Right now, leaders, strategists, organizations and scientists are gathering in Copenhagen for a two-week summit and conference on greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of the summit is to set new goals for carbon emissions in nations worldwide, as well as set commitments for helping poorer countries combat the effects of climate change.
Of all the countries in the world, the United States emits the highest levels of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. This puts us in a unique position, both of huge responsibility and great potential impact. The leaders will meet now in Copenhagen to try to set CO2 goals which will be sufficient for at least starting to reverse climate change. There are many skeptics, however, who believe that politics and powerful interests will prevent the kind of drastic policy changes we need. So, no matter what the conclusions of Copenhagen, we at GreenHomeImprovement urge you, our peers, colleagues, communities, to make a personal commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. After all, if everyone in the US made small changes to their daily life, we could already reduce our impact drastically.
Simple things can make the difference, like riding your bike to work once a week, turning the thermostat down two degrees in the winter, and unplugging unused appliances. And if it’s time to change something in the house, go for Energy Star appliances that save on the electricity used. Now around the holiday season, you can even give gifts that help save energy, like programmable thermostats or gifts made of recycled material. All it really takes is to be aware of when you’re using energy and try to minimize it. (Click here for more ideas.)
One major factor that will be discussed at Copenhagen is building for climate change. The US Green Building Council (creator of LEED) will be there exhibiting, and the UNEP Sustainable Building and Climate Initiative will be discussing ways to change policy on building to minimize emissions from both existing buildings and the construction of new buildings. In the United States, building construction and maintenance (including homes) are responsible for over 40% of carbon emissions… Imagine the difference it would make if all of our buildings were built to be sustainable!
In my mind, this is all the reason I need to make all my new home improvement decisions based on what’s going to be best for the environment. From simple (and cheap!) energy audits to thinking about solar power, so many things can make a difference on our home’s carbon footprint.
So, as the Copenhagen summit progresses (fingers crossed), let it be a call to action for all of us to keep the climate in mind when it comes to how we live our lives, both in the home and out.