tree-hugger

In conjunction with the World Earth Day (22nd April), as a tree-hugger myself, here some tips for my fellow green-lovers. I got all there from the internet. The top part will be the statistics for our Earth condition and the below part are the green-living tips that might help us to survive and provide a better future for the next generation. I am not an environmentalist, as Andrew puts it. I'm just trying to survive and save as many as I can.

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Here are the facts, you can be the judge.

1. According to the reports from NASA, the hottest year was 2005, which matched 1998. Twice in the last ten years we've had the hottest temperatures on average ever recorded in our planet's history. That is very likely more than just a coincidence.

2. The rate of warming has accelerated over the past 30 years, increasing at a rate of three times faster than the century-scale trend. Global annual temperatures are now around 1.0 F degrees warmer than they were in 1900.

3. According to an MIT study, there's been a 100% increase in the intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970s, most likely due to the increased amount of CO2 emissions to our atmosphere, which has increased the Earth's surface temperature, and warmer weather is believed to increase the intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes.

4. The glaciers in Greenland, Alaska, the Himalaya, the Antarctic Peninsula and on high tropical mountains are retreating rapidly; according to the U.S. Geological Survey predictions, Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left by the year 2030.5. According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 400,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted, which is threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide.


5. That amount of Arctic sea ice is approximately the size of the state of Texas, and we've lost that in just the last 30 years, further emphasizing that we need to take action now before the damage becomes too severe for our efforts to really matter.


6. The sea level has risen by 10-20 cm over the past 100 years, which is likely due to the melting of the polar glaciers, which is due to the increase in the Earth's near-surface temperature. This can lead to devastating effects for coastal communities because the sea level is rising, which means that when the sea comes in-tide, more erosion can occur, and if coastal communities are present, more damage done to them. In addition, losing the glaciers reduces the amount of usable fresh water on our planet.

7. It is also projected that 15-37% of all plant and animal species could be wiped out by global warming by the year 2050, which could further cause considerable damage to our planet's ecosystem.

8. The United States is ranked number#1 among large nations of being a global warming polluter, contributing 25% of emissions, even though the U.S. only makes up 5% of the world's population. NO bills passed by the U.S. Congress to cut global warming pollution.

9. The earliest signs of wrath of the Mother Earth occured by the end of the 20th century. Many people were getting a taste of climate changes: There was a megadrought in the Southwest U.S. from 1849 to 1905, the Dust Bowl of the Great Plains in the 1930s, and a drought in China killed 3 million in the 1940s.

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You might want to ask, if the situation is already that bad, whatever minimal actions I do won't help much at all. The truth is, our minimal moves are the ones that caused this, it's the collectiveness of our ignorance that make this happen, and our collective efforts are gonna salvage it. Every little action count.

Check this video out, it's an environmental movement called the Earth Hour, It started in Sydney where the residents work together to save the energy resources of the country, The whole town would switch off all the lights at once for one hour. The results of 10% of energy saved. They targeted for 5%.





So, I am starting my green-living style, taking baby-steps in my daily life. I am not asking you guys to sell off your cars or to take any extreem actions. Start small, it's how a habit is cultivated. Here are some tips that might help you guys.


1. Reduce the use of plastic bags. It is the most authentic way, More than often, I ask the sales person to keep the plastic bags. Bring a long a shopping bag wherever you go, for drivers, keep one in your car, it really comes in handy. For the old plastic bags, keep them, don't throw them away, they make really good gift bags and garbage bag.


2. Recycle! Yep, another classic, you can practically recycle anything at all, recycle the junk mails in your mailbox, the cheap pens that stop working can go in the recycle plastic bin, old clothes can be used as cloth to wipe your car, old socks.


3. Plant a plant~ I've got my pet plant. My dad gave it to me to make my toilet look better, greener. So all I do is just to change the water in the pot once in awhile. It's gorgeous and best of all, it gives out oxygen for CO2.


4. Don't throw away those batteries, they are recycle-able, 'cause I have to use triple A batteries for my mp3 player, I keep all those old, dried up ones. So instead of throwing them away and creating more toxic garbage I give them off to the people who collect old newspapers so they can bring them to the recycle center for me.


5. Turn off the powerpoints, when the plugs are in and the switch is on, the electricity is running, even though it's on stand-by mode, 10% of leakage is happening. So, switch it off, save up! The same go to the lights and air-cons.


6. Empty your glass of water that you can't finish into your humidifier, aquarium or into a pot of plant. Don't waste water.


7. Every gallon of gasoline burned produces 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, so cut down the use of fuel. Don't speed, obey the rules and keep your speed constant. Rapid acceleration and braking can decrease fuel economy by 33%.


8. Keep your shower short. Turn off the water as you brush your teeth or soap your body. It saves a lot of water by doing so. Collectively, so make it a habit.


9. Cut down on meat. Go for the lower food chain. The animal industry uses massive amounts of water and land. Roughly 70 percent of the grains grown in the United States go to feed animals, who eventually become food. This takes up much of the arable land that could be used to feed people directly. It takes ten times the fossil fuels to produce a calorie of animal food as it does to produce plant food.


10. Lastly, be creative. I can't tell you what exactly to do in every situation. So be a smart tree-hugger. Turn down your water heater, inflate your car tyres, iron less, steam your clothes while taking your shower, use eco-friendly detergent, just check out the green living sites and you can get daily tips for green living.


Take note that when IKEA started charging for plastic bags used, they actually cut down the usage by 92%. This strategy is already on full-force in the 7 Elevens and OK Marts in Taiwan when I went there like 5 years ago. This is one good steps to be mentioned and praised.


Thanks for hearing me out. I just thought it might help if this message can be made known to our Malaysians, we're already much left behind in saving the earth. These are some reference sites which I got the informations from. We are not alone, even big

corps are practising green packaging.


1. Green Living tips - http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/
2. Earth Hour official site - http://www.earthhour.org/
3. Global warming statistics - http://reference.aol.com/planet-earth/global-warming/statistics
4. Global warming statistics 2 - http://ezinearticles.com/?Alarming-Global-Warming-Statistics&id=560107
5. Stop Global Warming Site - http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_actionitems.asp