Comments on: Biology & Humans on Earth http://www.ktcminneapolis.org/ktcblog/2006/09/08/biology-humans-on-earth/ H.H. 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:42:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Julia http://www.ktcminneapolis.org/ktcblog/2006/09/08/biology-humans-on-earth/#comment-20 Julia Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:32:12 +0000 http://www.ktcminneapolis.org/ktcblog/2006/09/08/biology-humans-on-earth/#comment-20 Recently at KTC we've been talking more about practical things that we can do to reduce our ecological footprint. The website newdream.org gives a list of ten actions to “Turn the Tide” and make a difference for our environment. I encourage you to visit http://www.newdream.org for more information. These ten steps with one simple idea each, and the website’s rationales are: 1. Walk, Bike, Carpool... (Drive Less) Try skipping one car trip each week. The U.S. is the leading contributor to climate disruption and our love affair with the automobile is one major cause. With less than five percent of the world's population, we consume a quarter of the world's oil and emit a quarter of the greenhouse gases -- that's more than China, Japan, and India combined! We import more than ten million barrels per day, sending hundreds of billions of dollars out of our country each year. Our car culture also perpetuates sprawl, habitat loss, and economic injustice. How do I take this step? If you're already experienced in the ways of alternative transportation, see if you can tally up the number of miles you log in a typical week. If not, try starting small. Choose one trip you make on a weekly basis. Then decide how to get that task done without your car - whether it be by biking, taking public transportation, hitching a ride with a friend, telecommuting, or simply eliminating an expendable trip. What we do matters! Taking alternative means of transport for a weekly 20-mile trip represents less than a 10 percent decrease in the average American's driving but can reduce your weekly carbon dioxide emissions by more than 18 pounds. Look at the table to the right to see how many resources the New Dream Community is already saving JUST WITH THIS ONE LITTLE STEP! To put this number in perspective, every 13,000 pounds is the equivalent of taking an SUV off the road. 2. Eat Less Feedlot Beef Replace one beef meal each week. Most conventional meats are resource intensive, but feedlot beef is particularly wasteful. Producing one pound of feedlot beef in California, for example, requires five pounds of grain and over 2,400 gallons of water. It also results in the erosion of five pounds of topsoil. How do I take this step? If you want to go vegetarian or switch to organic, free-range meat, great! But you can have a measurable impact by simply replacing one steak, plate of spaghetti and meatballs, beef lasagna or a trip to the local fast food joint with a nice vegetarian meal once a week. What we do matters! For every 1,000 of us who take this action, we will save over 70,000 pounds of grain, 70,000 pounds of topsoil and 40 million gallons of water each year! 3. Eat Eco-friendly Seafood Shift from eating shrimp. Nearly 70 percent of the world's fisheries are fully fished or overfished, and many fish farms are extremely polluting. Imported shrimp, now the most popular seafood in the U.S., exacts an especially negative environmental toll. For every pound of shrimp caught, over five pounds of marine life is killed. And imported farmed shrimp is no better - the farms regularly spill pesticides into surrounding waterways, poisoning local communities and destroying over a quarter of the world's vital mangrove forests. How do I take this step? Three organizations have free, easy-to-use guides to choosing eco-friendly seafood. Audubon's Guide to Seafood at http://seafood.audubon.org/ Environmental Defense's Seafood Selector at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/tool.cfm?tool=seafood Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch at http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp What we do matters! If only 1,000 of us stop eating shrimp, we can save over 12,000 pounds of sea life this year alone and begin to protect the world's precious mangrove forests. 4. Free Yourself From Junk Stop junk mail. The world's forests are feeling the strain as global paper consumption has increased 74% since 1980. The U.S., with five percent of the world's population, consumes 30% of the world's paper. Bulk mail accounts for 5.2 million tons of waste each year. How do I take action? Our website features a form that will generate letters for you to print out, sign, and mail to marketing preference organizations. You can find this form here: http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/form.php What we do matters! If only 1,000 of us succeed in halving our personal bulk mail, we will save 170 trees, nearly 46,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and 70,000 gallons of water each year. 5. Install Compact Fluorescents Use energy efficient light bulbs. Why? Electricity production is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and lighting accounts for about 25 percent of American electricity consumption. Standard incandescent lights are notoriously inefficient and easily available alternatives can save you money, energy, and pollution. How do I take Action? Check your local home-supply store for low-mercury compact fluorescent light bulbs that fit your various light fixtures (they now come in all shapes and sizes, including ones that look exactly like incandescents). What we do matters! By replacing four standard bulbs with CFLs, you can prevent the emission of 5000 pounds of carbon dioxide and reduce your electricity bill by more than $100 over the lives of those bulbs. If only 1,000 of us each replace four standard bulbs with CFLs, we can prevent the emission of five million pounds of carbon dioxide and reduce our electricity bills by more than $100,000 over the lives of those bulbs. 6. Stop Freezing in the Summer Move the thermostat three degrees up. Why? Do you hate it when an overambitious air conditioner makes you don sweaters and long johns on a hot August day? Besides helping with appropriate dress, a mellow approach to climate control can help your wallet and the planet too. The average single family home costs over $600 to heat and cool each year and emits nearly 13,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in the process. How do I take Action? Start by dressing appropriately and mellowing out on the climate control by a degree or three. Of course, there are other ways to save energy, money and pollution while gaining, rather than giving up, quality of life. One is to purchase a programmable thermostat for $25 and set it to ease down during work and sleep hours. What we do matters! On average, Americans keep their homes at 74 degrees in the summer. If you can go warmer than 74 and still stay comfortable you can make a difference. 7. Stop Sweating in the Winter Move the thermostat three degrees down. Besides the fact that there are better ways to clear snow than by opening a window in the 2000 square foot sauna many of us call home, there are considerable economic and environmental benefits to mellowing out on the climate control. How do I take this step? The easiest way is to purchase a programmable thermostat for $25 and set it to ease down, especially during work and sleep hours. Here are the U.S. regional winter average home temperatures: Mid-Atlantic 70º New England 68º East North Central 68º West North Central 68º South Atlantic 70º East South Central 70º West South Central 74º Mountain 70º Pacific 70º What we do matters! 8. Eliminate Lawn Pesticides A full 40 percent of pesticides used in the U.S. mimic hormones in our bodies, causing reproductive disorders and interfering with fetal development. Americans promote pesticide use every time we buy conventionally produced food and clothing, but we also directly apply 70 million pounds of pesticides to home lawns and gardens each year and, in so doing, pollute our precious water resources. How do I take this step? So you're ready to give up pesticides. But now what? Get more information on how to effectively get rid of ants, termites, and other pests in a non-toxic manner at: http://www.newdream.org/consumer/lawn_care.php What we do matters! Fifteen ounces might not sound like much, but consider diazinon, one of the most commonly used home and garden pesticides. One ounce of diazinon is enough to exceed government aquatic life guidelines for 94 million gallons of water. This residential chemical has also killed more birds in the last five years than any other pesticide. If only 1,000 of us stop using pesticides on our gardens and lawns, we'll protect the environment from 700 pounds of toxins each year. 9. Reduce Home Water Usage Use low-cost water savers. Of all natural resources, water is the most essential. But available supply is diminishing rapidly as human populations swell and inefficiently drain precious aquifers. The average household uses over 22,000 gallons of water per year just for showers and baths. This water is almost always heated, resulting in increased fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions. How do I take this step? Visit your local hardware store and pick up faucet aerators for $2-5 apiece and a high-efficiency showerhead for under $20. (These devices give excellent showers and are not to be confused with primitive flow restrictors that simply reduce flow). In less than a year, you'll make that money back through lower utility bills. What we do matters! If only 1,000 of us install faucet aerators and efficient showerheads, we can save nearly 8 million gallons of water and prevent over 450,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year! 10. Inspire Your Friends to turn the tide. Inspiring two friends to join you in Turning the Tide is the easiest way for you to triple the positive impact you are making with the first nine actions! How do I take Action? The easiest way is to use our recommend action links (on the newdream.org website) to pass a note about the nine actions, the media they've received and your involvement to your friends and family. Some Turn the Tide participants have also brainstormed other ways to get this message out beyond the choir. What we do matters! If 10,000 of us get two friends to join, and they each get two friends to join and take all of the steps, we'll have 70,000 people taking on Turn the Tide's first nine steps. That will translate into a reduction of 280 million pounds of climate-changing carbon dioxide and a savings of 3.4 billion gallons of water, 12,000 trees, and 85,000 pounds of sea life every year! Recently at KTC we’ve been talking more about practical things that we can do to reduce our ecological footprint. The website newdream.org gives a list of ten actions to “Turn the Tide” and make a difference for our environment. I encourage you to visit http://www.newdream.org for more information. These ten steps with one simple idea each, and the website’s rationales are:

1. Walk, Bike, Carpool… (Drive Less)
Try skipping one car trip each week.

The U.S. is the leading contributor to climate disruption and our love affair with the automobile is one major cause. With less than five percent of the world’s population, we consume a quarter of the world’s oil and emit a quarter of the greenhouse gases — that’s more than China, Japan, and India combined! We import more than ten million barrels per day, sending hundreds of billions of dollars out of our country each year. Our car culture also perpetuates sprawl, habitat loss, and economic injustice.

How do I take this step?
If you’re already experienced in the ways of alternative transportation, see if you can tally up the number of miles you log in a typical week. If not, try starting small. Choose one trip you make on a weekly basis. Then decide how to get that task done without your car - whether it be by biking, taking public transportation, hitching a ride with a friend, telecommuting, or simply eliminating an expendable trip.

What we do matters!
Taking alternative means of transport for a weekly 20-mile trip represents less than a 10 percent decrease in the average American’s driving but can reduce your weekly carbon dioxide emissions by more than 18 pounds. Look at the table to the right to see how many resources the New Dream Community is already saving JUST WITH THIS ONE LITTLE STEP! To put this number in perspective, every 13,000 pounds is the equivalent of taking an SUV off the road.

2. Eat Less Feedlot Beef
Replace one beef meal each week.

Most conventional meats are resource intensive, but feedlot beef is particularly wasteful. Producing one pound of feedlot beef in California, for example, requires five pounds of grain and over 2,400 gallons of water. It also results in the erosion of five pounds of topsoil.

How do I take this step?
If you want to go vegetarian or switch to organic, free-range meat, great! But you can have a measurable impact by simply replacing one steak, plate of spaghetti and meatballs, beef lasagna or a trip to the local fast food joint with a nice vegetarian meal once a week.

What we do matters!
For every 1,000 of us who take this action, we will save over 70,000 pounds of grain, 70,000 pounds of topsoil and 40 million gallons of water each year!

3. Eat Eco-friendly Seafood
Shift from eating shrimp.

Nearly 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are fully fished or overfished, and many fish farms are extremely polluting. Imported shrimp, now the most popular seafood in the U.S., exacts an especially negative environmental toll. For every pound of shrimp caught, over five pounds of marine life is killed. And imported farmed shrimp is no better - the farms regularly spill pesticides into surrounding waterways, poisoning local communities and destroying over a quarter of the world’s vital mangrove forests.

How do I take this step?

Three organizations have free, easy-to-use guides to choosing eco-friendly seafood.

Audubon’s Guide to Seafood at http://seafood.audubon.org/
Environmental Defense’s Seafood Selector at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/tool.cfm?tool=seafood
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch at http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

What we do matters!
If only 1,000 of us stop eating shrimp, we can save over 12,000 pounds of sea life this year alone and begin to protect the world’s precious mangrove forests.

4. Free Yourself From Junk
Stop junk mail.

The world’s forests are feeling the strain as global paper consumption has increased 74% since 1980. The U.S., with five percent of the world’s population, consumes 30% of the world’s paper. Bulk mail accounts for 5.2 million tons of waste each year.

How do I take action?
Our website features a form that will generate letters for you to print out, sign, and mail to marketing preference organizations. You can find this form here: http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/form.php

What we do matters!
If only 1,000 of us succeed in halving our personal bulk mail, we will save 170 trees, nearly 46,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and 70,000 gallons of water each year.

5. Install Compact Fluorescents
Use energy efficient light bulbs.

Why?
Electricity production is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and lighting accounts for about 25 percent of American electricity consumption. Standard incandescent lights are notoriously inefficient and easily available alternatives can save you money, energy, and pollution.

How do I take Action?
Check your local home-supply store for low-mercury compact fluorescent light bulbs that fit your various light fixtures (they now come in all shapes and sizes, including ones that look exactly like incandescents).

What we do matters!
By replacing four standard bulbs with CFLs, you can prevent the emission of 5000 pounds of carbon dioxide and reduce your electricity bill by more than $100 over the lives of those bulbs. If only 1,000 of us each replace four standard bulbs with CFLs, we can prevent the emission of five million pounds of carbon dioxide and reduce our electricity bills by more than $100,000 over the lives of those bulbs.

6. Stop Freezing in the Summer
Move the thermostat three degrees up.

Why?
Do you hate it when an overambitious air conditioner makes you don sweaters and long johns on a hot August day? Besides helping with appropriate dress, a mellow approach to climate control can help your wallet and the planet too. The average single family home costs over $600 to heat and cool each year and emits nearly 13,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in the process.

How do I take Action?
Start by dressing appropriately and mellowing out on the climate control by a degree or three. Of course, there are other ways to save energy, money and pollution while gaining, rather than giving up, quality of life. One is to purchase a programmable thermostat for $25 and set it to ease down during work and sleep hours.

What we do matters!
On average, Americans keep their homes at 74 degrees in the summer. If you can go warmer than 74 and still stay comfortable you can make a difference.

7. Stop Sweating in the Winter
Move the thermostat three degrees down.

Besides the fact that there are better ways to clear snow than by opening a window in the 2000 square foot sauna many of us call home, there are considerable economic and environmental benefits to mellowing out on the climate control.

How do I take this step?
The easiest way is to purchase a programmable thermostat for $25 and set it to ease down, especially during work and sleep hours.

Here are the U.S. regional winter average home temperatures:
Mid-Atlantic 70º
New England 68º
East North Central 68º
West North Central 68º
South Atlantic 70º
East South Central 70º
West South Central 74º
Mountain 70º
Pacific 70º

What we do matters!

8. Eliminate Lawn Pesticides

A full 40 percent of pesticides used in the U.S. mimic hormones in our bodies, causing reproductive disorders and interfering with fetal development. Americans promote pesticide use every time we buy conventionally produced food and clothing, but we also directly apply 70 million pounds of pesticides to home lawns and gardens each year and, in so doing, pollute our precious water resources.

How do I take this step?
So you’re ready to give up pesticides. But now what? Get more information on how to effectively get rid of ants, termites, and other pests in a non-toxic manner at: http://www.newdream.org/consumer/lawn_care.php

What we do matters!
Fifteen ounces might not sound like much, but consider diazinon, one of the most commonly used home and garden pesticides. One ounce of diazinon is enough to exceed government aquatic life guidelines for 94 million gallons of water. This residential chemical has also killed more birds in the last five years than any other pesticide. If only 1,000 of us stop using pesticides on our gardens and lawns, we’ll protect the environment from 700 pounds of toxins each year.

9. Reduce Home Water Usage
Use low-cost water savers.

Of all natural resources, water is the most essential. But available supply is diminishing rapidly as human populations swell and inefficiently drain precious aquifers. The average household uses over 22,000 gallons of water per year just for showers and baths. This water is almost always heated, resulting in increased fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions.

How do I take this step?
Visit your local hardware store and pick up faucet aerators for $2-5 apiece and a high-efficiency showerhead for under $20. (These devices give excellent showers and are not to be confused with primitive flow restrictors that simply reduce flow). In less than a year, you’ll make that money back through lower utility bills.

What we do matters!
If only 1,000 of us install faucet aerators and efficient showerheads, we can save nearly 8 million gallons of water and prevent over 450,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year!

10. Inspire Your Friends to turn the tide.

Inspiring two friends to join you in Turning the Tide is the easiest way for you to triple the positive impact you are making with the first nine actions!

How do I take Action?
The easiest way is to use our recommend action links (on the newdream.org website) to pass a note about the nine actions, the media they’ve received and your involvement to your friends and family. Some Turn the Tide participants have also brainstormed other ways to get this message out beyond the choir.

What we do matters!
If 10,000 of us get two friends to join, and they each get two friends to join and take all of the steps, we’ll have 70,000 people taking on Turn the Tide’s first nine steps. That will translate into a reduction of 280 million pounds of climate-changing carbon dioxide and a savings of 3.4 billion gallons of water, 12,000 trees, and 85,000 pounds of sea life every year!

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