Wintergreen Challenge

The Winter Green Challenge How Eco can you go? Baby it’s cold outside. Winter has arrived and reducing energy consumption can be a huge challenge for even the most hardcore Eco-Freaks. According to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance using energy responsibly means keeping thermostats at a chilly 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) during the day and a sizzling 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius) at night. That’s right, 55 degrees! For those of you lucky enough to call the Hawaiian Islands home, no problem right? Well for the rest of us, winter means frosty days and even colder nights. We know we should pile on another sweater and slip into some down booties, but turning up the thermostat just a smidge can seem like a much faster and WARMER solution… Think again! By practicing responsible consumption you will significantly decrease your energy bill and also your CO2 emission. In fact, for every degree you lower the temperature in your house; you save approximately the same percentage on your electricity bill. And, according to Pace University (http://www.powerscorecard.org/index.cfm) when you lower your thermostat by 2 degrees you can count on saving 6% of your CO2 emission. Eco-freaks, welcome to a cheaper and greener winter! Saving money sounds great, but why care about reducing Carbon Dioxide emission? When you decrease your energy consumption you burn less fossil fuel and therefore reduce the emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Too much carbon dioxide is one of the main factors responsible for global warming. If we continue producing CO2 at this rate, global warming will have a devastating affect on human health, eco-systems, and agriculture worldwide! Your energy consumption affects individuals globally from your next-door neighbors to communities as far as Africa. That’s right, according to the BBC, Africa has already shown early signs of the devastating affects of global warming; droughts, floods jeopardizes already limited access to food and water. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2204756.stm) This winter, join Earth Rights Institute in combating global climate change by reducing your carbon impact. Accept the WINTER GREEN CHALLENGE and you will be taking one step closer to For more information on the negative affects of CO2 and climate change visit the Environmental Protection Agency website at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/fq/effects.html#q3.