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Help Me Be Green!

The media attention around global warming and environmental issues has fueled advertisers with new buzz words whose definitions can be confusing. Knowing the differences between the real issues and those marketing buzzwords can help us navigate through the sea of "green" products and services. The Web provides some great resources for understanding the environment and how our lifestyles impact it. It can teach us how to create sustainable habits in our households.

Global Warming

Global warming as defined by the Earth's surface and ocean temperatures being in a warming trend is easily proven by scientific data. We seem to be in such a trend now.

The Earth's climate has had many warming and cooling trends (ice ages) in its history and most scientists agree on this. However, "global warming" in today's context implies that such warming is caused by human behavior.  This conclusion is very popular at this time and is motivating worldwide movements to change human behavior (e.g. reduce burning of fossil fuels).

Some scientists disagree about the causes of global warming and site evidence that the Earth's climate cycles are for the most part caused by the sun's activity (e.g. solar spots etc.) and say that human activity has little or no effect. Their position is supported by the existence of such climate swings long before industrial revolutions or even man existed on the planet.

Regardless of which camp you're in, movement toward (in a reasonable timeframe) a "greener" existence can have positive results.

Climate Hot Map

www.climatehotmap.org

This site gives a 'collective picture' of the changes taking place in the world today. You can learn the specifics about global warming and stay informed about the challenges at hand. This site provides expert opinions and credible studies related to global warming science. The resources area under the Global Warming Basics section is a good place to get started and gives access to overviews and Global Warming legislation. Use the Migrating State Climates tool for an eye-opening perspective on climate change over time for specific regions in the United States. You can access this tool from the Special Features section of the Global Warming Basics area.



The Carbon Diet

What's a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

www.thecarbondiet.org


This site can help you track your carbon footprint by producing a profile of the energy used in your household. You can keep track of your footprint over time as you try to improve or "lighten" your footprint. The site even gives you advice on how to reduce your footprint by making your home and driving habits more energy efficient.







Going Green!

Evidently, reducing a carbon footprint is more a matter of conservation than buying products that are marketed as "green." However, it's good to know which products are really good for the environment and which ones are using those buzzwords.

Sprig is a good site for becoming familiar with products that are produced in an environmentally-friendly manner. The site organizes products by category and then by Type of Green, such as waste-reducing, vegetarian, vegan, sustainable and resource saving. This site is selling products while also educating people on why and how to live a greener life.
www.sprig.com