Puget Sound Climate Issues

The Problem

What you can do

Impact of your actions

Food:

1) Harmful chemicals. 140 million tons were used in 2000 to grow crops world-wide.  The EPA says over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected of causing birth defects, cancer, and gene mutations.

2) Distance. The average food product is shipped 1500 miles (e.g. shipping a kiwi from New Zealand produces 5 times its weight in carbon dioxide emissions).

3) Beef. 100 acres of land can produce enough beef for 20 people or enough wheat to feed 240.  It takes up to 5000 gallons of water to process a pound of beef, depleting our underground aquifers.  Eating 1 hamburger does the same amount of environmental damage as driving your car for 3 weeks

1) Buy or grow your own organic foods, use food waste compost as natural fertilizer. (www.watoxics.org)

2) Eat local and seasonal foods, farmer’s markets or from a local organic farm, natural food stores. (www.tilthproducers.org)

3) Eat lower on the food chain.  Avoid or reduce beef consumption (www.vegsource.com)

4) Calculate the effect of your diet on the environment and on your health (http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/score.html)

5)

Reduces consumption of pesticides and herbicides, supports local farmers, provides healthier, safer food for you and your family.

Reduces greenhouse gases through emissions from transporting imported food.

Saves massive amounts of water, avoids polluting streams and rivers and destroying topsoil, avoids destruction of tropical rainforests and aquifers (water sources for the Midwest and around the world)

Reduces carbon dioxide and methane gas emissions, helps save endangered species (rain forests destroyed to use as grazing land).

Air:

Air Quality: The USA has 241 million cars on the road, which are responsible for 45% of the pollution produced by automobiles around the world.

Global Warming:  Burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, and clearing forests has dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere and caused temperatures to rise.

(www.climatecrisis.net)

1) Take the bus, walk, bike, consolidate trips or ride share.

2) Use the lowest mileage car for the longest distances.

3) Buy a more fuel efficient vehicle (Tax credits up to $3,400). (www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/hev/)

4) Calculate how much CO2 you are producing.

(www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator)

5) Offset the amount of CO2 you produce.

(www.nativeenergy.com/WB_ClimateCrisis.html?ClimateCrisis)

or (www.terrapass.com)

Helps you stay in shape--walking burns up to 1000 calories/hour.

Reduces CO2 emissions directly responsible for global warming.  A car getting 25 mpg instead of 15 mpg saves 300 gallons of gasoline, and 6,600 lbs of CO2 per year.

Saves money. Bus passes are $54/month.  Car insurance is much more. 300 gallons of gasoline costs about $900 currently.

Water:  www.pcusa.org/trade/thirst.htm

Water supplies.  1.1 billion people do not have access to a safe and adequate water supply - 97% of the world’s fresh water is stored in underground aquifers being depleted at a rate of 53 trillion gallons per year. 

(www.earth-policy.org/Books/Out/Ote6_2.htm)

Pollution. Human and farm animal waste and over 10 million synthetic chemicals contribute to making our fresh water unsafe to drink. Over 200 million gallons of motor oil pollutes our waters every year.  Storm drains on our streets empty directly into local waters untreated.

Plastic. A million tons of plastic are used each year for bottled water. Americans use 2 million plastic bottles per hour. Most plastic bottles are not recycled adding to the world’s waste. It takes 100 years for a plastic bottle to decompose. 

1) Avoid plastic bottled water.  Drink tap water or purify your tap water with a filter. Use water in reusable containers.

http://www.prcweb.org/DOCS/waterbrochureFINAL.pdf

2) Support organizations that provide clean drinking water to those areas in the world without it.  (www.water1st.org)

3) Bring used oil and other toxic wastes to recycling center.  Avoid harmful and damaging chemicals and cleaners—especially where they can run into storm drains.  (www.Superpages.com)

4) Reduce beef consumption. (5000 gallons of water used for 1 lb. of beef)  (http://www.vegsource.com)

5) Use water wisely.

Reduces the tons of plastic used to make bottled water each year.

Helps others. The UN estimates that if the world took half of what it now spends on bottled water ($100 billion/year) and invested it in water infrastructure and treatment, everyone in the world could have access to clean drinking water.

Saves water and keeps it safe for human consumption.

Saves money.

Land:

Harmful chemicals. An average American family uses 30 gallons of various chemical cleaners each year.  Inevitably they find their way into soil, water, and air.

Non-renewables. Only 15% of the steel in America is recycled (it is 100% recyclable).  Americans throw away enough steel to supply all US automakers.

Household packaging has increased 5 times in 30 years, 50 times for plastics.

The amount of wood and paper thrown away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

300 million printer cartridges are used in the US each year, only 2% are recycled--$588 million worth of cartridges end up in landfills.

It takes 4 months for a piece of paper to decompose, 10 years for an aluminum can, 500 years for Styrofoam.

1) Use biodegradable cleaning solutions and natural home remedies.  Use plant-based solvents.  (http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html)

2) Reduce the volume of your trash by 80% by sorting, recycling and composting. (www.vegweb.com/composting)

3) Recycle all steel, paper, ink cartridges. Print on both sides of paper. Glass can be recycled forever. (www.green-networld.com/tips/steel.htm)

4) Avoid buying take-out foods with extra packaging and over-packaged and individually packaged items.

5) Buy in bulk or use refillable containers. 

6) Avoid products that have only 1 time use--napkins, paper towels, paper plates, disposable silverware, diapers, razors. Choose glass packaging when possible.

(www.cleanup.org)

Reduces harmful chemicals in your home, in our land, air and water.

 Reduces harmful health impact of untested substances on human health.

Reduces expensive waste of recyclable plastics, paper, steel, glass and reduces space needed in landfills. 

Saves waste—eliminates 2 billion plastic bags per year if 25 percent of American families use 10 fewer plastic bags per month.

Saves energy--Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for 3 hours.

-Making a soda can from recycled materials uses 95% less energy than when produced from raw materials.

-Recycling a single plastic bottle saves enough energy to keep a 60 watt bulb lit for 6 hours.

-Making new glass from recycled glass saves 80% of the raw materials and 30% of the energy needed to make it from scratch.

Saves money--Cleaning with a sponge costs about $35 per year vs. disposable cleaning wipes ($700).

Money:

Consumption. Developed countries consume 30 to 50 times the amount of resources available to those in poor countries.  Each individual in a developed country will consume an average of 100 tons of the earth's nonrenewable resources and more than 134,000 gallons of fresh water each year.

Investing.  Americans have over $30 Trillion invested in US and abroad.  Socially responsible investing is when you take your beliefs and values and apply them to how you invest your money.

1) Buy less; buy quality products made to last.

2) Share durable goods with others (e.g. tools).

3) Buy products made from recycled materials

(www.webofcreation.org)

4) Invest in Green stocks and funds.  Investigate companies’ trade practices.

(www.socialinvest.org)  (www.socialfunds.com)

(www.greenmoneyjournal.com)

5) Support organizations that promote fair trade, and equitable resources. (www.eco-labels.org)

Reduces family costs.

Reduces use of the earth’s resources and pollution to our land, air, water.

Builds community through sharing resources.

Supports organizations working toward eco-justice.

Advocacy and Education:

Most of us in the USA are unaware or unwilling to take the action needed to change laws and regulations which can make a difference in the environment.  Meanwhile there are powerful companies and government officials who are driving the short sighted abuse and neglect of the environment.  A grassroots effort is needed to make required changes.

Advocacy:  (www.watoxics.org) (http://www.environmentalpriorities.org/)

(www.sierraclub.org)

Education:  (www.webofcreation.org) (http://www.earthministry.org/)

(www.pcusa.org/environment)

(www.nwei.org)

There is a growing awareness and concern about the care for creation.  Middle America is joining the fight to care for the earth, and for our families, our neighbors and ourselves.  By joining in the building effort, you can make a difference that matters.