Recovering from the effort on April 14th, 2007, the Milford Day of Environmental Education. I came up with this list of actions to stop global warming compiled from the 500 Acts of Environmental Self-defense logged by me and my students. I made copies and handed them out to the more than 400 people who came last Saturday:

Reduce your "Carbon Footprint"
This list is compiled from the list of 500 Acts of Environmental Self-Defense performed in 2007 by the students of Morning Star Martial Arts and the FRES Kenpo Karate Club who all say,
"Save the Earth, practice karate!"

~In the winter, close shades and drapes on windows at dusk to save heat. Open them in the morning to collect heat from the sun.
~Wear warmer clothes indoors in the winter so you can turn down the heat.
~Close doors to keep heat in(house in winter) or out(refrigerator/freezer).
~Don't let your house get too cold, it takes more energy to heat it back up.
~(from a student) "I played with the dog instead of watching TV." Turn off the TV and: play with the dog(!), read a book, etc...There are so many other things to do!
~Turn off lights, computer and other electronic equipment when not using them.

~Grow houseplants indoors to purify air (remove formaldehyde) and add humidity.
~Grow a garden.
~Feed the birds. They'll hang out in your garden and eat bugs.
~Create habitat for toads, they love bugs too!
~Get certified! Turn your backyard into a Wildlife Habitat. It's easy, no backyard is too small and most yards in NH already qualify. Go to www.nwf.org.
~Recycle food scraps and yard waste in a compost heap to enrich garden soil.
~Feed the worms! Start a worm box for indoor composting (see Compost table).
~Use organic fertilizers and natural methods of pest control. Avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Not only are they poisonous, they're made from oil.
~Support your local farmer. Get fresher vegetables, eggs and meat, preserve open land and save tons of energy.
~Buy local,"organic" or "fair trade" whenever you have the choice.

~When filling the sink to wash dishes, save water by running "hot" water from the kitchen faucet into empty jugs until hot enough to wash dishes. The water can be used later for houseplants or outdoor gardening.
~Wait until the you have a full load before running dishwasher or washer.
~Run dishwasher or clothes dryer at night to use non-peak energy.
~Rinse out plastic detergent bottles to use up the last of the detergent for dish and
clothes washing. Then recycle the bottles.
~Run loads of laundry in succession to save energy heating water and dryer.
~Use "dryer balls" in the clothes dryer to dry clothes quicker.
~Use a clothesline instead of a dryer.
~(from a student)"I re-wore a sweatshirt intead of washing it again."

~Write letters, e-mails and make phone calls to your legislators urging them to take action to preserve the environment and stop global warming.
~Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!
Reduce, don't buy what you don't need.
Reuse and find other uses for what you have.
Recycle items that are no longer useful.
~Separate and recycle; toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, magazines, newspapers, etc...
~Separate and recycle plastic bottles, cardboard, steel, glass, batteries, etc.... The Wilton Recycling Center handles 37 different categories of recyclables.
~Bring old electronic equipment to a place that repairs or recycles the components. An average computer monitor contains over 6 pounds of lead. Never landfill it.

~Send lunches to work or school in reusable containers.
~Reuse plastic bags for freezer storage.
~Reuse supermarket food trays to display cookies at bake sales.
~Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
~Use cloth rags instead of paper towels.
~Cover pans when cooking food and bringing water to boil.

~Bring travel mugs to the coffee shop. Coffee stays hotter, tastes better and it might be cheaper!
~Bring unneeded plastic bags back to stores to be recycled.
~Use your own canvas bags at the store to avoid bringing home store bags.
~Bring useful items you no longer need to churches, rummage sales or the "still good" table at your local recycling center.
~Buy environmentally friendly cat litter for your cat. Avoid clay litters, they destroy the land when they are mined and have to be disposed of in landfill.
~(from a student) "I bought a notebook that was made from recycled plastic." Buy items made from recycled materials, like notebooks and paper products! Look for paper made with a high percentage of post consumer recycled content (the number inside the triangular recycling symbol).

~Combine car trips to save gas and wear and tear on your car.
~Carpool.
~(from a student)"I took the bus to school instead of having my mom drive me." Use mass transit when available.
~Maintain your car so it uses less fuel and pollutes less.
~Drive a hybrid.
~Drive slower!

~When it comes to sports and exercise, lean toward those activities that use less fossil fuel and more of yours. For instance, you could choose running over water skiing, or martial arts over parachute jumping. Have fun!

Printed on 100% post consumer recycled content paper