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| Stacey Kawakami, | 612-659-9124 ext. 305 |
Five Things You Can Do to Help Curb Global Warming
Earth Day Tips for all MinnesotansMinnesotans face choices every day which test our commitment to maintain a healthy planet. This Earth Day (April 22), all Minnesotans can support long-term solutions to global warming by making responsible choices. The 5 tips below will help curb global warming, save you money, and create a safer environment for the future:
Drive Smart!
A well-tuned car with properly inflated tires burns less gasoline — cutting pollution and saving you money at the pump. If you have two cars, drive the one with better gas mileage whenever possible. Better yet, skip the drive and take public transit, walk, or bicycle when you can. Lastly, support efforts like the Minnesota Clean Car Act which will require auto manufacturers to sell cleaner, more fuel efficient cars and trucks in Minnesota. To find out more, visit www.cleanenergyminnesota.org/cars.htm.
Buy Local and Organic
Did you know the average American meal travels more than 1,500 miles from the farm to your plate? Think of all the energy wasted and pollution added to the atmosphere - not to mention all the pesticides and chemicals used to grow most produce! So go to your local organic farmer to get your fruits and veggies. You can find a farmers market near you by visiting: www.mda.state.mn.us/food/minnesotagrown/farmersmarkets.htm.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Especially those that burn the longest each day. Compact fluorescents produce the same amount of light as normal bulbs, but use about a quarter of the electricity and last ten times as long. Each switch you make helps clean the air today, curb global warming, and save you money on your electricity bill. Solutions like these require a small investment up front which delivers much more over the long-term.
Saving energy at home and at work is good for the environment and your wallet.
Start with caulking and weather-stripping on doorways and windows. Then adjust your thermostat and start saving. For each degree you lower your thermostat in the winter, you can cut your energy bills by 3 percent. Finally, ask your utility company to do a free energy audit of your home to show you how to save even more money.
To encourage industry to reduce their carbon emissions, a regional program which establishes a price per ton for these emissions by setting a scientifically-determined limit and allowing the market to reach its goals by reducing the least expensive tons of emissions first. This program is known as cap-and-trade. The value created by realizing the cost of polluting a ton of carbon into the atmosphere can be captured by an auction for the public benefit. These revenues can be reinvested in promoting energy efficiency, reducing consumer impacts, and achieving even greater carbon emission reductions. To find out more, visit: www.cleanenergyminnesota.org/pollution.htm
Become a smart water consumer.
Install low-flow showerheads and faucets and you'll use half the water without decreasing performance. Then turn your hot water heater down to 120F and see hot-water costs go down by as much as 50 percent.