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Mission Statement
The UFWC Sustainable Living
Sub-committee recognizes the threat of warming caused by human
activities, supports personal and societal efforts to
reduce and mitigate global warming, educates the public,
and fosters involvement in organizations and activities
to reduce global warming.
Responding to “An Inconvenient
Truth”
with some slightly inconvenient solutions
Our Discussion List The UFWC has a Sustainable Living e-mail discussion list. If you are interested in subscribing to this list, send a request to ufwcemail@ufwc.org.
The Science
See
www.ipcc.ch and
www.ucsusa.org.
The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change says the world has to stop the increase
of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and continually
reduce those emissions to avert disastrous environmental
consequences. The year 2020 is predicted to be the
“tipping point”, beyond which the Earth will have suffered
irreparable damage.
The Union of Concerned
Scientists claims that the world’s industrialized
nations have to reduce their emissions an average of 70 to
80 percent below year 2000 levels by the year 2050. That
means we must reduce our emissions 2% each year for the
next 40 years.
Take Action
Transportation:
Drive less, drive a more
fuel-efficient car, and change your driving habits. Most
cars are more fuel efficient at slower speeds. Drive the
speed limit! Most cars’ fuel efficiency drops sharply over
55 miles per hour. Keep your tires properly inflated.
Support public
transportation:
Sign an online petition to
promote restoration of train service from Philadelphia to
West Chester.
http://www.petitiononline.com/railtowc.
Virtual meetings:
Skype
offers free conference calling for up to 9 people. This
could reduce the number of trips to the Fellowship for
meetings. If you need help downloading Skype to your
computer and using it, please contact the GW group
chairperson. Email: global-warming
Buy local and buy less:
Buy local produce when it’s
available and purchase clothing from local consignment
shops. View the online video, The Story of Stuff, (takes
20 minutes),
www.storyofstuff.com.
Don’t buy bottled water/spring water.
Electricity:
Compact fluorescent bulbs are
70% more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
Purchase green energy from
your electricity supplier. PECO offers wind power for an
additional $2.54 per kilowatt hour.
Buying a new appliance? Look
for one with an EnergyStar rating.
http://www.energystar.gov
Livestock production
Buy grass fed beef, sheep or
goat or don’t eat beef, sheep or goats.
Cattle, sheep and goats
produce methane and livestock that are fed corn and
other grains produce even more methane than those that eat
grass. Methane has 20 times the global warming
potential of carbon dioxide.
Manure generates nitrous
oxide, which has nearly 300 times the global
warming potential of CO2.
30% of the Earth’s land
surface is now used for raising livestock or to grow food
for livestock. Expansion of pasture and cropland for
feeding livestock leads to further deforestation.
Legislation
If you’re interested in
legislation concerning energy conservation and global
warming, you can sign up for legislative alerts by
emailing: global-warming
Trees
Trees absorb carbon dioxide
and give off oxygen and provide shade for your home which
will reduce the need for air conditioning. Planting
deciduous trees (whose leaves drop in the fall) will allow
sunlight to warm your home in the winter. Planting native
trees will attract native bird species.
United Nations Environment
Program - Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign
at
http://www.unep.org/BILLIONTREECAMPAIGN
Support family planning
There are 6.6 billion people
on this planet and the population is projected to increase
to over 9 billion people by the year 2050, a 40%
increase. A key driver in population increase is the lack
of access to affordable contraception.
To make contraception
available to those that want it but can’t afford it,
support family planning organizations. Also, we can
demand that our government give aid to developing
countries to use for family planning.
Investing
There are several mutual
funds available that focus on alternative energy. If
you’re concerned that your current investments are not in
line with your spiritual principles, consider investing in
mutual funds that support emerging greener technologies. |
