written by Amanda Oswald
Hard economic times and an influx in media coverage have forced many Americans to take a cold, hard look at the world around them and our impact on our planet. Most of us have taken steps to reduce our energy use therefore reducing our impact, or carbon footprint, on the earth. We have changed our light bulbs, unplugged appliances, maybe even installed solar panels or other alternative energy generators. We drive our cars less and pump after 6pm. We do these things because we care about the environment, want to stay with the current trends, or just want to save money. But what about Fido or Princess? What impact do they create?
When talking about our faithful 4 legged friends, most of you would imagine that the largest impact they produce is well, what they produce. Waste. If only it were that simple! Each time you put kibble in Fluffy’s bowl, remember that a truck had to haul that bag of kibble many miles from the manufacturer to the store. The toys in Spot’s toybox? Also had to be transported, and many pet toys are made from not so earth-friendly materials. Some researchers speculate that a medium breed dog has twice the environmental impact as a Land Rover being driven 7,000 miles per year.
There are several ways to reduce your pet’s carbon pawprint. Here are just a few:
- Start with feeding a good quality food. Remember that the first ingredient listed on a bag of kibble is what makes up the majority of the food. Avoid foods where a grain is listed as the first ingredient and try to find a protein listed first.
- Ditch the plastic. Besides being environmentally unfriendly, plastic bowls can harbor bacteria that can make Fluffy ill.
- Go Green. If you are a responsible pet owner and pick up after your pet on walks, try using the biodegradable version of the classic “poop bag”.
- Become a fan of Hemp. Many new companies like Earthdog and Simply Fido are producing “green” pet toys using the durable and organic hemp.
- Purchase a reduction. Don’t want to make a commitment? No problem. There are companies out there where you can actually purchase a carbon pawprint reduction. They will recycle, plant trees, or whatever it takes to offset your pet’s environmental impact for the next 12 months.
So, there you have it. Now your pet can be a part of our constantly growing “Greener Society”. While Fido and Spot may never know what impact these changes can make, Mother Earth certainly will.
Have you heard the buzz about 350? 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the global climate crisis. In anticipation of the December 2009 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, where leaders from every nation are gathering to finalize a new global climate change agreement, 350.org has established October 24, 2009, as a day of action for people around the world to show their support for the goal of 350.
350?
The number 350 represents 350 parts per million (ppm), identified by some of the world’s leading climate scientists as the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere. We’re currently at 386 ppm, and this number is rising by about 2 parts per million each year. 350.org is harnessing the power of the Internet to coordinate a planetary day of action on October 24, 2009, to unite the public, media, and our political leaders behind the goal of attaining and stabilizing at a level of not more than 350 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere.
During the past 20 years, about three-quarters of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, most of which is carbon dioxide, came from the burning of fossil fuels. Thus, it’s very important to reduce our energy consumption and increase our use of renewable energy sources if we want to reduce carbon dioxide and total greenhouse gas emissions. Be sure to check out our Energy Savers site for ways to save energy and use renewable energy.
350 is a relatively new target being discussed in the scientific community. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change supports 450 ppm. Yet climate change impacts are occurring at rates much faster than earlier predicted and some scientists have concluded that we are already above the safe zone at our current level. They believe that unless we are able to rapidly return to 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points that lead to unprecedented natural disasters.
At the last UN climate negotiations in Poland at the end of 2008, the 350 target began to attract more endorsers as new scientific reports and evidence of early impacts made it clear that we are already above the safe level for CO2. In his annual speech, Nobel laureate Al Gore told delegates to the most recent climate negotiating session that we must now ‘toughen our goal’ to 350 ppm.
By John Lippert, an employee of Energy Enterprise Solutions, a contractor for EERE. He assists with technical reviews of content on the Energy Savers Web site.
(GLOBE-Net) – North America’s leaders wrapped up their two-day summit in Guadalajara, Mexico this week with official declarations on climate change and energy. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon participated in the North American Leader’s Summit, an annual event started as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) initiative. The declaration on climate change and clean energy reiterated commitments — including that “developed countries [should reduce] emissions by at least 80% compared to 1990 or more recent years by 2050″ — made at the G8 summit earlier this summer.
http://www.globe-net.com/other_news/listing.cfm?type=2&newsID=4531
GLOBE-Net (July 15, 2009) – While concerns have been expressed about the inability of G-8 leaders to agree on carbon emission reduction targets for 2050, in truth a great deal was achieved on global climate change issues at the G-8 summit and allied meetings involving leaders from developed and developing nations. One of the potentially most significant achievements was multilateral support for a global centre to accelerate deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies worldwide. For more details on the summit, please see http://www.globe-net.com/other_news/listing.cfm?type=2&newsID=4464
