Sunday, June 04, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth

Last night Rob and I went to the movies, and I got the bejeeeezes scared out of me. But in a good way.

We saw An Inconvenient Truth. A VERY important movie about global warming and its effects on our earth, and our lives. All the things we are doing to this planet, all the ignorance and deceptions and lies government and businesses are telling us, and how our lives, yes OUR LIVES will be affected.

It's pretty scary to think that the coastlines of the continents could dramatically change within the next 50 years. YES. THAT SOON! I'd move away from the shore if I were you and buy property more inland, it may soon be prime waterfront property if we keep going the way we're going. The polar ice caps are melting. MELTING, and MELTING FAST! NOT GOOD. The planet is getting warmer and warmer and warmer and unless we do something, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE.

Alarmist am I? Go see the movie. Yes it's SCARY! But it's also mind boggling enough to make me seriously reconsider many things in my life. What our society needs is a good kick in the behind to do more. I knew a lot of this information already. But it was still shocking to see it all laid out for me. It's EXTREMELY IMPROTANT that you see this movie. And it's even more EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW to see this movie. And tell them to tell EVERYONE THEY KNOW. And then WE ALL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! Because there was one important point I took home with me. If we all do 3 or 4 or more little things, they can add up to BIG things, and then we can significantly reduce the dangerous effects of global warming. If we DON'T do anything? Well, like I said, move away from the coast and buy inland mountainous property.

And then say goodbye to pine forests and polar bears. Say hello to more and more destructive hurricanes, tornados and tsunamis. More often and A LOT stronger. Say goodbye to millions of people. Say goodbye to life as we once knew it. Say goodbye to a planet able to sustain our children and grandchildren’s lives.

So DO SOMETHING! See this movie. An Inconvenient Truth. Find it at the nearest theater and RUN! (Don't drive) to see it. And then buy a hybrid car and carpool all of your friends and relatives to see it.

And then change your light bulbs. Use energy efficient or fluorescent bulbs. Just changing ONE will keep 150 pounds of CO2 a year out of the atmosphere.

Drive less! Because each mile you DON’T drive saves a pound of CO2 from our atmosphere. Take mass transit, carpool, use your bicycle, or (GASP!) walk!

Check your tires. Keeping them inflated properly improves your gas mileage by 3%. Every gallon of gasoline not needed/used, besides saving you 3 dollars or more, it also keeps 20 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Use less hot water. Install a low flow showerhead to save 250 pounds of CO2 per year, and wash your clothing in cold or even warm water to save 500 pounds a year.

Recycle. You can save 2400 pounds of CO2 a year by recycling just HALF of your trash.

Avoid products with a lot of packaging. Cutting down your garbage by 10% will keep out 1200 pounds of CO2.
Adjust your thermostat. Just 2 degrees cooler in winter and 2 degrees warmer in summer can save 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide from warming up the earth. And programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

Turn off your computer, DVD player, stereo, and television when you’re not using them. That will save thousands of pounds of CO2.

Ask your electric company about using green power, and buy appliances with the Energy Star

Insulate and weatherize your home. Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year.

Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb ONE TON of CO2 over its lifetime. And the shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10% to 15% And they’re so pretty too.

Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is released into the atmosphere -- deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on forests and global warming.

Eat less meat!!!!!!
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. ( I couldn’t resist putting that one in)

Write to your Congresspersons! Tell them about the EXTREME IMPORTANCE of the issue and what they can do to help. We must have a stronger commitment from our government in order to implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates and make sure your voice is heard by voting! Vote only for those who promise to help the environment. And if you can’t find anyone who will do that, run for Congress yourself!

The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring all Americans concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other Americans urging action on this issue.

All of these facts and suggestions were taken from the official website of this movie. http://www.climatecrisis.net/. Visit the site and learn more about what you can do. And GO SEE THE MOVIE!!!!!! Because I for one would like to live out my lifetime on a healthier planet. And I surely want my children and grandchildren to HAVE a planet to live ON.

Don’t you?????

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great comments - love your sense of humor! I am still rolling on the floor laughing!!!

Carie :) said...

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I tried to make a serious subject a little more interesting and enjoyable to read. I also hope you took the seriousness of the message.

Just remember that Global Warming in general is NOT a laughing matter and even with all the humor, all of these suggestions are very real and very helpful. If we don't do something now, there won't be an earth to live on in the future. And contrary to popular belied, every little bit helps.

For instance I had a MD appt last evening, and her officeis 2 and a half blocks away from my apt. And it was POURING RAIN! Previously I may have driven as not to get soaked, but after seeing that movie I just couldn't justify driving 2 and a half blocks just because I might get wet. I won't melt. I bundled up in some rain gear and off I walked. And remember, every gallon of gas not used saves a pound of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Every little bit helps! Enjoy the reading but also take the message! And SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Anonymous said...

I am afraid your humor made me laugh, and thereby caused me to exhale excessive CO2!