Quote:
Originally Posted by johnr
oh, and that warming thing , not much you can do about the sun warming up.
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I'm going to nip this one right in the bud. The sun is putting out the same amount of heat and light that is has for the last billion or so years. Global warming is caused not by the sun warming up, but by greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, which increase the amount of heat that is trapped by the atmosphere.
There is no debate whether global warming is going on right now. Scientists are entirely in agreement that there is a warming trend. The only question is whether or not humans are responsible, or whether this is a natural cycle that the earth goes through. Though it is likely a natural cycle, the amount of CO2 and other pollutants that people generate is undeniable, and there's no reason not to help reduce your impact, especially since many of these changes cause you to save money in the long run, like CFLs, which cost more, but last longer and use about one quarter of the energy.
Back on topic.
Personally, I have replaced four bulbs in my house with CFLS, one with a fluorescent tube shoplight, and two desk lamps with 30W fluorescent ones that look like 100W incandescents. Replacing our washer, dryer, and fridge with new Energy Star appliances has also made a big difference. All of the computers in the house have a hibernation or energy-saving mode timer. We also don't have central air
The school my team builds at has an active aluminum and plastic recycling program and is lit almost entirely by fluorescent tubes. I would like to see a paper recycling program set up, because most of the school waste is paper. Maybe I'll run that one by team leadership and see how much it would take to set something up.