Seniors! I may regret asking this question but.....?

Question

Just how many of you are concerned about global warming & if so, what would you do to at least slow it down? We all have the experience and education in many area, so what would you do?

Answer 1

I am in the process...

So far: I have changed out EVERY lightbulb in my house to the energy saving ones, and got THOSE in low wattage as well -- the equivalent of 40 watts.

Have replaced an aging dryer with a high efficiency new one.

Have instituted a rule in the house (I live here with my two daughters and 3 grandsons and the youngest daughter's boyfriend) that there can be no more than one TV on at any time during the day. Most often, I kick the boys outside to play.

Do not have air conditioning, and do not plan on getting any.

Do not have a car, and do not plan on getting any until they make an electric minivan. (Or hydrogen, if they ever manage it!)

Am in the process of:

I am having to practically rebuild the house entirely on the inside. My plan is to put in the latest in insulation that will save on the loss of heat in my home by insulating to an R30 rating on the outside walls, and an R20 rating on the inside walls and the floors. Currently there is NO insulation on the inside walls or floors.

I am also going to be replacing my 30 year old gas furnace with a new high efficiency model.

And to save on electricity, when I have to redo my roof, I am going to have aluminum shakes put on instead of asphalt, then I will put up solar panels on the south and west facing portions of my roof.

AND, I have already looked into getting my very own wind turbine. They make super quiet ones for use on private properties. Because I live on the edge of a deep ravine, and the prevaling winds are from the Northwest, up the ravine face, this would be an especially effective tool for me to use.

And, also when I can afford it, I will have my windows replaced with thermo panes that have U.V. protection on the outside, so that I won't have to worry about heat loss through the winter, or heat transfer during the summer.

Oh...and I don't buy food wrapped in plastic...I go to a butcher that still wraps in paper. Also I have a shopping cart and cloth shopping bags that prevent use of plastic bags at the store. And I recycle EVERYTHING possible, even going so far as to wash my cans and bottles out with soap and water just to make it more pleasant for the garbageman to pick up my stuff at the curb!

Answer 2

I am very concerned about global warning. For that reason, I walk or take a bus, whenever possible. Something I feel that is to my advantage, even without the issue of global warming. I get more exercise and I don't have to worry about when the day comes when I can no longer drive. I am used to taking the bus and know all the ins and out of using public transportation.

I live in Florida so it is hard to do completely without air conditioning, although I know that is because I have become spoiled. People used to do it. But I use air conditioning. Keep it at eighty degrees though, just enough to take the edge off the heat. This is mostly at night. During the day, the air conditioning in my home is generally off. I go to the library or to the little community center where I volunteer. That way I can share the air conditioning with others and do something useful and interesting as well.

In winter, if it does get cold enough to need heat, I avoid central heat and air and use a small space heater instead which warms just where I am at and no more. Of course, I never leave it on when I am sleeping.

In summer, I take cold baths. In winter, tepid ones. This is invigorating and once you get used to it, you don't want a warm or hot bath.

I do my laundry in cold water. The clothes last longer this way and the colors stay fresher.

In short, I do what I can to save on energy. It is economical, good for the environment, and makes me feel at least that I am doing my part to help this country become energy sufficient, something we need to do for a number of reasons other than just global warming, although that is reason enough.

Answer 3

Ha! I just started reading up on global warming and learned a few things. First, global warming and global cooling are cyclical. The last glacial age ended about 15,000 years ago. Give or take a thousand years! haha Since then we have been in the global warming stage, and the sea level has been raised somewhere between 250-300 feet -that within the last 15,000 years remember. Second, the problem seems to be greenhouse gases, and their effect on the planet. Global warming will happen regardless of what we earthlings do. . . . there will eventually be another ice age also, but not for a looooong, long time. We have to remember that nature rules, not us. We can do a lot to prevent pollution, etc. and that will be good for the planet, but eventually nature will prevail.

Answer 4

I am very concerned about this...it will not effect me greatly in my lifetime, but we all have responsibilities to our mother Earth. I make concentrated efforts to follow everyone in this household to turn OFF all unused lighting, TV's, etc. Reset pool filters pumps to what just works. I buckle my seatbelt BEFORE starting my car (saves about 2 minutes a day of a running engine), I have a yard stuffed full of green plants and trees...to the point that many areas cannot be walked through, which is fine with me. I use AC ONLY when the heat cannot be solved with fans. As a household, we plan shopping trips instead of running here and there whenever we need something. At the cost of gasoline, it only makes sense. Global Warming is a very real thing, contrary to what the idiot admininstration says....this administration has done more harm to the climate and global warming than all the people in the US can possibly have done...they have played us into the hands of the Energy corporations...why am I not surprised?

Answer 5

When my grandfather retired in the 1950's he moved to Florida and built a house on a barrier island. There were only a couple of house there at the time. Now the entire island is covered with houses and strip malls. You can't see the Gulf of Mexico because of a wall of condominiums. Traffic is bad year-'round. At various times the sea water has been polluted with sewage.

Whether or not you agree there is a global warming problem, there certainly is an over-population problem, a too much trash problem, a too many strip malls problem.

I try to recycle, live modestly if not simply. But I don't believe there is much any individual can do to change things for the better. This nation (and much of the world) has been trashed for so long by people who just want to make a buck for themselves.

Answer 6

Questions on what can be done about Global Warming perhaps may belong in section on the Environment.

I think the most critical thing needed is to address the area of negative-education, and not just for global warming, but also topics like the recruitment of terrorists.

There are people out there with an agenda to cause various kinds of harm, who deliberately send out false propaganda to the people, to the media, to the body politics so as to undermine the process of the people reaching competent decisions to deal with the issues of our times.

So long as the process of voter-education, and future generation education can be contaminated by the propagandists who have strong motivations to encourage more global warming, more terrorism, more organized crime, more rapes, more racism, etc, etc. then we are not going to get a lot of problems solved.

But if we can solve the one problem of indoctrination masquerading as education, then a whole bunch other problems will be rapidly solved..

Answer 7

I am very concerned about GW. I bought a car with excellent gas mileage(Honda Civic). I walk to the nearby grocery store. I am lucky to live in an area in which AC is not needed and get by with a fan in the summer. In the winter I try to keep the thermostat at 66-68 degrees during the day, turning it down a few more degrees at night. I am thinking about buying some more nonplastic grocery bags to add to the couple I already have. I recycle trash, and reuse items like ziplock bags(by cleaning them of course), and buy very little. I I mostly get music, videos, and books from the library(One trip every couple of weeks; that local grocery story within walking distance has a library book return box) or Senior Center. I'm probably not very good for the economy but good for the environment. I'm recommending cremation to my children; I told them to put my ashes under a rosebush. I write my congressmen and congresswomen about my concerns.

Answer 8

I am very concerned I. Especially for the future generation. I ask myself, "Whats in stock for my children and all our kids"
I use those fluorescent light bulbs in my house and plan on buying a hybrid. I also use as less energy as possible and wash at night and I advice my family about global warming.
I live in Phoenix AZ and Right now it gets up to 115 degrees and sometimes even more.I think the record for the heat was about 122 degrees. I think its just going to keep getting worse if we don't start helping the earth I feel like were just going to to cook like a boiled egg one day.

Answer 9

Sounds like your assuming global warming is a new concept -go see the movie "Mondo Cane" (60s) - read the book "Silent Spring" (40s). Fortunately, it's finally come to the attention of the mainstream - because it's ultimately become blatantly obvious to the dumb *** masses. Oh, and a great new marketing tool...

Answer 10

Quit pointing the finger of blame at individuals or groups and start working toward a solution. To accomplish this we would need to get scientists from every country and have them participate in a global ecological conference to encourage talk and ideas between all nations to solve a world problem.