Global Warming: 4 Tips To Help Slow it Down

Global Warming is happening, and it's up to us to stop it. Every time we step into our car to run an errand, or buy take out for supper, we are adding to the affects our world's over consumption of fossil fuels is having on the environment.

Global Warming isn't just about adding a few degrees to the world's overall temperature. It's about melting ice caps that will slowly erode some of the world's most fertile farmlands, making growing the food the world consumes harder and harder. It's about people displaced in places like London, New York and Bangkok, because of rising ocean waters that will flood most low-lying homelands across the globe. And it's about the spread of what were once inoculate diseases to the western world, like malaria and TB, as insects which thrive on higher temperatures continue to breed and spread diseases at a faster rate.

Global warming affects everyone. And it'll take a little work from everyone across the globe to get it under control. It's no longer "their" problem. It's ours. Here are 4 things we can all do help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released (and trapped), into our atmosphere every minute of every day:

Conserve Electricity. There are dozens of ways every person on earth can conserve electricity every day - without interfering with the way we live our lives:

-Turn off lights, appliances, TV's and computers when not in use. One computer monitor left on overnight uses enough energy to print more than 5,000 copies.

-Buy only energy efficient appliances.

-Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible.

-Wrap your water heater and keep the temperature at 130 degrees or lower.

-Install a programmable thermostat.

-Turn off the AC and open the doors and windows.

-Replace traditional light bulbs with newer, long lasting and energy efficient varieties.

Save Water. Everyday precious fresh water resources are lost to laziness and neglect. Help save the world's water supplies by:

-Put a plastic bottle full of water inside your toilet tank. Toilets use between 3-5 gallons of water with every flush. By eliminating some room in the tank with the bottle, you'll save up to 1 gallon of water every time it's flushed.

-Fix leaky pipes and drippy faucets right away.

-Wash only full loads of laundry.

-Collect and use rain water to water plants, feed animals and wash outdoor furniture and cars.

Recycle and Reuse. It can take 5 years for a cardboard milk container to biodegrade in a landfill. Try these recycling tips to help save the earth:

-Fill those community-recycling buckets. Check with your municipality to see what types of items they offer recycling pickup for, and then kick all of your newspaper, magazines, junk mail and assorted paper products out to the curb. Don't forget about your household plastics, aluminum and cardboard.

-Stop buying disposal utensils, plates, napkins and cups. Use washable items and save a ton of landfill space, as well as money.

-Reuse food containers such as mayonnaise jars, coffee cans, even those cute little plastic baby food containers. They're great for storing leftovers and other small items.

Go Green. Get back into nature by:

-Plant a backyard garden or a few trees at the neighborhood park.

-Switch to all-natural cleaning supplies.

-Start a compost pile in your backyard or with a group of neighbors.
Buy organic.

-Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables. It'll save on packaging waste.