Take the Nature Challange!

[Cervantes]

I recently signed up to take the Nature Challange on David Suzuki's website, at http://www.davidsuzuki.org

I urge everyone to join the tens of thousands of others who have taken
the Nature Challange. It's simple: visit
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/WOL/Challenge/. Sign up and choose at least three of the following:

1. Reduce home energy use by 10%
2. Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances
3. Don't use pesticides
4. Eat meat-free meals one day a week
5. Buy locally grown and produced food
6. Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle
7. Walk, bike, carpool or take transit
8. Choose a home close to work or school
9. Support alternative transportation
10.Learn more and share with others

Look how easy these things are. Being environmentally friendly is not difficult, it merely requires a little knowledge of how. Even if you already do half the things on that list, I urge you to sign up anyways. There's always a need to be more environmentally friendly.

Always remember that it is the individual that consumes the energy and eats the meat and uses the pesticides. It is the individual that can cut back on these things. It is the individual that has the power to slow climate change, to reduce the damage humanity is causing. The individual has the power; the individual is you. Take action.

[Hikaru79]

Cervantes wrote:

1. Reduce home energy use by 10%

Yeah right, and turn off my webserver and IRC downloads?

Cervantes wrote:

2. Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances

See above...

Cervantes wrote:

3. Don't use pesticides

Assuming we had a lawn, I'm sure we wouldn't

Cervantes wrote:

4. Eat meat-free meals one day a week

Check!

Cervantes wrote:

5. Buy locally grown and produced food

Because Windsor is the agricultural centre of Canada

Cervantes wrote:

6. Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle

Out of my power =/

Cervantes wrote:

7. Walk, bike, carpool or take transit

Check! Bike, or bus if it's cold.

Cervantes wrote:

8. Choose a home close to work or school

out of my power, but it happens anyway.

Cervantes wrote:

9. Support alternative transportation

Check.

Cervantes wrote:

10.Learn more and share with others

Isn't that what compsci.ca is here for?

[Cervantes]

There are plenty of other ways to reduce home energy use. Turning off your computer is a good way to reduce energy consumption, especially if you are one of those people that leaves your computer on all night. But, if you insist on downloading, make sure that your monitor is off.
Other good ways to reduce home energy use is by turning down the heating or air conditioning.
Even turning out lights whenever possible makes a pretty large difference.
Yes, there are some things that aren't in our control (being teens and all), but that doesn't stop us from bugging our parents about it Things like number 2, 6, and 8 should be done whenever you or your family buys a new appliance, vehicle, or home. Also, if your appliance, car, or home is very inefficient, you will actually save money by updating. That doesn't necessarily mean buying a new house, maybe it just means insulating it better.
I have spread the word at Compsci.ca, you have to find somewhere else
Any other forums are great. Spreading the word at school is also great, because you may be better able to convince those people who ordinarilly wouldn't sign up, since you're in person.

[templest]

Meh. Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse, and screw the environment!

[Cervantes]

Sometimes taking responsibility is a good thing.
If you don't care about the environment, fine, there's nothing I can do to change your view. But at least don't go publically supporting that view.

[Mazer]

Cervantes wrote:

1. Reduce home energy use by 10%
2. Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances
3. Don't use pesticides
4. Eat meat-free meals one day a week
5. Buy locally grown and produced food
6. Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle
7. Walk, bike, carpool or take transit
8. Choose a home close to work or school
9. Support alternative transportation
10.Learn more and share with others

I took that challenge. It was for reason 11. "Get bonus marks on your physics test." Booya. But seriously, I do most of that anyways.

[zomg]

i try to do all those things, cept leaving my computer on 24/7

but thats because im a valuable "server" on Shareaza cuz my bandwidth and the stuff i got lol

but im always the person who is turing off the lights and stuff when my parents are the ones complining about the hydro bill lol

[Cervantes]

I certainly hope you don't leave your monitor on 24/7.
Do you bike? buy locally grown food? consume small portions of meat, if any?
Sure, turning out lights is fine and good, but that is barely denting the surfacce of the problem. I suggest you take the challange; pick three things you don't already do, and do them.
Things like #7 mean do it often, most days type thing. Not once a month or so.