TAKE ACTION

• Contribute to Climate Smart
  Make a tax-deductible, charitable contribution to support local efforts to slow global warming in our region. Make a difference today by donating to the Climate Smart Fund at The San Diego Foundation.
  
  
• Get Involved
  A growing number of organizations are working in a variety of ways to slow global warming. For information on some of the leading organizations in this area, look at the organizations listed on our Resources & News page for Business, Government, and Consumers
  Resources.
  
  
• Make Personal Choices that Matter
  10 Simple Steps You Can Take to Help Slow Global Warming

While government, business, and technology can help forge the path to a clean-energy future, individuals must also act. Personal choices can make a difference. Below are 10 things you can do. If all San Diegans took the steps listed below, we could reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by nearly nine million tons!

1. Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug un-used electronic devices. You can save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
   
   
2. Buy energy-efficient light bulbs. Replace three frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and save 300 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.
   
   
3. Drive less. Cars account for more than 40% of our region’s greenhouse gas emissions. Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds per year.
   
   If you must drive, check your car’s tire pressure and air filter monthly. Properly inflated tires save gas and 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year, and a clean air filter can reduce your carbon output by 800 pounds per year.
   
   
4. Conserve water. Because transporting and treating water requires about 10% of California’s energy annually, using water more efficiently also means using less energy. You can save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide just by using water wisely.
   
   
5. Plant more shade trees. Over its lifetime, a typical tree in our region absorbs 780 pounds of carbon dioxide.
   
   
6. Recycle paper, glass, and metal. By recycling half the waste you generate at home and using recycled products, you can keep 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
   
   
7. Use more energy from renewable sources. The San Diego Regional Energy Office will launch an energy rebate program in January 2007, with tens of millions of dollars available annually for rebates to consumers who install solar-power or wind-power sources.
   
   
8. Wash your clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy used to wash your clothes is used to heat the water! There are now new detergents specially designed for cold-water washing. So, revisit your laundry aisle and switch to Cold Wash/Cold Rinse. You will keep 500 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
   
   
9. Line-dry your clothes. There is no shortage of sunshine in San Diego, and you won’t generate any carbon dioxide!
   
   
10. Encourage your friends and local, state, and federal government representatives to take the steps necessary to curb global warming.
    
    Sources: San Diego Regional Energy Office www.sdreo.org; City of San Diego Climate Protection Plan, July 2005; Flex Your Power www.fypower.org; www.climatecrisis.net www.fightglobalwarming.com.

_____________________________________________________________________

To make a contribution to the Climate Smart Fund or for more information on how you can get involved to support Climate Smart, contact Dr. Emily Young at The San Diego Foundation, (619) 235-2300 or environment@sdfoundation.org.