Nine Steps to Improve Life

Circulated by www.2020vision.org

1. Skip a Car Trip

Transportation, overwhelmingly in automobiles, is responsible for about a third of American greenhouse gas emissions. Skipping a weekly 20 mile trip represents less than a 10 percent decrease in the average American's driving and can reduce your weekly carbon dioxide emissions by more than 18 pounds.

2. Eat one less beef meal

Meat production is extremely resource-intensive - livestock currently consume 70 percent of America's grain production! Their grazing accounts for 800 million acres (40 percent) of U.S. land, and 18 percent of all water consumption is devoted to producing feed for livestock. Feedlot beef is particularly wasteful. 

3. Don't eat shrimp

Today, nearly 70 percent of the world's fisheries are fully fished or over fished, and about 60 billion pounds of fish, sharks, and seabirds die each year as "bycatch" - animals caught accidentally as a result of wasteful fishing techniques. 

4. Declare your independence from junk mail

The world's forests are feeling the strain of unsustainable demand for wood and paper. By weight, paper products also comprise nearly one-third of all waste going into American landfills. Bulk mail, a substantial chunk of our paper waste, is especially troubling because it is often unsolicited and thus leaves citizens to dispose of materials they did not choose to consume. If only 1,000 of us succeed in halving our personal bulk mail, we will save 170 trees, nearly 46 pounds of carbon dioxide, and 70,000 gallons of water each year. 

5. Replace four standard light bulbs with energy-efficient lights (CFLs)

Electricity production is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and lighting accounts for about 25 percent of American electricity consumption. 

6. The thermostat 3°F

Heating and cooling represents the biggest chunk of our home energy consumption. Just by turning the thermostat down three degrees in the winter and up three degrees in the summer, you can prevent the emission of nearly 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. 

7. Eliminate lawn and garden pesticides

Americans directly apply 70 million pounds of pesticides to home lawns and gardens each year and, in so doing, pollute our precious water resources. 

8. Efficient showerhead and faucet aerators

Of all natural resources, water is the most essential. But available supply is diminishing rapidly as human populations swell and inefficiently drain precious aquifers. If only 1,000 of us install faucet aerators and efficient showerheads, we can save nearly 8 million gallons of water!

9. Inspire two friends

There's an easy way for you to triple the positive impact you are making with these nine actions and that is to inspire two friends to join you in your effort! Just pass a copy of this list to receptive friends

(From www.2020vision.org)