Global Warming and CO2 Emissions Blog

For the fortunate among us, summertime is often vacation time. And these days vacations mean long road trips, airline flights and other nasty CO2 emitting activities. But, hey, that's no reason to feel guilty, right? We all deserve a little break from the daily grind.

So, what can you do to put a little extra sheen on your summer break and make it a truly guilt-free get away? Here are a few ideas:
Travel Right
If you are taking a road trip this vacation, don't forget to get your car tuned up before you leave. An efficient car, with properly inflated tires will emit less CO2 and it will reduce the odds that you spend part of your break waiting on the interstate for that tow truck to show.

Feed Your Addiction to Conserve
If you've found this site, then chance are pretty good you've pondered the nature of this ultra-modern consumer paradise we live in. Rather than feed your addiction to the usual consumer junk, consider the alternative. It's much healthier to become a conservation addict.

Start with turning up the thermostat on your air conditioner a 2-3 degrees. Even better, try roughing it a little by... dare I say it... turning off the AC and hanging out in a shady park, at the beach or local pool. You can do the same in your hotel room -- when you leave for a day of site seeing, kill the AC.

If you are doing a lot driving this summer, consider a new cooling technology that is far less wasteful than your cars AC -- the window. Yes, believe it or not running your AC in the car does increase your pollution and CO2 emissions.

Don't leave the light on in the kitchen when you leave for your week long vacation. Chances are all the burglars in your neighborhood know that trick anyway. If you feel compelled to anyway, make sure the one you leave on is a compact fluorescent bulb. And, don't forget to unplug all those electronics that run on standby mode, like the TV, VCR, etc.

Get Local When you are traveling, forget about the supermarket and big chain restaurants. Buy local, especially when it comes to locally grown fruits and vegetables. Not only will you get to support the local economy, but you are helping to reduce the overall emissions generated from your meal. Besides, visiting the local farmer's market is a great way to meet and interact with the community your visiting. You can find a farmer's market by visiting the USDA website.

While you are at it, consider slowing down a bit for your vacation. Forget abut driving for every part of your site seeing excursion and instead try walking around town.

My Favorite - Plant a Tree
Yup, good ole fashion tree planting is still a great idea . Not only do trees remove that excess CO2, they replace it with clean and healthy Oxygen. Planting a tree is easy and fun, too. You can simply take some clippings from another tree and root them, find some good seed and germinate away or visit your local nursery.

You can also visit the Arbor Day website to learn about what types of trees will flourish in your area and how to plant trees to help cool your home.

Of course, if you are lazy or too scared to get dirty, then have someone else do it for you. There are quite a few charitable organizations that would be delighted to plant a bunch of trees for very little money. After all, unlike money, trees really do grow on trees.

Sustainable Harvest (a four-star rated charity) will plant 100 trees for a mere $40. There are other choices, too, like Trees for Cities, Trees Atlanta or others near you.

Labels: carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming