My
Carbon Pledge presented by
 
and
Facts:
-
 Indiana ranks 15th in
population, yet we are 5th in per capita carbon emissions. Carbon
emissions are the primary cause of global warming. Residential
electrical use is the #1 contributor of carbon emissions.
-
One 100 watt
incandescent bulb left on for one year emits 1,800 lbs of carbon
into the environment. The average American home utilizes 45
incandescent bulbs.
-
Simply unplugging unused appliances in
the home can save 10% on the electric bill and remove 1% of CO2
emissions from the atmosphere.
-
One million square miles
(the size of 26 Indianas) of Arctic ice was lost in 2007 due to
global warming. Arctic ice is the home and hunting ground of polar
bears.
-
According to current
projections, two thirds of all polar bears will be gone by 2050 due
to loss of Arctic ice.
-
One third of polar bears
will “hang on” until the end of the century BUT THEIR FATE IS IN OUR
HANDS.
My Carbon Pledge
presented
by Duke
Energy and
Carrier Corporation is a
campaign designed to bring issues related to climate change to the forefront
of the community, and most importantly, asking the community to take some
specific actions. Our first call to action in 2008 was to change out
incandescent light bulbs to CFL bulbs. The second call to action in
2009 was to unplug unused appliances to decrease
wasted "phantom" power usage. In 2010, we asked
citizens to raise their thermostats up degrees in summer and down two
degrees in winter.
The web site serves as the central hub of this
activity. Individuals access the site and sign an electronic pledge
form. Once an individual has signed the pledge form their address
information is transposed to an overlay on Google Earth and a green house
appears over their residence. People area able to see who in their
neighborhood is participating, which areas of the city are “greening” the
quickest, and where more attention needs to be paid.
The web site features
blogs by a climate scientist, an arctic wildlife scientist, a
political/social activist, a business leader, and a general member of the
public. There's loads of information on the effects of climate change,
what's happening locally, and links to organizations with even more
information. Click
here to meet the bloggers.
This is an online social community that promotes
green pride and encourages participation to take a small step to help our
environment.
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