PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

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	AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
	Cattle produce methane gas, a contributor to global warming. The cattle industry adds carbon dioxide emissions from trucks to the pollution equation by transporting feed and supplies to ranchers, cattle to slaughter and auction houses and meat products to stores. Consumers increase pollution by disposing of packaging materials in landfills after consumption of meat products.
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When I was 8 years old, there was a drought in Oklahoma. The local public television station had partnered with the state water department to create a conservation brochure. I ordered it. My parents were puzzled when it arrived. I read it and promptly implemented most of the recommendations, much to my parent’s shock and sometimes discomfort at the forced removal of old habits.

As an adult, I find myself searching for ways to make positive environmental impact. I recycle, compost, purchase organic and “green” products. I even purchased a hybrid vehicle last year in response to the amount of driving my job requires. But is it enough?

Global warming is a staggering problem whose solution seems overwhelming. On Feb. 2, the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change released their latest report on global warming. Human actions such as fossil fuel use and land-use change and agricultural impact from methane and nitrous oxide are the largest contributors to global warming.

This sounds daunting. At the same time, it seems overly simple, as if driving less or driving more fuel efficient cars and switching to organically grown produce could save the planet. The United States Environmental Protection Agency offers a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator on their website that calculates household emissions based on energy use and waste disposal. An average household of two produces 41,500 pounds of greenhouse gas per year based on driving, electricity, gas, and oil use and waste production. That is about 20 tons or roughly six 2007 Hummer H3’s!

Making a positive impact is not difficult. It starts with attitude. Biology faculty David Harbster says, “Be green, then go green. Going green is for spectators verses being green, which implies action,”

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	'Going green is for spectators, being green implies action'
	—David Harbster, Biology Faculty
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Harbster suggested starting with these simple steps:

• Decrease the amount of fast food eaten by 5 percent. The packaging creates a “staggering amount of trash”.

• Minimize the number of cold starts made in the car. To do this, plan your trips accordingly to make fewer trips or to be more efficient in the routes you chose.

• Rotate the tires on your car regularly and maintain the proper inflation of tire pressure. This reduces the wear on the tires, saving you hundreds of dollars on new tires, and it improves the gas mileage of your car.

• Spend some time looking at where the processed foods you buy come from. Many come from across the country incurring high transportation costs and adding to carbon-dioxide emissions. Purchase products made here in Arizona to decrease pollution and support the local economy.

• Decrease the amount of red meat consumed. This is a two-fold tip: it benefits both individual health and the environment. Cows create enormous amounts of methane gas, one of the three largest contributors to global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions exponentially manifest from the trucks transporting feed and supplies to the ranchers, the cows to the slaughter houses and auctions and the meat products to the stores. After the meat products are consumed, the packaging contributes to landfills.

• When you shop, if you only purchase enough to carry in both hands, do not take a sack. You can also bring your own shopping bags.

• Switch to low-energy use light bulbs. This helps the environment, plus saves you money; as much as $30 per month. Building supply stores carry these bulbs in four to six packs for under $10. The bulbs last up to seven times longer than traditional, tungsten bulbs. They burn cooler, which helps with cooling the house in the warmer months.

Once the small steps create momentum in the new “green” attitude, begin doing some research into the companies you support through your dollars. Professor Harbster recommends “The Blue Pages: A Directory of Companies Rated by Their Politics and Practices,” www.worldwatch.org, and www.rmi.org.

Harbster has his students read these sites. He says, “They are shocked, shocked at what they find.” While the websites provide the latest news on sustainability, they also serve as excellent educational tools.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends the three “R’s”: reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduction is not only using less, but using products with minimal toxins. Reusing products is simple—use coffee mugs for your favorite hot beverage, refill water bottles, donate items no longer used to charity, share your magazines with preschools and local community clinics. According to the EPA’s website, in 2005, over 79 million tons of waste were recycled instead of going to landfills.

It’s the little changes each of us do that make the greatest impact. By starting small, good habits are built. This develops the foundation for lifelong habits. Harbster says. “I don’t know who said this, but I think it’s appropriate, ‘A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to the job.’ We all pollute. We are all responsible.”