Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Lowering Your Carbon Footprint

Green this, green that, hybrid cars, green living, green house gases, what does it all mean? There’s a lot of talk lately of the environment and what we can do to help make this world a cleaner, better place to live. Now how does that impact my little world? And why am I writing about it? Because it impacts my little world, Your little world and our big world.

What exactly is a carbon footprint? It is measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. This impact must be considered in cumulative terms. Think of the ripple effect of a rock thrown into a pond. Everything we do contributes to our individual carbon footprint and continues having the effect even after we are done with the activity and in most cases, before and then after we use different products. Driving our car is the most obvious offender, but even turning on a light bulb increases our footprint. The electricity used to power even something as basic as a light bulb has to be produced, and doing so increases pollution.  We have to stop and consider the consequences of the production of most of the everyday things we use and then reset our minds to grasp the concept of how our behavior or what we buy impacts the earth.

Most of us feel that there is nothing we can do, “I’m only one person what difference can I make?” A huge one, and here’s some proof. If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. One CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) can reduce 2000 times it weight in greenhouse gas over the life of the bulb. (I know there’s mercury in the bulb and you can’t just toss it in the trash, recycle it!) There are many, many more ways to reduce your CO2 output, and I encourage you to read up and discover for yourself the different ways you can help our earth heal, it’s really pretty fascinating.

So, why do I bring this up? Pretty simple actually but sometimes we forget the basics. We all breath, especially when we work out, so the cleaner our air is, the cleaner our lungs, the cleaner our bodies, etc., etc. We all need to take the necessary steps to clean up our earth, it’s the only one we’ve got, and it’s loosing the battle. If we loose, we loose everything and not just for us, but for everyone who comes after us. So start looking at the microcosm of everyday behavior and find simple ways where you can make a difference. If each and every one of us does, we’ll all be “bringing it” for centuries to come.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah Tony,

Great point made with this one! How can we help heal the earth as well as ourselves? Mmmm, the proverbial $64,000 question. Well, one thing I know is when I eat clean and healthy foods in moderation and in combination with daily exercise, I feel a heck of a lot better physically, spiritually and mentally. Do you think we can transfer the same ideology toward the earth? I mean, if we burn less fuel, consume less food and energy, will the earth feel good too? Well, politically today, it's a hot potato, and the science is all over the place on this one.... Some in the scientific community think global warming is just junk science, some think it's right on the ball. Whatever way you cut it, one thing remains clear: The world's climate is drastically changing and we owe the following generations a way out of this situation, or at least a start in the right direction.

Living in the greatest country in the world, we have the unenviable task of setting the trend for smart, economical and efficient energy use. I personally hope that through international law and strict enforcement, our country will be able to get other industrialized countries and major polluters (such as China and India) to jump aboard the bandwagon on the way to a cleaner and happier place we all can share.

You know, with the price of fuel going through the roof, maybe we'll all have to adapt to using less in all areas of life. Could it be a good thing? Maybe. There's nothing wrong with getting a little "old school." Comparatively speaking, our parents had very little amenities in life and made the world go 'round, why can't we? Time to change it up!

N

Unknown said...

In some of the things, I agree. But in our country, we look at things in terms of dollars and cents. OR, in costs and benefits as another way of looking at it. Let's take the light bulb example. I replaced all my light bulbs with fluroescents opposed to the incandescent light bulbs. Why did I do this? I certainly was not thinking of planet earth. I was thinking that it was a cost effective solution, it took my electricity bill down 50%. But wait, those florescents don't necessarily "save" planet earth because the mercury in them are dangerous and breaking one is extremely hazardous. Regardless, my drive to switch them out was because of the cost savings. That's great that it saves the earth but honestly, and be honest with yourselves, are you willing to pay the top dollars to do that. Solar energy is extremely expensive, are you paying for that now? If you really were all about saving the earth, you would have a total solar house. It's very cost prohibitive for me.

We are an oil dependent nation. In order to become less oil dependent, we need to go to alternative fuels or alternative solutions. We have the technology to create total electrical based vehicles but the ramifications of that are broad. Lots of jobs would be lost, lots of upheavel. Arguably there is now. GM created an electricl car and the beta testers loved it and even offered to buy it. The cars got shredded because of the threats to the automaker by the oil companies (one can infer). The technology is there.

Saving the earth will never in itself be enough to save the earth. We have to be able to save the earth through cost effective means. More cost effective than the fossil fuel route.

Let's take eating right and staying fit then. It costs more for me to be overweight than it does for me to be in shape. Although the price of healthy food is higher, I don't have to consume as much. Clothes can be more expensive the heavier I am, and opportunity cost is extremely high due to laziness from being overweight. I definitely accomplish more after being in shape than I have not being in shape. I've wasted alot of hours that could have been spent, making money with my business, cleaning up my yard opposed to paying someone, hell, I even won a contest because of P90X to a resort for two from losing the most weight. So from an economical standpoint, being in shape makes sense.

As far as international law, reaching back to my college days and using my poly sci/econ degree, enforcement of these laws need to be handled in ways that could cost our country so much more, OR through force. Neither is always the best solution. So, Nick, in principle, I think you are right and there are alot of people that have said similar things but the execution and costs are extremely vast and alot of times, effectiveness and return are very low. If I say, "We need to curb gang violence". It's an easy statement to make but the solutions are not always easy to execute and mostly don't work. That doesn't mean to give up necessarily, it means it's alot of work and alot of cost.

We can do our part, but the best parts are the most cost effective, and easy parts. That is what people want and will buy into. Not everyone is looking to work hard to "bring it". But in giving general solutions, we have to offer easy executions and cost savings.

P.S.

Tony, I was the guy who called on QVC at 5:40 in the morning last week, "Chris from FL". It was an incredible honor to speak with you directly and hope that I can meet with you as well. Love the philosophical talks in the blog and I LOVE talking about P90X.

Christopher Ortega
chris@chrisortega.com

Anonymous said...

I've started commuting to work, gym, church, and other places via bike! Not only am I conserving fuel and saving money, I'm getting 60-90 minutes of cardio a day!!! And I'm loving it!! :)

Christina
(gobonas99)

kashesan said...

Thank you Tony! The carbon imprint you leave on this earth will no doubt be negligible, but the imprint you leave through your positive energy and hard work will be immeasurable. I know that it has changed me for the better. We Love You!

Kathleen
P90X-er
Boston

Anonymous said...

Thanks Tony! rite on!

Anonymous said...

The coal miners of this great county would like to remind you all that continued increased consumption of electricity is actually good for the economy. It creates high paying jobs in the mining industry and every mining job helps support three other non mining related jobs. So, pleazzze, keep the lights on and the AC on high - it is your civic duty.

CT Olson said...

This is something I think about too - alot.

I think if I had to spend my carbon footprint on two things it would be fresh produce and ski trips. You all are fortunate living in California because of the easy and consistent access to fresh fruit and vegetables year-round. Around here (Massachusetts) in the summer we have great local produce and I try to take advantage of it - it uses less fuel and helps local farmers/economy. Check out "100 mile diet" - there are folks living completely on food produced within a 100 mile radius. Overconsumption is also a major factor I think here in the US, also consider how much energy to produce a steak vs a vegetable product and how much we eat vs other parts of the world. As far as the ski trips - there are areas who are in tune with the green energy - Alta is one that comes to mind. Many buy wind-based electricity or other renewable sources to encourage those industries. And there are possibilities for offsetting the cost of flights now with credits. Also check out RMI.org, they are based in Aspen, for some progressive solutions to being more green - many times you save money and become more efficient too.

vicki said...

Factory Farming...Livestock Farming contributes to more global warming that ALL the world's truck's, cars, and planes combined. That's only the beginning of the adverse affects factory farming has on us , our souls, and Earth!

Vicki

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