There is no magic pill, no 30-day diet, no temporary tax or Presidential order that will stop Global Warming. Two things are clear, the number one cause of the rise in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (the main greenhouse gas culprit that traps in heat) is our energy use, primarily the burning of fossil fuels (1); the second thing that is a clear and proven fact, is that the Earth needs trees to regulate carbon dioxide in its own atmosphere, through photosynthesis. Knowing this, let us leave the politicians, corporations, and nations to argue all they want about what they should do to stop or slow down global warming, and let us start doing something about it, now.

Of all the stories I have read regarding this serious problem we have, I have not seen any that actually spells out what you personally can do about it. What I have seen, are full-page ads for British Petroleum (BP), Ford, and other oil and industry companies next to most of these articles saying how they are well-positioned to take the lead in these new moves. Their solutions basically revolve around joining treaties, increasing taxes, enacting legislation, and giving more tax breaks to themselves so that they can come up with solutions. How convenient. Their solutions will line their pockets while doing nothing to actually curb what is causing the problem.

We live in a capitalist democracy in which we do not rely on the government to feed us, so why should we rely on them to keep our house in order? Why should we rely on laws and corporations to come up with solutions when we already know what we have to do? More laws are not the answer. More tax-breaks to the industrial machine are not the answer. Signing Treaties is not the answer. Only you have the answer.

What if Bush woke up tomorrow and said that Global Warming is a big problem, that the Kyoto Protocol is the way to fix it, and he signs it? Will that make you happy? Do you think that will stop Global Warming? Do you think prohibitive laws will curb emissions enough to make a difference? Wake up! We are living in a capitalist system in which our entire country is entrenched so it is about time that we understood exactly how it works and what our role in it is.

The capitalist free market system basically says that people and/or businesses have the right to get things as cheaply as they can, from wherever they can, however they can, and sell them for as much as they can, wherever they can, and however they can. The idea is that business will always seek to maximize profits, thus imposing upon itself a system of check and balances, because if they do something wrong, then the people will hold it against them, thus diminishing their profits. When their profits diminish, they will work to correct the problem and return their profits to satisfactory levels.

What a great system. I see the logic in it and I see why so many people like it. If companies do not offer the products that people want, in the most efficient and cost-effective way, then people will not buy their products and someone else will come in and fill in the void, right? Wrong! Unfortunately, like every system that has existed to date, theory rarely survives in practice. The problem is not the system; it is that we have forgotten our role in it or simply choose to ignore it. We are the eyes and ears of the system. If we ignore the problem, the system ignores the problem. It is our responsibility to let the system know there is a problem. And the method we use to let everyone know we have a problem if through our spending habits and daily actions.

If you do not like something, than you must change your spending habits, which most likely will involve a change in your daily habits. If you broke your arm, would you not go to the doctor and get it looked at? If you were tired would you not lie down and get some rest? If you hungry would you not eat? If you were thirsty would you not drink? Would Ford continue to make the Bronco if no one bought it? Would corporations spend the money, or not spend the money, to keep their cars guzzling gas if we still continued to buy them?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Energy-related activities have accounted for more than ¾ of greenhouse gas emissions… Almost all emissions from the energy sector result from fossil fuel combustion, which includes the burning of coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Fossil fuel combustion from stationary sources, such as electricity generation, represents more than half of energy-related emissions, while combustion of fossil fuels by mobile sources, such as automobiles, represents approximately one-third.” Who do you think is using this energy? Why are corporations and governments involved in these activities that we know are the cause of this major problem we now face? Because we demand it of them!

We complain about welfare states, but in essence that is what we have become. Why is it that when it comes to money and healthcare, for example, it is every man for himself, do what you must and/or can and do not expect any help from anyone lest you become a welfare case; yet, when it comes to legislations, mandates, truly important issues that have an affect on people all over the world, and even the world itself, we are told to sit back and wait for the government and corporations to take care of it. They tell us that if we want to make a change, we should spend our time convincing them to make the changes while we continue on with our daily lives, doing the same things that are causing the problems we complain about. We cannot continue to live our current destructive lifestyle while turning a blind eye to its consequences and hoping that someday some corporation will develop some magic purple pill to fix all of the problems it has caused.

OK. Enough. I hope you get the message and that by now you are asking what the specific steps are that one can take. If not, then please take this moment to ask. Ok, since you asked, I will tell you. These steps are not new. In fact, I think you all know what they are. It’s kind of like loosing weight. We all know that we have to stop eating junk food, eat healthy food, eat less, and exercise more. That is no secret, yet we are constantly looking for an easy way out; to loose weight while still eating garbage and sitting on the couch. Sorry, I don’t have an answer like that. The answer is simple, emit less greenhouse gases and help reverse the trend of deforestation taking place in the world today.

If you truly think we have a problem and want to do something about it, than you need to work to reduce the amount of Greenhouse gases emitted and work to increase the Earth’s ability to reduce these gases. That’s it. That’s the bottom line. That is the best and least you can do. According to the EPA’s 2004 US Emissions Inventory Report, 40% of our Greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for energy, 20% comes from cars and 13% comes from commercial trucks. So, 73% of the greenhouse gases we emitted in 2004 are from things that each person reading this article can easily have an impact on. Below are a few things you can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help to stop global warming.

1. Drive Less, or Better Yet, Stop Driving, and if you must drive, drive a car with fewer emissions
2. Become Carbon Neutral
3. Use Less Energy in Your Home
4. Buy Less
5. Buy Local… I mean, real local
6. Beat Back the Box
7. Tell-A-Friend to Do the Same

Here are a few things you can do to help the Earth help herself:
1. Paper or Plastic? Neither
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
3. Plant a Tree
4. Stop Your Junk Mail
5. Tell-A-Friend to Do the Same

I know that nobody likes to hear that they are part of the problem, let alone being told that they specifically are the problem. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that we are destroying our own home through actions we thought were benign. It is not something that we can easily come to terms with. Understanding that it is our lifestyle and our very way of living that is causing these problems is difficult enough, but then actually taking the steps to change them can be even more difficult. Fortunately for us, the steps are clear and can easily be taken. Like any habit, changing will be difficult, but it is doable and very rewarding. In the next few paragraphs, I will discuss in a little more detail the steps described above.

DRIVE LESS

20% of the greenhouse gases emitted into our atmosphere come from your car. Ok, maybe not just your car, but cars just like yours all over the U.S. One of the easiest and best things that you can do to help reduce Global Warming is to stop driving your car. Take the bus, metro, subway, ride a bike, or walk as much as possible and stop getting into your Earth-killer, I mean, car whenever you need to run an errand.

If you can’t get rid of your car altogether, then at least consider buying a hybrid or bio-diesel vehicle that significantly reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted as you drive. For those of you ready to take the plunge and get rid of your car altogether, know that public transportation exists and is ready to help you get around. You can also help yourself live a healthier lifestyle by riding your bike and walking more.

There are also many companies such as FlexCar.com and Bio-Beetle.com that are starting to spring up throughout the country to fill in the needs of those of you who were valiant enough to give up your vehicle but who may still need one every now and then. Remember, we live in a capitalist society and your needs will not go unanswered. We are ushering in a new era and business will follow.

BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL

This is actually one of my favorite new types of business that have starting propping up throughout the world. Carbon Neutrality is the idea that you can pay someone to go out and do something that will offset the greenhouse gases you are spewing into the atmosphere. Native Energy for example, allows you to figure out how much carbon you emit, using their Carbon Calculator, and then pay as little as $12 to help offset them. What a great concept! For those of you who just can’t live without your energy-sucking electronics or gas-guzzling car, this is actually the next best thing. There are many other companies available beside Native Energy that does this as well. If you are interested, I encourage you to do a Google search for carbon neutral.

USE LESS ENERGY AT HOME

Come on folks. I really shouldn’t have to spend any time on this subject. We all get the fliers in the mail, we all see the commercials on tv and we have heard this a billion times before. Buy florescent lightbulbs, get your home weather-sealed, turn off unused lights, keep the thermostat to 68 degrees, buy energy-efficient appliances, use your appliances off peak hours, etc. etc. If you need more information, you can visit any number of web sites, such as the government EnergySavers.gov This is the very least you can do.

BUY LESS

Every time you buy a product, you are contributing to global warming. Even the most innocent products needed to be transported to the location where you are purchasing them from. In most cases, products are packaged in cardboard and/or plastic and are even made from these materials. By simply buying less stuff and choosing to buy products that will last longer and use less packaging you can make a big difference on the amount of waste that we use that contributes to global warming. Each plastic toy you buy, for example, is made from plastic which comes from oil and emits greenhouse gases during its extraction, manipulation and production. It is then placed into a cardboard box which came from a tree and was then trucked halfway around the world, emitting greenhouse gases the entire way, until it got to your store. So everytime you are confronted with a purchasing decision, ask yourself, "Do I really need this product? Can I do without it? If not, can I find an alternative that did not produce so much waste?"

BUY LOCAL… I MEAN REAL LOCAL

Remember that 13% of the greenhouse gases emitted during 2004 were from commercial trucks. Most of these trucks were hauling goods that we purchased all the way across the country. When you need to purchase something, don’t just buy American, buy local. When buying your groceries, buy from your local farmers market whenever possible. Not only will you be helping your community, you will also help save the Earth by reducing the amount of junk these trucks have to haul across the country. There are many web sites out there that can help you find a local farm. The California Federation of Certified Farmers Markets, and the national web site Local Harvest can help you find farms just around the corner from your home! Not only will you help to save us from Global Warming if you start purchasing your fruits and vegetables from your local farmers, but you will also rest more easily knowing that you are feeding yourself and your family healthier and more natural foods.

For more information on that, see this interesting flash animation about factory farms entitled the Meatrix. If you are ready to take even further steps, consider green businesses for all of your daily needs. Coop America with its National Green Pages is an excellent resource for anyone looking to help save the earth with every purchase.

BEAT BACK THE BOX

Now this one is not as straightforward as the others. In fact, I have not heard anyone else advocating this method other than myself. The concept here is simple, Beat Back the Box is a term I coined that basically means Stop Watching TV. By watching television you are not only taking precious time away from many other more important things you could be doing, but you are also letting yourself get bombarded with advertising whose sole purpose is to convince you to buy things. If you watch less TV you will feel less of a need to run to the store to buy that Twinkie, new tennis shoes, or other product that you most likely do not need and that are unnecessarily putting a burden on the earth.

In addition, according to a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, entitled As TVs grow, so do electric bills, the new flat-screen television sets that now seem to be more popular than cars, actually use more than double the electricity as the regular television sets we used before! “One 50-inch plasma high-definition TV (HDTV) was estimated to use 679 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A 32-inch liquid-crystal display with HDTV capability was pegged at 387 kWh per year. By contrast, an older analog 34-inch TV was estimated to use just 209 kWh per year, NRDC tests found.” (2)

Help the Earth Help Itself

Of course, helping to reverse this devastating trend of Global Warming will involve much more than just reducing our energy use, it will also involve stopping the alarming rate of deforestation taking place in the world today. Again, it is not enough to complain and moan about what the world’s governments and corporations are doing to our forests. We must remember, they are doing it for us. They are doing it because we are demanding their products. If we want them to stop deforesting, we need to change our spending habits.

PAPER OR PLASTIC… NEITHER

We get asked this trick question all the time and luckily more and more people are realizing the true answer. NEITHER. Plastic bags are not only a menace to the planet as they end up in parks, in oceans and even in animals bellies but they also produce toxic byproducts during their creation and ultimately come from oil. The use of paper bags kills our beautiful trees, our only known carbon reducers. So, when you go to the store and they ask you "Paper or Plasitc?" you can now say, "Neither, I brought my own." Taking your own bag, whether it be a backpack, handbag, or any other type of reusable bag will help reduce the amount of plasic bags in the world and help reduce the amount of trees that are being destroyed. Both of which will help to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE

OK, folks. This is another topic I really shouldn't be having to spend any time on. It has been over thirty years that these campaigns have been all over the place. If you are not recycling by now the only thing I can say is "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Get off your butt and go pick up one of those blue bins. I have absolutely no patience for anyone who complains about global warming yet does not recycle. If you need a resource to help you with this, try the Red Jelly Fish. Enough said.

PLANT A TREE

This is actually one of my favorite methods of helping to reduce the effects of global warming because trees bring about so many benefits. Not only do they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which we need to survive, they also help to beautify our landscapes, they provide children with places to play and shade for us on hot days. If you have children, this is actually an excellent activity you can do with them. Try taking your kids out to plant at least one tree every month. You can even kill two birds with one stone by planting your favorite fruit trees in your backyard so you don't have to buy fruit that is trucked half-way across the country. If you do not have the time, then consider the many organizations out there that will plant trees on your behalf. Such as Los Angeles-based Tree People or my favorite Trees for the Future who will plant as many as 450 trees for as litle as $45!

STOP YOUR JUNK MAIL

Ah junk mail. We all hate it, yet we all get it. In this case, I am not referring to email junk mail, but the traditional junk mail we all get in our homes. You know what I am talking about. The mailers, the DO NOT DISCARD, URGENT, IMPORTANT, letters we see in our mail and simply rip up and throw out as soon as we see it. Not only is this junk mail extremely annoying but it is also a party to our global warming problem. According to the Red Jelly Fish web site, "Every person in the United States receives junk mail that represents the equivalent of one and a half trees a year." Fortunately for us, there are many web sites out there with plenty of information about how to stop this kind of unwanted destruction and waste. The Native Forest Network, for example, provides this excellent free resource full of information on how to stop unwanted junk mail.

TELL A FRIEND

By taking all the above steps, you can rest assured that you are doing everything you can to help reduce the greenhouse gases you are emitting into our atmosphere and that you are minimizing the harmful effects you are having on the planet. By telling a friend about everything you are doing and trying to convince them to do the same, you can do even better by helping to ensure that all of those around you do their part as well. It is not just about you, it is about all of us. It isn't the corporations or governemnts fault. It is our fault. We are all in this together so it is important that we start to act that way. Use this link to send this article to a friend and help spread the word.