It is no surprise that "Going Green" is becoming trendy. A trend is simply something that the public, in general, embraces on a broad level. If producing less pollution and consuming less energy becomes trendy, that can only be a good thing for everyone.
I love Sheryl, I love Charlie
In an ongoing effort to educate climate naysayers, Sheryl Crow (incredible recording artist) and Laurie David (wife of Seinfeld creator Larry David) have been touring the Southeast trying to inform people about the growing need for understanding and stewardship of the Earth and our climate. While there recently at UF, they were joined by forward-thinking Republican governor, Charlie Crist. It turns out that Crist is quite a leader and was showing off his chops on stage to help draw attention to the act of facing up to the damage we are doing to our environment.
From The Gainesville Sun : “Crist joined Crow during the Stop Global Warming College Tour's visit Monday to the University of Florida. The 11-campus tour is intended to rally students to join the fight against global warming.
(http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070417/LOCAL/704170352&SearchID=73278831694832)
‘It's not a Democrat or Republican issue,’ he told a news conference at the University of Florida for the Stop Global Warming college tour at the Phillips Center. ‘It's a right or wrong issue and this is what's right to do.'
Crist is the first governor in the South, and one of a handful of Republicans nationally, to so publicly get behind the issue of global warming - an issue the Republican presidential administration denied existed until recently, and which Crist's predecessor, Jeb Bush, paid little attention to.
In doing so, analysts say, Crist is taking his moderate politics to the national stage and opening the door to environmental issues marginalized under the state's previous administration.”
(http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/SUNFRONT/704220336&SearchID=73278831390525)
Going Green is “In”
These days, Going Green has become a great trend. While watching TV, notice how many times you see companies incorporating “green” concepts into their sales pitches.
It is no surprise that Going Green is becoming trendy. A trend is simply something that the public, in general, embraces on a broad level. If producing less pollution and consuming less energy becomes trendy, that can only be a good thing for everyone – except Middle Eastern nations and oil corporations.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that anyone is going to come to anyone’s house and force them to sell their Southern-birthright super-duty pick-up truck. This trend is geared toward a different tact: good old-fashioned education. Hopefully, as more facts are presented instead of the hocus-pocus from the AM radio talk-show ideologue wonks, people will see that making good decisions is not whack-o, loony or unpatriotic. Indeed, it is quite the opposite – just ask our bold new Florida governor. (http://www.flgov.com/release/8872)
Just over the weekend, the Discovery Channel aired their special, “Planet Earth, Portrait of a Planet” (http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/planetearth/planetearth.html) and before that, Tom Brokaw hosted “Global Warming – What You Need To Know” (http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/interactive/interactive.html).
Also, on ABC's 20/20 aired “Planet Earth 2007, Seven Ways to Help Save the World.” (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/) Host Diane Sawyer went live to correspondents across the globe who were reporting on the damage that is being done to our home – this planet.
But it's not just about melting polar caps, the dying Great Barrier reef and the harvesting of the Brazilian rainforest.
Locally, you can do so much to limit your carbon output, and ABC is leading the way in helping educate us on how we can help make a change, starting with that person in the mirror. (Speaking of that person in the mirror, one great way to conserve water is to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. People regularly waste about 2 gallons of water while staring at themselves in the mirror while brushing their teeth.)
From ABC.com: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=3017344&page=1
Limit Your Impact on the Environment – Follow These Guideline to Fight Global Warming Yourself
According to a new poll conducted by ABC News, Washington Post and Stanford, 94% of Americans say they're willing to make changes in their lives in order to help the environment. There are specific actions you can take to limit your impact on the environment:
* Choose efficient vehicles: According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a car that gets 20 miles to the gallon emits 50 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. A car that gets double that mileage emits half as much — and will save you roughly $3,000 in gas.
* Drive smarter: Don't add extra weight, don't speed, don't drive aggressively and don't overuse your air conditioner, all of which decrease fuel economy.
* Inquire about becoming "carbon neutral": Companies will help you offset unavoidable emissions by, for example, maintaining forests that absorb CO2.
* Find out if your electricity supplier offers renewable energy. Many will generate at least half of their power from wind, solar energy or other sources.
* Use front-loading washing machines: They are more energy efficient because they use less energy to heat a smaller volume of water.
* Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs: They last 100,000 hours compared with Edison-inspired bulbs, which last from 750 hours to 1,000 hours
* Unplug phone chargers, televisions, VCRs and other electronics — don't just turn them off. According to the Department of Energy, nearly 75 percent of all electricity used to power electronics in the average home is consumed by products that are switched off.
* Ski at Vail resorts, which are powered by green energy (once you've flown down there!!!)