These measures may reduce our
consumption by 10 per cent or
so; as an answer to a possible
increase of 800 per cent, they amount to no more than mopping up some of the
water.
The recommendations, in addition to flying less and wasting 25 percent less food, include: carpooling or telecommuting once a week (75 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) saved by 2020, if adopted by all Americans); maintaining your car or truck, such as keeping tires properly inflated (45 million metric tons of CO2e); cutting the time spent idling in a vehicle in half (40 million metric tons of CO2e); better insulation at home (85 million metric tons of CO2e); programmable thermostats set higher (80 million metric tons of CO2e); reducing electricity demand from appliances that are «off,»
so - called phantom demand (70 million metric tons CO2e); using hot
water more efficiently, such as washing clothes in colder
water (65 million metric tons of CO2e); buying EnergyStar appliances when old ones wear out (55 million metric tons CO2e); replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescents (30 million metric tons CO2e); eating chicken instead of beef two days a week (105 million metric tons of CO2e);
increased recycling of paper, plastics and metals (105 million metric tons of CO2e); «responsible»
consumption, such as buying less bottled
water (60 million metric tons CO2e).