Can we handle the truth?

My last post dealt with tips on saving water and along the way I mentioned a couple of tangential topics one of which I want to talk about briefly.
Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' brings a few questions to mind; what can we do to help? why isn't more being done to help? How was he not elected president? Alright, this is another tangent I don't really need to get into as we all know the disaster the past 7 years have been.

Al Gore's presentation was thoughtful and well layed out. He managed to convey the scientific facts and findings in a way the audience can understand. Again, I urge you to watch this movie as it is quite eye opening. Below are a few very useful resources if you're interested in joining the growing environmental movement (well, it's actually more than a movement):

www.lamprecycle.org (recycle light bulbs)
earth911.org/recycling/battery-recycling/ (recycle batteries, your local Best Buy will do this)
www.climatecrisis.org (from the movie)
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls (energy star light bulbs)
www.localharvest.org (locally grown super delicious organic produce)

Here are some tips on saving energy at home:

1. Use Energy Star qualified light bulbs, they cost a little more up front, but will save you $$$ over time and last a lot longer. The GE ones have a 10,000 hour life span. Not bad.
2. Turn off lights when you leave the room. I was brought up doing this and am amazed that people will leave lights on for hours while no one is in the room.
3. Use fans instead of central AC so you're only cooling what is necessary
4. Don't heat/cool rooms rarely being used. If you have a dining room only there for show, close the vents in there. Of course, I would ask why you have a room being used just for show?
5. Take public transportation or car pool. I know this may be hassle for some folks, but imagine the hassle when you're having to wear masks over your face so you're not inhaling smog. You could also try to bike to work. Biking has close to 0 emissions.
6. When you're looking at cars, look at buying smaller. Possibly hybrid. Although, I've noticed a Toyota Corolla gets close to hybrid-like mileage and costs less. Plus, it won't cost you over $100 to fill up.
7. Keep you car maintained; check tire pressure and keep it well oiled. A well maintained car will get better mileage.
8. Unplug unused electronics. Even when they're off they're still sucking up power. (Notice my correct use of "they're")
9. Don't charge your phone over night. An empty phone will take about 3 hours to charge.
10. In the summer, when you leave the house you can set the themostat higher, say to 79 degrees. In the winter, you can set it lower to say 65 degrees.
11. Zip-loc bags are great, they're even better when you wash them and re-use them!
12. Be creative and make toys out of used yogurt cups and cardboard boxes. No need to buy those lead covered plastic toys from Walmart!
13. Watch less TV or get off the computer and read a good book. The only energy used here is in the creation of the book and the brain power to re-create the images conveyed by the author.
14. I've noticed many bathrooms have 6 - 10 light bulbs above the mirror. Consider unplugging 2 or 3 of them.
15. Buy organic and local produce. I say organic because organic means environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides are used. I say local because the produce hasn't travelled thousands of miles to get to you. You can find great local produce at a farmer's market near you. Check out www.locolharvest.org.
16. Another form of recycling may not be as obvious is the art of buying used funiture. We went to a wonderful flea market where we bought multiple beautiful pieces for an excellent price. Check out http://www.frontrangefleamarket.com/ for directions.

I would love to hear more from the good people out there! This was going to be a short post, but I got a little carried away. Stay tuned...