Global Warming and Y-O-U

It’s so hot outside! It feels so much warmer this summer than summers from years past.
Ever thought that to yourself as you stepped outside of your house on a hot, crisp, summer day and felt a bead of sweat drip down your forehead? Or, how about the second you step out the shower and you are overcome with heat and humidity that just hit your body like a freight train at full speed?
Chances are that if you live in the Southern California area and have felt the sun’s scorching heat then your answer to the above questions would be “yes”. And chances are that if you live in another part of the country or world your answer would be the same, because it is not just Southern California that is experiencing this heat wave. In fact, as you are well aware of by popular media reports over the last couple of years, the earth is going through a period of warming. Scientists refer to this rise in the overall temperature of the earth as climate change, but the more common term for it is global warming.
Researchers have been telling society for some time now that the earth is slowly warming up and that we as a human population need to act fast to save future generations. Ocean temperatures have increased over the past 100 years which is actually a very short time when it comes to natural cycles of global temperatures said Jim Syvertsen, University of Florida Research Foundation Professor. It is also true he said that atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased due to human consumption; however what we don’t know is if man-made carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are linked to global warming. Even if man-made carbon is found not to be the culprit in this global warming scheme everyone has the opportunity to make a difference and change.
So what are we supposed to do? How can society try to fix a problem that not all researchers agree on what caused it in the first place? Whatever you believe in, or do not believe in for that mattter, does not change the fact that the earth is getting warmer. Whether it be a natural cycle or a man-made event, the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is dangerous to not only humans but several species of animal and plant life. There are things that the average everyday person can do to help make the planet more “green” as they say.
For starters, America depends too much on “big business” to provide them with their everyday basic needs. Greenhouse emissions caused by motor vehicles are only going to get worse if America continues to rely on the trucking business to haul their food and products across the country. Now, you may be thinking that there is no way to get around this, right? However; what you may not know is that a select few people have already found a way around this debacle.
Steven Schillling, 25, is very conscience about the environment and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions over the past couple of years. He decided to do something about it. He lives in an apartment and yet he was still able to convert his balcony into a little garden in which he grows vegetables and herbs. With this convenience, Schilling is able to provide himself with some of the food that he would normally have to purchase at the grocery store. He sees the correlation between transportation of goods and the rise in global temperatures and wanted to do something to help. Even though his effort may seem small when compared to the global scale but as Schilling explains every bit counts.
Along with his vegetable and herb garden, Schilling has found numerous other ways to help fight global warming and live more green. With his residence being 25 miles away from where he works, everyday Schilling is forced to get into a car and face the grid-lock traffic. Yet, along with his roommate, who also works with him, they have found a way to not only save gas but also help combat greenhouse emissions: they carpool. Every other week they take turns on who will be driving and Schilling says that others at his work have jumped on the band wagon and started to join his new trend.
For those at his work that could not carpool, Schilling explains that they either take the train or drive eco-friendly hybrid cars.
“Everyone at my company understands the benefits of trying to live greener” and Schilling’s boss, Bret Atkins could not be happier with his employees’ decision to make small lifestyle changes.
“I love that my guys are trying to make a difference,” said Atkins
Hybrid cars and carpooling are not the only solutions either so if a hybrid car is not in the cards for you then there are also other ways for the everyday driver to make changes to help make their car more fuel efficient. Ethanol, which is a fuel that is made from corn, has also become a popular remedy for the global warming crisis. However, finding an ethanol pumping station in your area might be a problem.
There is also the option of converting your car over to bio-diesel; a fuel source that comes from used oil out of a deep fat fryer. The advantage of having this source of fuel in your car is that you will never be in short supply. Restaurants will gladly donate their used oil because it saves them the trouble of disposing it. Just keep in mind that your exhaust fumes will smell like whatever food was cooked in the fryer so you might make people hungry as you drive along the highway.
Along with making your mode of transportation greener, you can also do some things around the house to save you money while you are saving the environment. A home garden is a good start to living greener and if you want to do more then there is always the option of installing solar panels on your roof and making your home completely energy efficient. This has become easier in today’s recent times with the accessibility to buy these panels on the internet.
Also, if you happen to live a community that has a home owners association; do not let them tell you that you cannot place solar panels on your roof. Even if you have a aesthetics clause in your contract with the association, they cannot prevent you from making your house more energy efficient. After all, not only are you saving yourself a lot of money you are also helping to save the environment. By installing these, you also enable yourself to be more self-reliant, say, in a power outage.
As you can see there are many things one can do to help make their daily lives more eco-friendly. Furthermore, with many of these products being so readily available on the internet, anyone and everyone can contribute to the fight against global warming.