While government, business, and technology can help forge the path to a clean-energy future, individuals must also act. Personal choices can make a difference. Below are 10 things you can do. If all San Diegans took the steps listed below, we could reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by nearly nine million tons!

1. Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug unused electronic devices. You can save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
   
2. Buy energy-efficient light bulbs. Replace three frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and save 300 Ibs. of carbon dioxide per year.
   
3. Drive less. Cars account for more than 40% of our region's greenhouse gas emissions. Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds per year. If you must drive, check your car's tire pressure and air filter monthly. Properly inflated tires save gas and 250 Ibs. of carbon dioxide per year, and a clean air filter can reduce your carbon output by 800 pounds per year.
   
4. Conserve water. Because transporting and treating water requires about 10% of California's energy annually, using water more efficiently also means using less energy. You can save hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide just by using water wisely.
   
5. Plant more shade trees. Over its lifetime, a typical tree in our region absorbs 780 pounds of carbon dioxide.
   
6. Recycle paper, glass, and metal. By recycling half the waste you generate at home and using recycled products, you can keep 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
   
7. Use more energy from renewable sources. The San Diego Regional Energy Office will launch an energy rebate program in 2007, with tens of millions of dollars available annually for rebates to consumers who install solar-power or wind-power sources.
   
8. Wash your clothes in cold water. About 9O% of the energy used to wash your clothes is used to heat the water! There are now new detergents specially designed for cold- water washing. So, revisit your laundry aisle and switch to Cold Wash/Cold Rinse. You will keep 500 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
   
9. Line-dry your clothes. There is no shortage of sunshine in San Diego, and you won't generate any carbon dioxide!
   10. Encourage your friends and local, state, and federal government representatives to take the steps necessary to curb global warming.

Source: San Diego Regional Energy Office.

Recycling Resources

Referral to a guide for local San Diego recycling

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Honoring the Earth at Holiday Time:
By Marge Wurgel & Bonnie Hough, EarthSpirit Team Co-Chairs

Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday season than any other time of year. This extra garbage amounts to 25 million tons of trash, or about 1 million extra tons of garbage per week. The holiday season is also a time that is frequently accompanied by busyness, stress, and a tendency towards over-consumption. The effects are felt not only in our bodies and souls, but ripple out to the earth itself. The special activities and gift giving of the holiday season may still be appreciated, while honoring the earth, by giving a bit of attention to how we do the holidays. Consider these tips as you prepare for and celebrate the season’s festivities.

• Decorate with seasonal food such as fresh cranberries or other fruits, nuts, vegetables or popcorn strings.
  
• If decorating a tree, buy a live one and replant it. Don’t flock it or it can’t be recycled. Recycle non-living trees (for locations call 800-237-2583).
  
• Turn gift-giving into a chance to really connect with people in a meaningful way. Make coupons redeemable for services such as picnic lunches in the park, candlelight dinners, massages, or coupons for services such as babysitting, 2 hours of running errands, car washing, or homemade dinners delivered to the house. Use colorful newspaper comics, old roadmaps, magazine pictures or old wrapping paper to decorate the coupons.
  
• Use the holidays to give a gift of your time, and visit people that are nearby, sharing good food and the latest personal news. Your aunt would probably rather see you for a couple of hours than get the nicest, slickest card or things in the mail.
  
• Consider giving your children more of your presence than presents. Buy few things and use the rest of the time you’d usually be shopping to create a special holiday ritual with them.
  
• Consider buying “green” products (e.g. cloth napkins), gifts that teach about the environment (e.g., book about wildlife), items made of recycled materials or those from a 2nd hand shop.
  
• As you do shop, consolidate your trips. Spending fewer hours driving to malls and shopping centers, trying to find a parking place, means less wasted gas, time and stress.
  
• Don’t just hop into the car or walk into a mall mindlessly, hoping that the right place or the right items will jump out at you. You are more likely to overdrive, overbuy, or buy over-packaged. If each family reduced its holiday gasoline consumption by just one gallon (about twenty miles), greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one million tons!

By trying out some of these ideas as you celebrate the holidays this year, you may have the pleasure of knowing you have left less of a mark on the planet, and may have even had more fun with family and friends! For more holiday ideas, go to the Center for a New American Dream’s website, http://www.newdream.org/holiday/ index.php.

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Have you had your FREE Residential Water Survey? The Residential Water Survey Program is a FREE service offered through the City of San Diego Water Department to help you save water inside and outside your home, and lower your water bill. By using water wisely, you not only help preserve our natural resources, but also save money. This city-wide program is available to our single-family and small multi-family customers. During the water survey appointment you will learn how to use water more efficiently. A typical participating household can reduce their average daily water consumption by 13% or more.

During your water survey appointment, you will receive some of the following:

• Low-flow showerheads if needed
• Faucet aerators if needed
• Drip gauge to measure faucet leaks
• 5-minute shower timer
• Sponge
• Water and energy saving literature
• Xeriscape information, including a list of low-water use plants
• Hose end nozzle, if needed
• California native plant seeds
• Plumbing handbook

For information and appointments call: 619-570 -1999. Please have your account number available.