• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
      
Transition Town Greater Media

Transition Town Greater Media

Building Spirit, Building Resilience, Building Bridges

  • Home
  • What We Do
    • Protecting Biodiversity
    • Circle of Aunts & Uncles
    • Community Resilience
    • Cool Blocks/Cool Cities
    • Fire Circles
    • Local Food
    • Foraging
    • Media FreeStore
    • Green Wagon Project
    • Inner Transformation
    • Tree Lovers Collective
    • Tree Tenders
    • Zero Waste
    • Annual Events
      • Annual Planning
      • EcoFest
      • Green Sunday Craft Fair
    • Partnerships
      • Bee City
      • Composting
      • Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
      • Native Seed Library
  • Get Involved
  • Blogs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Climate Change–What You Can Do

September 10, 2014 by Marion 1 Comment

Climate change is all over the news lately as damaging storms, drought, heat waves, and arctic methane release  continue to accelerate.  More and more people are realizing that we need to take action, as evidenced by the Peoples’ Climate March— the largest climate march in history–which will take place on September 21 as world leaders gather in NYC for the UN Summit on Climate.   (Are you going?)

All this news may leave you wondering what you can do to mitigate climate change. Your thoughts may be turning to solar energy, since you’ve heard that it’s become more efficient and affordable–and there’s a generous government tax credit available.

Think you’re ready for solar on your roof? Not so fast! Before you do anything, schedule an energy audit. The auditor will evaluate your home and tell you exactly what you need to do to make your home more energy efficient. It will also tell you what changes to make first for the most reward. A comprehensive audit even takes your landscaping into consideration.

After the audit, begin make the recommended adjustments to your home. Then—and only then—will you be ready to consider solar panels. Why? Because decreasing your energy usage means you won’t need as many solar panels. And fewer solar panels means less cost to you and a faster payback time.

Here are some steps to consider even before your energy audit:

  • Switch to LED light bulbs
  • Use a battery operated alarm clock
  • Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer
  • Use the dryer for just 10 minutes to soften clothes—finish drying on a rack
  • Even better, hang clothes outside to dry
  • During the summer, close curtains on east, south and west-facing windows to block the heat of the sun. In the winter, open the curtains on these same windows to let in the sun’s warmth.
  • Turn off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use.
  • Use power strips. Turn computers and printers off at the power strip.
  • Unplug electronic devices and chargers when not in use. Most new electronics use electricity even when turned off.
  • Replace filters on your air conditioner and furnace regularly for optimal efficiency.
  • Insulate the attic to R49
  • Replace old appliances with energy efficient appliances
  • Lower water heater temperature to 120°
  • If you need a new water heater, get an energy efficient one like the Rheem hybrid 
  • Walk around your house and observe how you use energy. Are there any unnecessary items plugged in?

The first step seems to be the hardest to take, but once you begin, you’ll find yourself on a roll and feeling good about contributing to the health of our planet.  It’s going to take all of us doing our part.  Oh, and don’t forget to get on the bus for the Peoples’ Climate March!

 

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: climate change, climate disruption, energy audit, solar energy, solar panels, sustainable living, UN summit on climate change

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy Lundgren says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    Thank you for this Marion – it looks like the start of a TTM Checklist For Savings!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Latest Posts

Biodiversity & Climate Crisis–Intricately Linked

Protect Yourself From Extreme Heat

My Media FreeStore Story

Planet Local Film Screening

How Much Housing—
Considerations for the Future

Climate’s Eye-opening Impact on Health

Biodiversity’s Extraordinary Power to Affect Climate Crisis

The Astonishing Facts About Plastic Pollution in Pennsylvania

A Call to Action: 2025 Annual Planning

Is Your Child’s Health at Risk?

Why is Rights of Nature Law Necessary?

Finding Community and Purpose in an Angry World

Transition Town Greater Media footer logo
45 Paper Mill Rd
Springfield, PA 19064
(484) 589-0581
About TTGM | Resources | Newsletter

Admin | Org Docs | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
      
Copyright © 2025 Transition Town Greater Media

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Enter your email to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.


RSS FEED

Transition Town Greater Media makes its content available through RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds for use in applications like a news reader.

Click on our feed to add it to your favorite RSS Reader.

Notifications