• Reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Walk, take public transportation or ride your bike instead of driving. Carpool with others whenever possible if you must travel by car. Buy locally grown or produced foods; doing so decreases energy use associated with transportation of these products.
• Conserve electricity by switching off the TV, computer, radio and lights whenever possible. Unplug electronics from the socket when you are not using them. Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which can reduce energy consumption by approximately 60 percent, in place of incandescent light bulbs. Opt for energy-efficient appliances when shopping. Such products are often marked with the Energy Star label.
• Plant trees; they contribute to the absorption of excess carbon dioxide. Providing shade
• Avoid buying heavily packaged items, decreasing the amount of garbage that you contribute.
• Keep in mind that heating water requires energy. Reduce your consumption of hot water by washing clothes in cold or warm water. Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it and activate the energy-saving feature if available on your machine. Invest in a low-flow showerhead, which has a lower water flow rate than normal showerheads. Dry your clothes, whenever possible, on a clothesline as opposed to using a mechanical dryer.
• Reduce nitrous oxide emissions, the majority of which result from agricultural practices. Choose slow-release, low nitrous oxide-emitting fertilizers.
• Conserve raw materials and energy by recycling or reusing items. Examples include recycling aluminum soda cans and donating or selling old clothing to second-hand stores.
• Support international global warming legislation. Examples include the Montreal Protocol, which seeks to eliminate the production of CFCs, and the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to limit emissions of the other greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane