Taking it to the People | Green Energy News

November 2, 2003 – Vol.8 No.32

TAKING IT TO THE PEOPLE.

Some nations actually think climate change is important enough for government to openly ask the populous to make changes in their lives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Other nations, like the U.S., would rather sweep the problem under the rug. (Let the North Pole melt. Let the generation that’s too young to vote deal with the problem later.)

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment will soon launch an Internet campaign that asks people to commit to taking 3 out of a suggested 9 steps in their daily lives that will help slow global warming.

The 9 steps are...

1) Getting out of the car and making new discoveries. (Walk or bicycle. It’s amazing what you see when you walk, what you miss when you drive.)

2) Saving on gas by not idling their engines. (The hybrid cars from Japan shut down automatically.)

3) Switching off the house lights for an hour on a given night and enjoying the night sky. (How many people can still identify the constellations?)

4) Choosing energy efficient appliances and hot water systems. (These save money, but may be slightly more expensive to buy. Look for sales.)

5) Buying renewable energy for the home. (From the grid or buy their own system.)

6) Switching off cooking appliances and sharing hot meals with others. (Ever notice how much electricity a toaster oven uses? Does cooking a big pot of food use less energy than cooking two smaller pots?)

7) Using a hybrid car. (So far Japan is a leader in the field and is planning to expand.)

8) Adopting a slower-pace lifestyle. (Life is too short anyway. Why rush through it?)

9) Come up with your own idea and act on it. (How about this? On sunny, but cold days, open the window shades and let sunlight heat the room. It takes discipline, but it’s free heat!)

The Ministry hopes to get 1 million to sign up for the program. The program is based on the Nature Challenge from the David Suzuki Foundation which asks people to take 3 out of 10 steps to better the environment. Nearly 70,000 have taken the Nature Challenge pledge. Visit the Ministry of the Environment at http://www.env.go.jp/ , David Suzuki Foundation at http://www.davidsuzuki.org/ .