in the trenches/climate
10. Want to Get Involved?
As an activist, you can become a member of one of the various environmental groups involved in the climate issue, at any of the Acivist Websites. The Environmental Information Center also has a useful site for making it easy to contact your elected representatives on upcoming issues involving climate change.
You could send a letter or e-mail to the President, saying that you want the US to take the lead in efforts to protect the Earth's climate, and to push for legally binding requirements to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Many of the environmental Websites list opportunities for internships or volunteer work. For example, the Climate Institute offers programs for interns to cover and report on congressional hearings on climate change as well as meetings and conferences held in the Washington metropolitan area.
Also, the Environmental Information Center offers several paid internships.
As a businessman or woman, you can join the Business Council for a Sustainable Energy Future. Contact Business Council for a Sustainable Energy Future , 1725 K Street, N.W. Suite 509, - Washington - DC 20006-1401, United States of America. They will tell you how to become a member, and provide case studies with examples of clean energy projects that support economic growth while protecting the environment.
There are also the following voluntary government programs--accessible via Solstice--you can sign on to, if you would like to reduce your business' fossil fuel use: Agstar, Climate Wise, Energy Star Buildings, and Natural Gas Star programs, Motor Challenge, Energy Star Computers, and Green Lights.
As a scientist, you can join the Union of Concerned Scientists, and become a member of their Sound Science Initiative. Scientists participating in the Initiative help lobby on issues like climate change, and receive scientific news, political information, and guidance on meeting with policymakers.
For opportunities to do research in the field of climate change, check out the US Global Change program.
If you are a local official, look at the Cities for Climate Protection.
For other ways to get involved, include reducing your own energy use, see the suggestions offered by the Rocky Mountain Institute, or by EDF, which gives a list of 20 simple things every person can do to reduce global warming, with the total carbon dioxide savings calculated for each action.
Some general suggeststions are:
- Drive an energy efficient car.
- Explore ways to use your car less. Alternative modes of transportation, such as car-pooling, public transit, bicycling, or walking, can save money, improve health, and reduce stress.
- Make your home as energy- and water-efficient as possible, by using such items as compact fluorescent bulbs.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-in that order. When you reduce the amount you consume, or reuse a product instead of buying a new one, you save the energy and resources it took to make that product, package it, transport it, advertise it, and dispose of it. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, 98 percent of the materials used in the creation of products are discarded as waste during manufacturing, distribution, or within six months of purchase. Following these simple suggestions will save you money as well as help slow climate change.
More on Climate:
Table of Contents | Twelve Hundred Words or Less... | Web Resources
Activist Groups | Voices | New in the Literature | Hotspots
History of Climate Negotiations | Glossary of Negotiator Terms | On the Other Hand...
Policy Options | Technological Breakthroughs? | Want to Get Involved?
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