Virtually every aspect of human lives will be affected by Global warming if it's not stopped in this century. Here's how we can do it together, quickly, with little effort...
It seems to me that over the past 10 years we've been seeing a lot more insects affecting our lives.
Increases in disease borne illnesses transmitted through mosquitos, bedbugs have been proven to carry blood borne diseases, white grubs are decimating lawns. Not to mention that many important tree species are being negatively affected by the warming trends and increased precipitation. These events are increasingly plaguing many parts of North America. For example, the proliferation of the Pine Beetle in western Canada as well as a new attack on Maple trees in the US by the Sugar Maple Borer.
Even in our own yards, we're seeing massive devastation our most prized front lawns by white grubs (June Beetles). Every spring I find more lawns barren of their telltale fresh green shoots. All this ends up costing money to fix...adding chemicals to the environment, as well as necessitating more product being shipped...all leading to this vicious circle of more GHG (Green house gasses) being pumped into the atmosphere...warming more of the air...etc.
What can we do?
The number one trick we can all do is a simple solution that is available to everyone today
stop idling your cars!
It's a simple, effective way to slow down Co2 entering the atmosphere, and it's easy.
Did you know that many studies have proven that it's inefficient in our cold climate to let cars "warm up". It leads to driving vehicles that are not really warm, except for the engine and perhaps the cabin...All the other liquids in the brakes, coolants and many other parts of your car are still cold and need to be warmed up by driving. Manufacturers of todays cars suggest a maximum start-up wait time of 30 seconds before driving.
So think before you leave your car running when you go into the store or when use your auto-car starter in the morning. Wear an extra layer, and you'll see that the car will warm up a lot faster inside if you actually drive it!
This one trick is positive gain for the planet if you stop idling unnecessarily....
Another Money/Planet saving hint: Did you know you can even turn your engine off at long red lights if you expect to wait more than 30 seconds? I've been to many US states where the lights are extremely long...think of how much Co2 you'll be saving...as well as gasoline and money! Typical short trips of 20 minutes, are mostly spent waiting at red lights....
Yes! It's more cost efficient to stop your engine at long red lights, and re-start when the light is green...in fact, it takes less gas to re-start the engine than letting the car idle at a long light (over 30 seconds believe it or not) . Saves gas too....it's a Win-Win for you and for the planet.
Check out some more info at these links here:
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/idling.cfm?attr=8
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/reduce-your-carbon-footprint/drive-smarter-for-a-better-planet/
Insect Art created by Claude Thivierge. See more of his works here: http://contactjupiter.com/artist/claude-thivierge/portfolio/traditional-animal-illustration
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