Take the C3 Challenge

Neither paper nor plastic. This one is easy! I do this all the time. You too can make the pledge today by going here.

Beat the heat and take the pledge here.

You may have heard part of a series that recently aired on NPR’s Market Place. The series was a really interesting analysis of American consumption habits and attitudes and I thought it was worth sharing. Some of the stories were really eye-opening—particularly one that explained that if all 6 billion+ people on the planet lived like the average American, we would need 6 globes worth of resources to sustain us. Listening to the story prompted me to try the Consumer Consequences Game on the Market Place website that helps you determine how sustainable your lifestyle is for the world.

If everyone on the planet consumed like me, we’d need 11 Earths to support us all! I’m so ashamed. I try really hard. It seems my oil consumption is way too high between my oil heated home, my commute to work (despite 40mpg) and my flights to DC for work really take their toll on the earth.

You should check it out to see what kind of impact you’re having

You can also catch the stories from this series at Marketplace.

Take the pledge

It’s simple, just push the “cold/cold” button on your washing machine for 80% of the loads you do this month. Keep on washing those sheets and other special items in hot or warm water if you want, but by doing 4 out of 5 loads in cold water you’ll cut 72 pounds of CO2 emissions this month alone. Keep it up for a year and you’ll save more than $60 in energy costs too!

If you live in a region with high electricity costs, such as California, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England, you might well find cold washing to save you $100 per year!

Why you should take this pledge:

U.S. energy consumption is a major cause of climate change and, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, water heating accounts for approximately 19 percent of total home energy use. Today’s more efficient clothes washers and laundry detergents make it possible to get both white and colored clothes clean in cold water. Unless you are dealing with extraordinarily tough stains, washing in hot water is more likely to clean out your wallet than your apparel.

Take the pledge

Want to know how much impact your diet has on the environment? Check out the Eating Green Calculator to learn how your food choices translate into pounds of fertilizer, manure, and pesticides and acres of grain and grass for animal feed. The calculator also lets you see how the numbers would change if you reduced your consumption of a specific meat or dairy product.

Too bad it also doesn’t let you know how much fuel is used too. I wasn’t too bad. As a mostly vegetarian, I only use a half acre of land a year. But the 3,000 lbs of manure was a little distressing. Seriously.

I usually reuse my bottle of water with several refills before throwing it in the recycle bin. Apparently, this is not the best thing. It’s time to break the habit. So I’m going to bring my sports bottle to work from now on.

Click here to join me in a pledge to Break the Bottled Water Habit

Did you know you can reduce your carbon footprint, preserve our water resources, save money and give yourself a chance at some great prizes in one simple step? It’s a win-win situation for you, the community and the ecosystem…and you can win a free condo for a week at a ski resort in Idaho.

What do you have to do? Just fill out the pledge form at c3.newdream.org and then fill up your reusable water bottle. It’s that easy. You’ll be doing your part to reduce the 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide produced in the manufacture of plastic bottles for the US consumption last year. Imagine saving the energy equivalent of a quarter bottle of oil for every bottled water you would have consumed—not to mention the money!

Visit the C3 site to sign up and then tell your friends: you could win a free condo for a week at a ski resort in Idaho or one of several other terrific prizes.

Bottled water is often marketed as being purer than other water. In the U.S., however, tap water is more closely regulated than bottled water, while as much as 40% of commercially available water starts out as tap water. While bottled water can cost as much as $10 a gallon, when you consider that only about 12% of the plastic is recycled, the environmental expenses associated with a momentary convenience are far greater and long-lasting.

Help break the bottled water habit and sign up today!
Click here to join the campaign and learn more about becoming a Carbon Conscious Consumer.

We can all make a difference in our own way.

This months challenge is going to be hard but I know I can do it. I do buy cases of water. However, I refill the bottles a few times before dumping them in the recycle bin. You too can take this challenge by making your pledge here.

Since this was an old goal I’m pretty confident I’m doing well on this. I have not, however, junked all the new catalogs I’ve been getting. Why on earth would I want any of that junk in the Oriental Trading Co. catalog? (sigh) Please try this challenge. It’s worth it for the earth and you sanity.

Junk Your Junk Mail!!! I hate junk mail don’t you. You can take the challenge here.

He was explaining the 7 goals set from the Live Earth concerts. One of them was get countries like the US to agree, within 2 years, to cut carbon emissions by 90%. How on earth are we going to do that? But I guess a major technology shift could happen. Technology moves so fast. If there’s a breakthrough in hydrogen fuel or solar power, I think you’ll see something happen quick.

Did anyone hear this interview on NPR? Am I getting this right?