A user's manual to maintaining the Earth

Earth: the third rock from the sun and the only habitable planet in our solar system, in fact, the only one we have discovered that can support life as we know it. So, why does it seem like humans are hell-bent on destroying the planet? Recent reports in “Time” and “Science” magazines say global warming is accelerating, and the sea level is expected to continue to rise as the polar ice caps melt further. Humankind has left a footprint on nearly every spot we can stand on. What can you do, as a seemingly insignificant being on this planet, to...

SAVE THE EARTH

Keep your heating costs down by opening the shades on sunny days and closing them when it’s cold.

Turn your heater off or down to about 58 degrees when you are away, and keep your heater around 66 when you are there.

Empty the lint filter before drying clothes to increase efficiency.

Fix leaky faucets immediately, especially if they are the hot water ones.

Dishwashers are more efficient than hand washing, but only if the diswasher is full.

The microwave is far more efficient than a conventional oven, using 70 percent to 80 percent less electricity.

Use flourescent or halogen bulbs in your lights. They last longer and use less electricity.

Look for appliances that are energy efficient.

Don’t let water run. It’s just silly.

 

What can be recycled curbside?

Paper products:
Newspapers, magazines, telephone books, paper bags, junk mail, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, wrapping paper, greeting cards, envelopes, labels from cans, construction paper, paper towel and toilet paper cores, egg cartons, Post-it notes, milk and juice cartons.

Glass bottles and jars:
Put metal lids in with other metals. Glass is dangerous so must be separated from the rest of recycling. No lightbulbs, window glass or drinking glasses.

Metals:
Steel cans, aluminum cans, foil, scrap metal, empty aerosol cans, metal hangers, worn-out plumbing and bolts and screws.

Plastics:
All plastic bottles with a neck, such as milk jugs or soda bottles.

Also taken curbside are motor oil, stored in a clean, capped plastic container, such as a milk jug, and yard debris.

This information compiled from www.metro-region.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

By 2030 the number of automobiles in the world will increase by 50 percent.
The world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered.
It took 125 years to consume the first trillion barrels of oil – the world will consume the next trillion in only 30 years.
In 20 years the world will consume 40 percent more oil than it does today.
During the last 100 years the global temperature has warmed by an average of 0.6°C.
It is predicted that global temperatures in 2100 will be 5.8°C warmer than they were in 1990. This will make the Earth warmer than it has been in 50 million years.
The current pace of sea-level rise is three times the historical rate, and appears to be accelerating.
Scientists estimate the sea level will rise by 19 inches by 2100, though it could rise as much as 37 inches.
Much of the United States has already warmed by as much as 4°F.
None of the lower 48 states in the United States experienced below average temperatures in 2002.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas linked to climate change) in the atmosphere has increased by 31 percent.
Diseases such as malaria are predicted to spread as the world grows warmer, due to the carriers of disease spreading out over a larger geographical area.
Of particular concern is the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A sudden collapse would raise sea levels 16-20 feet, though the likelihood of such a collapse before the year 2100 is low.
Despite natural emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by volcanoes, for example, human activities are now adding about 7 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
New energy discoveries are mainly occurring in places where resources are difficult to extract—physically, technically, economically, and politically.
Oil production is in decline in 33 of the 48 largest oil-producing countries, yet energy demand is increasing around the globe as economies grow and nations develop.
Oil and gas currently provide more than half of the world’s energy supply, and according to the International Energy Agency, they—along with coal (which also releases CO2)—will continue to be the major sources of energy well into the 21st century unless things are changed.
The International Energy Agency estimates that the world will need to invest $16 trillion over the next three decades to maintain and expand energy supply.
Over half the world’s oil supplies lie in just five countries.
Agriculture and biodiversity are already being impacted by global warming. 10 percent of all known plant species are under threat of extinction.

List from earthday.org.