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Why Go "Carbon Free"? |
For your budget. For your health. For the future.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a major "greenhouse" gas emitted whenever fossil fuels - coal, oil, or natural gas - are burned to generate electricity.
What's the problem with burning fossil fuels and producing CO2?
- It contributes to global warming, which could have especially serious effects on our coast here in Maine...not to mention the rest of the planet.
- It requires scarce and expensive resources - most of which we have to import into the US, especially Maine.
- It's bad for our health, especially among the young and the elderly. Fossil fuels release many pollutants into the air.
Is global warming for real? Maine winters still seem pretty wintry!
Global warming isn't like the steady, consistent heating up you experience when turning on an oven: it's a gradual and irregular process. The International Panel on Climate Change has concluded that "many natural systems are being affected by regional climate change, particularly temperature change."
Scientists in our own region are finding, for instance, that over the last two decades, streams and lakes in New England are freezing later in the year and thawing earlier. For more worldwide information you can go to the international panel's website: http://www.ipcc.ch/. To find out more about climate change here in Maine, go to the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, at http://www.climatechange.umaine.edu/.
Scientists say the worst consequences of climate change can be averted if we act now to reduce our production of greenhouse gases. By making your home carbon-free, you will be taking concrete action to help sustain a healthy environment into the future.
The pollution that our energy use sends into the air has a significant impact, and the consequences could be devastating. The good news is that there's a good chance we can avoid these consequences if we act swiftly and decisively.
What's my carbon "footprint"?
It's the amount of CO2 or carbon that your activities — at home, at work or traveling — cause to be emitted into the atmosphere.
For example, every gallon of heating oil you burn emits 22 pounds of CO2, and much of the electricity you use causes the release of CO2 by power plants that burn coal, oil or gas.
How can I reduce the carbon footprint (CO2 emissions) of our home?
This website makes it easy to calculate the carbon footprint of your home and take steps to reduce it — here are a few examples:
- Do less of what consumes energy: for example, turn down the thermostat, wash clothes in cold water and turn off lights when not in use.
- Use energy more efficiently: for example, insulate your home and switch to energy-efficient CFLs.
- Buy "clean" energy produced by solar, hydro or wind power directly or by paying into a system that supports these technologies.
