Global warming is the hip new cause

Yesterday's (e)mail brought news from Environment Massachusetts (https://www.environmentmassachusetts.org/) of the upcoming Live Earth concerts on July 7. The event spans 24 hours and seven continents, with performances in China, South Africa, Australia, London, Japan, Brazil and the United States by a slew of well-known musicians. The calibre and profile of the performers makes me think that global warming has become a hip new cause, embraced by the arbiters of trend-making. To top it off, the concerts are being organized by the newly hip Oscar-winner Al Gore. Heck, if the formerly decidedly un-hip Gore can become the flavor du jour, then it follows that his defining cause should become the prominent movement of the moment. Personally, I revel in seeing the exposure (and accolades) visited upon Gore and the cause to mitigate global warming. After all, he's been pushing this issue for decades, and finally people (and politicians) are paying him long-overdue attention.

To quote Malcolm Gladwell's oft-repeated phrase, perhaps the transformation of Gore the too-smart-to-be-elected presidential candidate into Gore the hipster rock-concert organizer represents a tipping point in the global warming cause. It's a problem that's entered the public discourse and come July 7 will leap into the realm of worldwide exposure, aided by Gore and his environmentally-minded band of musicians. Visit the Live Earth web site (http://www.liveearth.org/) for concert locations, and if you can't attend in person, watch the concerts on T.V. ...and join Al Gore's hip new cause.

Talk is cheap, but very effective

This afternoon my husband and I were having lunch at an outdoor cafe, when I started tuning into the conversation next to us. A couple and their teenage daughter were chatting about global warming and the need for government action, and it struck me that while their conversation wasn't particularly noteworthy, what was remarkable was that it was happening at all. A year ago the public discourse was still full of language about the "theory" of global warming and conjecture about whether maybe the rising temperatures were simply the fault of too many gas-emitting sheep. Today global warming (or climate change, depending on the terminology you use and the context) has become an accepted and recognized phenomenon even by certain very high-ranking (and formerly denialist) U.S. politicians. And that's a huge step forward in this country, where one of the biggest agents of change is public discourse itself. It's that curious phenomenon of, "everyone's talking about it, so it must be real", which is the precursor to everyone doing something about the problem. It's no longer just the "tree-huggers" who are talking about global warming, but moms and dads and kids chatting over lunch.

So this is my "tip of the day" for a cheap and easy way to spread the word about global warming: just talk about it. When you hear your neighbor kvetching about the heat, casually remind him that indeed, the temperatures are unseasonably warm because of global warming, which is why you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint...then point him to this blog for more great ideas about doing the same :-) And when your dog-owning friends complain about the ticks invading their pets even in the winter, tell them the ticks never die in New England any more, not with spring-like December days. It's all part of getting people to connect the dots about global warming and think about the not-so-pleasant side effects of heating up our planet. And once the public discourse centers on what's bad about global warming, then we'll all start talking about what we're going to do to mitigate the problem.

And on the topic of global warming vs. climate, visit The Nature Conservancy's climate change site for an explanation: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/. And keep talking about it!

Reducing CO2 by doing nothing...what could be easier?!

Being the first day of summer, it seems fitting to talk about doing nothing, relaxing in the hammock on a warm day and sipping a tall, cool glass of iced tea. Oddly enough, instead of that enticing scenario, I see my neighbors spending the bulk of their free summer days engaged in the national suburban pastime of mowing their lawns. To me, it seems like an onerous task, and in fact, a great deal of grumbling goes on over the backyard fence about this weekly (sometimes twice weekly!) chore. So my enlightened suggestion is just stop doing it - sit back, relax and watch the grass grow for a change. While I realize never mowing the lawn again could be impractical if you aren't ready to develop the only meadow on your street, you can dramatically reduce the time you spend trimming your grass, still have a soft green (and healthier) lawn, and reduce your carbon emissions in the process. A few fast facts:

• Shearing your grass to a golf-course height actually creates a breeding grown for insects and disease and helps dry out the roots, inevitably leading to even more time spent scowling at (and trying to remedy) those unsightly brown spots. Letting the grass grow taller will eliminate many of these issues and make your grass softer underfoot. After all, the last thing you want to do is start spreading caustic pesticides to eliminate insects and disease: http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/ReducePesticideUse.html
• Gas-powered lawn mower emissions are responsible for an estimated 5% of our annual air pollution output, producing on average (depending on just how big your mower is) about 4.5 pounds of carbon per hour. Check out this tool to calculate your mower's emissions: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/faq-environment.htm#calculate
• Unless you're using an electric or push mower, gassing up to mow the grass is an increasingly expensive proposition, making not mowing one of your easiest money-saving exercises. Using an electric mower is a great emission-saving solution, and there are increasingly good (and competitively priced) options available.

A great alternative to avoid any time spent maintaining your lawn is simply converting the grass over to flower beds, wildflowers or wooded areas. Then you can spend your lazy summer afternoons watching the butterflies and the birds, instead of cutting the grass. So when the weekend rolls around, go set up the hammock, grab a cold glass of whatever suits you, and celebrate by just doing nothing...now that's the way to spend your summer afternoon!

The Earth Charter...bold words and real actions

My newest "easy thing you can do to help the earth" tip comes from the Earth Charter, who's offering a recycling service for inkjet and laser cartridges and for cell phones. Visit the U.S. site at http://www.eccommunities.org/ECCEcoServices.html for instructions, and to learn more about their recycling initiatives.

If you're not familiar with the Earth Charter, it's a set of principles for creating a sustainable planet, with values and ideals covering issues from environmental conservation to human rights. At first reading, it looks like a broadly sweeping - some might say overly idealistic - set of precepts with no concrete or measurable goals, no "how-to" for nations and individuals to follow to conserve their ecosystems and achieve social equality. But to my mind, the real value of the document is just that - outlining a set of ideals to inform our decision making (about what we buy, what we drive, how we live) on a fundamental level. Because I tend to think that if individuals and society as a whole in this country could embrace the Earth Charter guidelines (rather than the prevailing ideology of consumerism), we'd begin making practical business and consumer choices based on those ideals that would be healthier for all of us. Mitigating the effects of global climate change or preserving the last vestiges of rain forest requires a fundamental shift in thinking from all of us about how we live on this planet, and that's what the Earth Charter offers.

So check out the Earth Charter web site at http://www.earthcharter.org/, read about the charter and the amazing people who drafted it, and find out how the organization is turning ideals into actions. Better yet, join the Earth Charter and embrace a new way of (idealistic) living!

Doing more...and making it easy

In his May 27th posting on The Green Skeptic (http://greenskeptic.blogspot.com/2007/05/global-climate-change-more-is-new-less.html), Scott Edward Anderson commented on Seth Godin's assertion that the real key to getting Americans to change their habits and and address global warming is to make it about doing more rather than doing with less. Given the pervasive "super-sizing" of our entire culture (have you tried to buy a small size popcorn at the movies lately?), I tend to agree. I would add to this, however, that it must also be about making it easy. Let's face it, we're a country of convenience, accustomed to things being accessible and practically effortless (which is where the super-sizing trend started, after all!). On that note, in the coming blogs I'm going to highlight easy, practically-no-effort-at-all changes we can all make that will reduce our carbon output - and even save us money in the process.

You've probably heard about compact fluorescent bulbs by now, particularly if you shop at a certain big-box retailer who prominently displays them in the lightbulb aisle (I don't know this first hand, since I don't shop at said big-box retailer, but I have it on good authority). But if you haven't started replacing your standard incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescents, you may not realize just how easy it is to: 1) save money on your electrical bill while; 2) reducing your carbon output. The New Hampshire Carbon Challenge (http://carbonchallenge.sr.unh.edu/ideaoffsets.jsp) reports that replacing just five of your regular old inefficient lightbulbs with compact fluorescents will save you approximately $70 a year and save the planet 750 pounds of carbon. And that's taking into account the slightly higher cost of the fluorescents, since they last dramatically longer than incandescent bulbs.

And just in case you're thinking "ewww, flickering fluorescent bulbs in my house?", not to worry! I have head-aching memories of fluorescent lights from my days in the corporate world, but that's old technology. The compacts cast a soft, white glow that's easy on the eyes.

So there you go, a change that's simple, saves you money and reduces your carbon output. How easy is that?