GLOBAL WARMING

Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.
Here is a list of few simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!
1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 litres of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 litres of carbon dioxide a year.
3. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
4. Do not leave appliances on standby Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 6 hours a day (the average time Indians spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
5. Move your fridge and freezer Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.
6. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
7. Cover your pots while cooking Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
8. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
9. Take a shower instead of a bath A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
10. Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 litres of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 litres saved per year) instead of hot.
11. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible You can save 700 litres of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
12. Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 litres of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 litres per year.
13. Be sure you’re recycling at home You can save 2,400 litres of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.
14. Buy intelligently Before buying any products think twice that under what are the conditions these manufactured.
15. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.
16. Reuse your shopping bag When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
17. Reduce waste Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
18. Plant a tree A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.
19. Switch to green power In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.
20. Buy locally grown and produced foods The average meal in the India travels 550 kilometers from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
21. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
22. Seek out and support local farmers markets They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.
23. Buy organic foods as much as possible Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion liters of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
24. Eat less meat Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
25. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit/public transport wherever possible Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 litres of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.
26. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 litres a year.
27. Keep your car tuned up Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion litres of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
28. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas/petrol pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car maintenance.
29. Try car sharing Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.
30. Fly less Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.
31. Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
32. Join the virtual march The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place.
33. Encourage the switch to renewable energy Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass.
34. Protect and conserve forest worldwide Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on saving forests from global warming.
35. Consider the impact of your investments Before investing your money in any organization, check the company credentials that in what are they way your money is going to be used
36. Make your city cool Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation.