Reducing Florida's Carbon Footprint

On March 6th, 2007 in Governor Charlie Crist’s State of the State Address, the Governor identified global climate change as “one of the most important issues that we will face this century.” As such, he has committed to advancing Florida to the forefront of a growing world-wide movement to reduce greenhouse gases through policy and technological advances.

Already, Florida is moving forward. This week, Florida has executed the multi-state compact for The Climate Registry which partners Florida with other leading states to craft emission reporting guidelines for industry. In addition, later this summer, Governor Crist will convene a Florida Climate Summit, inviting the brightest minds and national leaders to discuss the state’s plans for addressing the issue of global climate change.

But what can Florida’s residents do today to help battle global climate change? Here are five simple steps you can do to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas contributor to climate change.

Everyday Energy Saver
Programmable thermostats automatically adjust your home's temperature settings, allowing you to save energy while you're away or sleeping. A programmable thermostat can save you about $150 every year in energy costs. The thermostats are more accurate than manual thermostats and are better for the environment since using less energy helps reduce emissions associated with energy production.

Recycling Reduces Toxic Air Emissions
Carbon emissions from making steel, copper, glass and paper from recycled materials are four to five times lower than making these products from virgin materials. In 1996, recycling these materials reduced carbon emissions by 33 million tons.

Greenscaping
When organic wastes and paper are recycled, we reduce the generation of methane gas in landfills. Almost 60 percent of the municipal solid waste produced in the United States is compostable material. Second only to fossil-fuel combustion, landfills are a leading source of greenhouse gases. In 2005, 79 million tons of waste material was diverted away from disposal through recycling and composting.

Change Five Lights
Replace the conventional bulbs in your home's five most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR label and you will help the environment and save money. If every household in the U.S. took this one simple action it would prevent more than 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Keep the Tires on Your Car Adequately Inflated
Check them monthly. Save 250 pounds of carbon dioxide and $840 per year. If everyone in the United States did it, gasoline use nationwide would decrease by two percent.