Are you prepared to pay astronomical health, restoration and recovery bills after a flash flood? These maps of cumulative rainfall from Hurricane Florence show the risk! Reconstruction costs due to flash floods and storm surge will be astronomical according to Core Logic. For gory details, see their storm surge report. If you were spared this time, and ripping out drywall and flooring after a flood isn’t what you want to experience in the future, start working on a healthy transition plan to reduce your fossil fuel emissions! We need to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. Let’s get to work, join me to investigate how!
Divest-Invest: Divestment is a democratic tool for climate action. There are institutions that we have influence on, even if we don’t have personal retirement plans or portfolios. You can ask your faith group, your town, and businesses in your community to divest from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy. It is about changing systems. End the flow of money to industries that are destroying the future for everyone and move that money into distributed and renewable energy solutions. See the report by As You Sow — 2020: A Clear Vision for Paris Compliant Shareholder Engagement. You can divest an entire section of your portfolio and stop funding polluting industries. Ask your Senator to support Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Climate Risk Disclosure Act to bring climate transparency to investors. Visit Go Fossil Free to learn more.
Electrify Everything: Transportation, buildings and industry need to be switched from fossil fuels to using 100% Clean Renewable Energy, see the Solutions Project! No access to a subscription for community solar panels or wind farms? Sign up for free renewable energy credit offsets for 50% of your power bill from Arcadia Power, or spend around $10 per month and go 100% renewable by purchasing wind renewable energy credits to match your electricity usage.
Track your utility bills and GHG emissions using Wegowise or Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Look for Energy Star Scores at any commercial, office, or apartment buildings that you visit and take tours that highlight energy efficiency and wellness innovations. These tracking programs help document how quickly we are reducing our CO2 emissions.
Explore your exposure to PM2.5 pollution by wearing an Airbeam monitor and visualizing it on an aircasting map. The burning of fossil fuels in power plants and vehicles is the primary source of this particle pollution. See this video that shows the pollution from coal burning power plants in Europe. Either we track down and reduce the largest emitters, or we will pay for the health care costs associated with these invisible but deadly pollutants. Google and Aclima are creating hyper-local air quality maps of cities that show pollution varies up to 5X on a single street! High resolution satellites are also providing real-time maps of PM2.5 aerosol concentrations in the US. A recent report that shows that 47.6 Million people live in non-attainment areas and are exposed to high levels of PM2.5, an increase of 24.4 million over what was detected by ground based measurements alone. Explore maps by Global Forest Watch showing tree loss between 2001–2017 due to urbanization in our area.
Charge ahead by riding in an electric vehicle (cars, bus, truck) and use ChargePoint Maps to find the charging stations in your area. ChargePoint has committed to installing 2.5 million stations in the US by 2025. Ask your workplace if they are ready! Compare the GHG emissions of electric versus gasoline vehicles using a calculator from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Try alternative transportation options such as Go-Triangle’s Electric Bus. The reduction in pollution from switching from gasoline to electric drive engines creates enormous health benefits! Have you heard that Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) are on their way out!
Try ditching fossil fuels usage at home by switching from a gasoline powered lawn mower to an electric battery operated lawn mower and reduce your exposure to PM2.5 pollution. Visit Smarter House for advice on purchasing Energy Star Appliances, including induction cook stoves, tankless water heaters, electric vehicles, and HVACs powered by heat pumps.
Investigate! Set up an alert for your water consumption using Town of Cary Aquastar, or install a water monitor to prevent leaks and to track patterns in your household water usage. Request an energy audit of your home, follow the recommendations for cost-effective upgrades, and have your home rated using the HERs Index score. Learn how to use Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as Nest Connected Home and Sense that help reduce costs and identify problems before they become severe. Use the Water Calculator to measure your water footprint and find out ways to reduce it! Water consumption is embedded in our energy, consumer, and food choices, so we use much more than what comes out of our tap. Use Reprint’s Carbon Footprint Calculator, to see how effectively your lifestyle supports your goal to reduce CO2e emissions. “
“Our next power plant is being built in every consumer’s home right now every time they change a light bulb,” said #Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. CEO Duane Highley (@highleyunlikely ), noting #energyefficiency has reduced need for more power plants.
VOTE for Change and for investments in resilient infrastructure such as community solar and wind for all communities! Support the Sierra Club’s Political Program!
Efficiency — Ask your town to implement the Well Certified Building Standard for new buildings. Learn more about Zero Energy Homes!
Science, support it, don’t let it be silenced — watch this series on “Let Science Speak”.
