10 Things You Can Do to Love Your Mother Earth

 

The El Paso Zoo will be celebrating Earth Day on April 22 and we invite you to join us in our Party for the Planet.

Animals, humans - we're all dependent upon each other and have to live on the same planet. As more attention is focused on conservation of our world's limited resources - we have put together some tips that you can use to make a difference on our Mother Earth.

Renewable Resources - Saving Energy Helps to Reduce Global Warming: Burning fossil fuels - gasoline, natural gas, coal and oil - raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels - which reduces global warming - by using energy more wisely.

All over the planet, hundreds of scientists are finding plants and animals suddenly scattering, withering or outright disappearing as our world approaches sustained temperatures higher than today's species ever evolved to be able to survive in.

The new heat wave is attacking in many ways - from melting the sea-ice that polar bears need for hunting to bringing tropical rains two months too early, so plants blossom too soon to feed the animals that depend on them.

Hundreds of field studies from around the world, add to the same picture. The increase in the average global temperature is causing havoc in many ecosystems - and on a scale that's hard, at first, even to imagine.

SO. What Can you do?

Here are 10 simple tips you can do right now to rock your world:

1. "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle"
Follow the three R's. Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle: paper, plastic, newspaper, and aluminum cans.

2. Insulate your home.
Add extra insulation to your walls and attic, and install weather stripping or caulk around doors and windows. This step alone can reduce your home heating costs by more than 25%. Did you know that one fourth of the heat lost in homes escapes through the roof? Up to 35% of your home's heat is lost through the walls. Filling cavity walls reduces heat lost from 35% to 10%. Even if windows are properly draft-proofed about 20% of heat is lost through a closed single-glazed window.

3. Be thrifty with heating and cooling.
Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night, and aim for moderation with heating and cooling. Experts say setting your room temperature at 65 - 70F (18C - 21C) is ideal. With young children, babies or elderly you may want to set it higher. Setting your room thermostat down 1 degree can save up to 10% on your fuel bill.

4. Leave the car at home whenever you can.
In addition to saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Take the bus when you can, use the mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.

5. Buy energy-efficient products.
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that gives you the best gas mileage. Search the internet for the most fuel-efficient models. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are now designed to provide more natural-looking light while using less energy than standard light bulbs.
The largest energy users in your home are items that produce heat: electric heaters, water heaters, heat tapes and space heaters, stoves, ovens, electric motors (well pumps, pool pumps, irrigation pumps and furnace blowers)

6. Turn down your appliances.
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it's more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save water. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.

7. Don't leave the water running.
Remember to turn off the water when you're not using it, for example, while brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog, or soaping up your car. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a natural resource.

8. Get a report card from your utility company.
Many utility companies provide home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. And many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades. Check with yours.

9. Be an informed consumer.
Learn about environmental issues so you can make wise choices for yourself and your family. Go to the library. Search the internet.

10. Encourage others.
If there isn't a recycling program at your work, school, or in your community, ask about starting one.

These 10 tips will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming which affects all the world's creatures - man and beast.