What can individual people do about global warming?

[Anerystos]

Refuse to eat any CAFO animal product. Then if you can, grow a garden and recycle food scraps in a compost bin to use as fertilizer so you don't need Haber process nitrogen. Try to limit your excess fossil fuel consumption with things like solar hot water, economical car or even better, bicycle and/or public transportation whenever possible, various things such as that. But more important, tell people why, and vote for politicians willing to do the infrastructure changes required.

Pee in the compost bin. My wife went ballistic when I suggested that we put a bucket in the toilet.

My grandparents had an outside chemical toilet which they emptied into a trench in the garden and covered it with earth. You should have seen the size of the carrots.

The UK has a bus pass system where old wrinklies like us travel free. Saves a massive amount on our car mileage - and our wallets!

 

[Orphia Nay]

Good idea for a topic, Frozenwolf.

Here's a list of 50 ways to help save the planet:

http://www.50waystohelp.com/

I'd also add that if you are in a position to make a change on a corporate or city-wide change, do it!

 

[DC]

Good idea for a topic, Frozenwolf.

Here's a list of 50 ways to help save the planet:

http://www.50waystohelp.com/

I'd also add that if you are in a position to make a change on a corporate or city-wide change, do it!

but don't tell your Boss when not needed

My Boss knows nothing about AGW, and he is not interested in it.
But I am responsible for what electricity we buy. a few months ago I had the offer for cheaper electricity, but it would include imported fossil fuel electricity, I turned it down with the reason that our current electricity is hydro and CO2 neutral. Then the one with the offer wrote to my Boss directly and then I had to explain to him why I turned it down. took a while to convince him to not save that money, I sold it as an investment for his 4 children

 

[Cuddles]

Frozenwolf150, your easiest routes to start on are the ones that are going to save you money anyway. Depending on the type of house/apartment/whatever you live in, try to make it more energy efficient. Recaulk windows and doorframes, improve insulation, use CFL or LED bulbs.

Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily as easy as it sounds. I moved house recently and have been looking into all this sort of thing. It turns out that all the things I assumed were no-brainers, such as wall insulation, solar panels, and double glazing, are almost entirely worthless. Wall insulation would take over 100 years to pay back its installation cost. Photovoltaic cells could pay back in around 15 years, except I'm not eligible for the full feed-in tariff without getting wall insulation first, and the lower tariff means they'll never pay back their installation cost. I don't need new windows in this house, but I looked at double glazing in my old flat, and again the installation cost would not have been paid back in their lifetime (or mine for that matter). There's a recent thread on LED bulbs in which their cost effectiveness is challenged by many people. I have a bunch in my house, but whether they'll actually save money in the long run is certainly up for debate.

Obviously I'm not saying that no-one should ever bother with these things. Some people will certainly be able to save a ton of money from various improvements. But in many cases, they won't. If you really want to improve home efficiency and reduce energy usage and emissions, you're very likely to have to spend money, not save it.

Next time you buy a car... buy the slightly more expensive but significantly more energy efficient version.

Or more likely, buy the significantly cheaper and more energy efficient car. It's the small-engined cars without all the bells and whistles that will save you fuel.

 

[Pixel42]

Solar water heaters pay back much more quickly than photovoltaic.

 

[MontagK505]

how many miles a year do you drive?

Around 2K mi/yr

 

[Frozenwolf150]

At this point, I think the best way to help is to attempt to calmly discuss the matter with those who seem to have made up their minds as AGW deniers using mistaken or limited information. Votes for important issues must be won now.

(snipped for brevity)

ETA: The problem of climate change is of such magnitude that only by winning the hearts and minds of the entire world's population through legal and cultural changes, hopefully with the US as a leader, can any real progress be made. We are really about 50 years too late for most simplistic measures to do any good.

Good points. However, I'm not the most convincing person, and I don't know how well I'd be able to persuade someone who doesn't believe AGW is real. What are the best venues for holding these conversations, and how do you go about engaging these people?

We have to be willing to give up stuff that we're simply not willing to give up. A self-proclaimed treehugger/earthperson buddy of mine is always carrying on about reducing our carbon footprints. She's very active, going to sit-ins, demonstrations, and what-not, and is a very persuasive speaker. She drives an SUV and a pick-up, and owns a couple of houses that she cools on the grid and heats using natural gas while burning oak in her fireplace (The fireplace is an ambiance thing). She camps in a fifth-wheel camper with all the bells and whistles, and flies to Jamaica at least once a year. To be fair, I'm not willing to give up my goodies either, though I'm not all in-your-face about reducing carbon footprints and such. I like refrigerated air, a hot shower, cruising to Dallas for the fun of it, and building the occasional bonfire. I don't want to give them up. I am the scum.

I like comfort and fun activities too, but I don't have to do them all the time. We run our AC far less frequently than our neighbors, and I run mine on energy-saver mode. Otherwise it's window fans for ventilation. For showers, I set my nozzle to reduced-flow. I don't travel for vacation; my idea of vacation is time off at home to do what I please, which is usually sleeping in. Bonfires I don't do, unless I'm firing up the grill to cook something, which isn't even my favorite way to cook.

I suppose my biggest ecological vices are that I spend tons of time on the computer, and I have a 1 hour commute to and from school. Computers and cars are necessities for me, so I try to turn the computer monitor off when I'm not using it, and I try to keep my car maintained.

If you really want to do something about it become an activist and try to get the elites and leaders who actually have enough authority to make large-scale changes happen. It's the same with voting: you might have the most educated and reasonable opinion of all people but you are still just one vote, that is unless you start publicly shaping public opinion and getting people to vote the way you are. If you don't you really shouldn't bother voting at all.

What's the best way to go about this? With whom would you speak? How would you get the message out? How can you convince others to vote the way you do?

I live in a blue state, with serious pollution problems as it is, so most voters around here already vote on the side of environmental issues.

 

[Carlotta]

Refuse to eat any CAFO animal product. Then if you can, grow a garden and recycle food scraps in a compost bin to use as fertilizer so you don't need Haber process nitrogen. Try to limit your excess fossil fuel consumption with things like solar hot water, economical car or even better, bicycle and/or public transportation whenever possible, various things such as that. But more important, tell people why, and vote for politicians willing to do the infrastructure changes required.

Please give me any advice you can regarding your first suggestion. I'm already doing lots of the other things mentioned in this thread. (Okay, I'm a bit old to bicycle to work!) I would gladly eat meat more responsibly, economically and/or humanely fed. I just don't know how to go about this here in the urban east coast. Thanks!
This is, of course addressed to anyone with info on this.

 

[Frozenwolf150]

Frozenwolf150, your easiest routes to start on are the ones that are going to save you money anyway. Depending on the type of house/apartment/whatever you live in, try to make it more energy efficient. Recaulk windows and doorframes, improve insulation, use CFL or LED bulbs. Next time you buy a car or have to replace an appliance (or doors/windows), buy the slightly more expensive but significantly more energy efficient version. Turn your thermostat up a degree or two in the summer and down a degree or two in the winter. Even if you don't fix the problem, you'll save some cash and produce less CO₂.

Already done. I'm quoting this because it's good advice.

Do your individual actions. Drive less. Use public transportation more. Reuse, recycle, and compost things that make sense to do so. Buy factory-farmed produce shipped on a train from California or whatever the local closest equivalent is.

It seems pointless, because what one individual can do is so small on an individual basis, but a lot of individuals make a culture, and things get done differently in a culture where people think differently.

Take a tip from the Second World War. Think, "Is this trip really necessary?" Shop once a week for groceries, or shop European style and carry what you buy by foot.

I used to walk more places when I was in better health. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start doing that again.

The most effective single thing an individual can do is decide to not create more individuals. 7 billion are more than enough, thank you.

Good point. If I want children, I'll adopt. I'm more of a pet lover though.

Refuse to eat any CAFO animal product. Then if you can, grow a garden and recycle food scraps in a compost bin to use as fertilizer so you don't need Haber process nitrogen. Try to limit your excess fossil fuel consumption with things like solar hot water, economical car or even better, bicycle and/or public transportation whenever possible, various things such as that. But more important, tell people why, and vote for politicians willing to do the infrastructure changes required.

How do you find out where animal products originate? What's the best way to determine whether or not they come from CAFOs? Do I look up the brand name, or is there more complicated research involved?

Pee in the compost bin. My wife went ballistic when I suggested that we put a bucket in the toilet.

My grandparents had an outside chemical toilet which they emptied into a trench in the garden and covered it with earth. You should have seen the size of the carrots.

We have a compost bin that my brother assembled a few years ago. Works great. Everything from food scraps to the pine cat litter I use goes in there. In the summers, I do exactly that, which is save up urine for use in the garden. However, I think you have to let it age about a week before pouring it over your plants.

Good idea for a topic, Frozenwolf.

Here's a list of 50 ways to help save the planet:

http://www.50waystohelp.com/

I'd also add that if you are in a position to make a change on a corporate or city-wide change, do it!

I'll bookmark that, thanks.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Actually, I think this highlights the major problem in the "green consumerism" movement. Lise you say, An inconvenient Truth ends with turning down your thermostat and keep your tires filled.

I would quote this whole piece if I could. The "green" priorities are screwed up.

 

[Red Baron Farms]

How do you find out where animal products originate? What's the best way to determine whether or not they come from CAFOs? Do I look up the brand name, or is there more complicated research involved?

Please give me any advice you can regarding your first suggestion. I'm already doing lots of the other things mentioned in this thread. (Okay, I'm a bit old to bicycle to work!) I would gladly eat meat more responsibly, economically and/or humanely fed. I just don't know how to go about this here in the urban east coast. Thanks!
This is, of course addressed to anyone with info on this.

You'll probably have to either join a csa or visit the local farmers markets and ask the farmers directly how they raise their animals. The vast majority of animal products sold in the grocery stores are CAFO raised.

 

[a_unique_person]

Actually, I think this highlights the major problem in the "green consumerism" movement. Lise you say, An inconvenient Truth ends with turning down your thermostat and keep your tires filled.

I would quote this whole piece if I could. The "green" priorities are screwed up.

If you do 20 things that save 1%, you have saved 20%, which is significant. His problem is that if you only do a few one percenters, you may just be wilfully fooling yourself you have done something significant.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

What are your thoughts? What do you think people should do? What changes have you already made to your habits and lifestyle? Where can we go from here as individuals, and as a society?

Open the windows and turn the air conditioner up to 11.

 

[RedPillNeo]

Pee in the compost bin. !

Do this sparingly. It's a great source of nitrogen and micronutrients, but the salt content can be quite high and can accumulate in your soil, especially in containers. It's also strong enough to burn and damage many plants if applied directly to foliage, or soil in quantity. If you "let it age for a week" it won't help the plants, but it is liable to induce bazooka barfing on application and the urge to flush the remainder posthaste.
Another way to increase the nitrogen value of your compost is redworms- look into vermiculture.

Your individual actions regarding things like eating "ecologically friendly" food, driving only when necessary and riding your bike otherwise and so on are in the grand scheme of things completely inconsequential with regards to climate change. Global warming isn't going to stop just because you decide to buy the "eco-friendly" potatoes one day while shopping either.

This kind of Debbie Downer, cynical call to inaction sounds less like practical advice than justification for Ms. Downer to feel no shame but indeed smug about changing nothing she does. I dislike seeing people spread apathy when its effects far outlive those advocating it so.

If you really want to do something about it become an activist and try to get the elites and leaders who actually have enough authority to make large-scale changes happen.

All well and good, but a true activist not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, so to speak. Here you sound like a shady [nameless MLM] salesman, whose entire program is getting others to do all the work and sell all the product, without ever selling product or even consuming it oneself.

In other words, all the top-down activism in the world ultimately relies on bottom-up behavior change, from a majority of the population. Reducing the cumulative effects of individual consumer behavior to the specific effect of your next potato purchase obviously misses the big picture.

I ask what sources inform their opinions and suggest that perhaps a couple of other sources, showing the other side might be of interest. I have managed to get a few old friends from, "It's a liberal hoax" to "Yeah, but we can't do anything about it." To me, that's progress.

A 91 year old friend told me the other day that I sound like his 17 year old grand daughter spouting climate change stuff.

~sigh~ Sounds like the denizens of my Mom's retirement village. Look, it's perfectly safe for octogenarians to believe AGW is nothing but a giant hoax- it's not going to play out in their lifetime. Your granddaughter cares because it WILL be playing out in HER lifetime, and her childrens'. I've found that strong defense mechanisms can be parried by pointing out that nobody wants to be the picture in the family album of the last generation to basically say FTW to the end. Change is slow, but with all hands on deck we can turn this battleship.

 

[Orphia Nay]

but don't tell your Boss when not needed

My Boss knows nothing about AGW, and he is not interested in it.
But I am responsible for what electricity we buy. a few months ago I had the offer for cheaper electricity, but it would include imported fossil fuel electricity, I turned it down with the reason that our current electricity is hydro and CO2 neutral. Then the one with the offer wrote to my Boss directly and then I had to explain to him why I turned it down. took a while to convince him to not save that money, I sold it as an investment for his 4 children

Well done, DC.

 

[Frozenwolf150]

Do this sparingly. It's a great source of nitrogen and micronutrients, but the salt content can be quite high and can accumulate in your soil, especially in containers. It's also strong enough to burn and damage many plants if applied directly to foliage, or soil in quantity. If you "let it age for a week" it won't help the plants, but it is liable to induce bazooka barfing on application and the urge to flush the remainder posthaste.

I wasn't aware that aging it reduced its effectiveness. I thought it was necessary to neutralize the pH before using it on plants. Why is aging it a bad idea? Are you saying that it works best when fresh?

 

[Skeptical Greg]

This planet will be uninhabitable eventually, no matter what we do.
The human race as we know it, is likely to become extinct for one reason or another on this planet, before this planet becomes uninhabitable, no matter what we do.

If the human race is going to ultimately survive, our resources would be best spent preparing to leave this planet.

 

[RedPillNeo]

I wasn't aware that aging it reduced its effectiveness. I thought it was necessary to neutralize the pH before using it on plants. Why is aging it a bad idea? Are you saying that it works best when fresh?

I was thinking of the biological growth that will happen over a week.
Depending on what thrives, it might drive the PH up or down somewhat, but the SMELL after that week would make an asparagus farmer retch.

If you really want to add directly to plants, dilute it with water. It's not just PH and table salt that harm foliage; too much nitrogen burns too.

If the human race is going to ultimately survive, our resources would be best spent preparing to leave this planet.

Whereas I agree with this in principle, the possibility that humans will colonize other systems in the future is no excuse for being cavalier about our resource usage in the here and now. Count me among the "rest of us will go to the stars" types all the same.

 

[a_unique_person]

This planet will be uninhabitable eventually, no matter what we do.
The human race as we know it, is likely to become extinct for one reason or another on this planet, before this planet becomes uninhabitable, no matter what we do.

If the human race is going to ultimately survive, our resources would be best spent preparing to leave this planet.

Sounds a lot like "we're all going to die, so don't bother about looking after your health. "

A problem with your reasoning, what makes you think we can do something as ambitious as going to other stars, I'f we can't do something much simpler like like a low fossil fuel economy.
How do you preparing dealing with relativity and the speed of light.

 

[Brainster]

My electric bill is $40-$50 / month
My auto gets 35MPG highway
My natural gas bill $15/mo summer, $110/mo winter.
I've spent a good deal of money on insulation, LED lighting and upgrading heating systems.

Have I done enough enough?

Try not to breathe so much. Oh, and turn off the internet.