25 Easy Ways that Normal People Can Help Fight Global Warming

I hear all of the time about big business, rich people, scientists, and government going "green", but what about the rest of us, the average person living paycheck to paycheck who can't afford to go green? Can any one person or household make a difference? The answer is yes. It may not be much of a difference, but if each person did a little, we could all do a lot. Here's a list of 25 things that can be done in your house,your yard, transportation, your work place, and even in what you eat! I grouped these by what season, or benefits.

In the house: Homes are responsible for more than 16% of greenhouse gases.

1,2,3 Seal all the cracks around your doors and windows, use double paned glass in your windows, and keep plenty of blankets around in the Winter. This helps to keep the heat inside, your bills down, and uses less electricity.

4,5,6 Get awnings to block the sunlight from hitting your windows directly, open a window instead of having the AC on full blast when you can, and get a clothesline. Doing these things in the Summer will also keep you bills down and use less energy.

7,8,9,10 Turn down the thermostat in your water heater, use dishwasher only when there are many dishes to do, do bigger loads of clothes, and get lower-flow shower heads. These will use less water, keep your machines lasting longer, lower your bills, and use less energy. And be honest, do you really need your water so hot that you burn yourself every time you take a shower or wash your hands?

11,12,13,14 Change all of your light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, use Energy Star appliances, insulate your water heater (or get a new one), and turn off all of your appliances that you are not using. A 26 watt Fluorescent bulb equals a 100 watt regular bulb, Energy Star appliances can use as much as 30% less energy than regular appliances, water heaters leak heat when they are old and can be more wasteful, and the most common appliances to leave on when you are not using them are TVs and computers.