if and when they
> treat the buildings and the property with pesticides and herbicides.
> Mail, fax or drop off a list of less toxic options;
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> Going for gold: Meet the 25% challenge - reduce your family's total
> regular driving time by 25% (car pool, work from home, bicycle, walk,
> bundle trips, public transportation). If you don't drive a car in your
> family, contact your public transportation department and find out what
> they are doing to make their operations less polluting.
>
>
Any thoughts? (This is all in the baby stages

I disagree with Synthea. Yes, global warming is a cyclical function (it is basically our Earth breathing), BUT humans have DEFINITELY accelerated global warming and we CAN slow down OUR contribution.

Here is some info I got off of a quick search on Wikipedia:

Global warming is a term used to describe the trend of increases in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans that has been observed in recent decades. The scientific opinion on climate change, as expressed in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment Report in 2001 and explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the G8 nations in 2005, is that the average global temperature has risen 0.6 ± 0.2 °C since the late 19th century, and that it is likely that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities" [1]. The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, and other human activities, are the primary sources of the human-induced component of warming. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth about 33 °C warmer than it otherwise would be; adding carbon dioxide to a planet's atmosphere, with no other changes, will make that planet's surface warmer.

It may seem as though one person can't make a difference, and to some extent, that is true. I mean, if I am the ONLY person on the planet not using a car, not shopping at Walmart, reusing/reducing/recycling, etc, then yeah, nothing is going to happen. But that's what grassroots is all about baby!! I make some changes, and people see me do this (I have PROOF that this works...my neighbors try to keep up with US...they bought a clothesline after we did, and a reel mower (also have a power mower, but hey, at least their purchase indicated a desire for that product), AND organic lawn fertilizer) then they make changes too!!

Think about Earth Day....it used to be on the absolute fringes and now it is a mainstream event. People are becoming more conscious that the Earth won't just be around forever for us to kick and abuse, we have to be nice and loving! There is definitely a growing movement towards being more earth friendly and conscious and that is a step in the right direction!

I hope you change your mind, Synthea, and realize that YES, humans absolutely have effected global warming (want proof....look at last year's storm season!) but that since we have effected it, we can do something to SLOW IT DOWN!!

Perhaps I shouldn't have posted to this one as I lost all my links in a computer crash, so I can't quote anything without more extensive research and searching for those sites (which I don't have time to do, that's why I say perhaps I should have stayed out of this), but I found that most of the scientists that believe this is the worst it's ever been are alarmists, i.e., our climate changed significantly more then it is now, IIRC, around 1300 and much of europe was in a mini ice age from 1350-1800ish. The ocean current that brings us our warm climate is failing again (due to the polar ice caps melting), as it has before, no faster or slower then before. We just have the technology now to track every single little "thing" that has to do with it. The cause can't be tracked with any real certainty. It's all educated guesses. And the best one is just because we're planet Earth.

But, we still need to take care of our earth, pollution causes too many problems. Everyone definitely needs to reduce the amounts of pollution they're adding to the air and earth.

Edited to add in, everyone has their own views on global warming, it's causes and cures and such, so I'm not debating here. Just stating how I have taken the infomation I've recieved. For every scientist, climate model and paper written, there are 10 times that many more opinions out there.

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/...t/default.stm#

http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary...s/060508roco02

here are some links!

~Maria

I don't like to always believe the majority pt. of view (ie. on vaccines), but I must say, the evidence that global warming is anthropogenic is compelling.

The evidence is that it has never heated up this fast before. And one thing that is very worrying is that because the oceans absorb a lot of the carbon dioxide created by humanities burning of fossil fuels, they are being made more acidic (CO2 turns into carbonic acid in water apparently), and although there is only a small lowering of Ph it is enough to already be affecting coral reefs and the abillity of small crustaceans to form shells. The oceans have never been this acidic before! The ramifications are enormous because along with all our overfishing this is going to affect the whole oceanic ecological system, and potentially this will create a positive feedback system accelerating climate change.

Also in the last 2 years it has been noticed that the rate of carbon accumulation in the atmosphere has accelerated. It has virtually doubled, a troubling sign. It could be because the oceans are no longer taking out a lot of the the CO2 we spew forth every year. Perhaps they are trying to preserve themselves as a viable ecosystem?

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What a great idea!

I've also been looking more for things that I can do (within my family) to help the environment. We eat organic, mainly from local farms, and will be shopping right from the farms once we are back in MI (next month), use enviro friendly products, conserve water as much as possible, only have one car (but I wanna get a hybrid when we can afford one, we have a subaru forrester right now), we're BIG recyclers, conserve energy in the home as much as possible, etc. There are so many things that I want and plan to do once we're able to build our own home. We plan on building an 'Earth' home, having my own garden, composting, etc. I also try to educate the people around me in ways they can help or do things differently to leave a positive footprint on the earth. But I feel like I need to do something (or things) on a higher scale, kwim?

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I love both of these!
almama, I think you should definitely go for it and start it up... it would be very motivating (to me, at least) and inspiring!

We try to be as eco-friendly as possible, using organic, biodegradable, recycled or recyclable products, conserving energy and water in the house, and being vocal about what's going on. Dh loves to drive though... if only I could get him to cut back on useless trips around town.