Kids and Carbon
So what’s all this about carbon? Carbon dioxide is the gas that causes global warming. Carbon dioxide makes the Earth hot the same way a car gets hot when it’s left in the sun. We put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere with almost everything we do, including driving and using electricity. If we don’t want the Earth to get too hot, we’re going to have to be much more careful about carbon dioxide we’re putting into the atmosphere.
To learn more, click on the carbon calculator to see how much carbon your everyday activities are generating and then compare them to other kids across the globe! Well, what did you find out? What kinds of things can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
Change 5 lights: Replace the conventional bulbs in your 5 most frequently used light fixtures with low energy fluorescent bulbs and you will help the environment while saving money on energy bills. If every household in Australia took this one simple action we would prevent more than 1 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
Heat and cool smartly: Ask your parents if they have cleaned the air filters recently and tell them they need to have the heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor to make sure everything is opperating efficiently
Buy Locally: Purchase locally-made and locally-grown products. By doing so, you not only support your community and eat fresher products, but you also minimize your contribution to the carbon emitted for transporting products.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle as many materials as your community program collects. Use products in containers that can be recycled and buy recycled products.
Use water efficiently: Everyone can save water through simple actions. Turn off the water run while brushing your teeth. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Tell Mom or Dad to give the car a break: Use public transportation, carpool or walk or bike whenever possible to avoid using the car. Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year.
Share your knowledge: Tell family and friends all that you know about energy efficiency and ways that you are trying to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Tell 5 people and together we can help.
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