Live a Greener Life With Renewable Energy

We can all live a greener life by using renewable energy. This effort is essential, as our supplies of fossil fuels are being depleted globally. Everyone needs to start taking environmentalists seriously when they warn us that our supplies will not be able to keep up with our demands. Renewable energy has to be seriously considered as a viable alternative source of power.

The correlation between fossil fuels and global warming should be enough to make us all take notice. Even though global warming is a controversial subject, one just has to think of all the natural disasters around the globe over the past five or six years. The events seem to be a by-product of global warming and it seems to be a dire warning to all of us. The impact on animal and human species is very evident. If each one of use does our part to live a greener life, we’ll be on our way to helping to alleviate some of these issues.

For those of us who have viewed ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, it is hard to ignore the data presented. If you are a skeptic, you should definitely find this video and watch it. If you have compassion for polar bears, you should watch it. Renewable energy on the home front will make you have a feeling of satisfaction and possibly turn you into an activist. It doesn’t take much to start living a greener life; you can make some small changes at home with some do-it-yourself projects.

Each of us should strive to reduce our carbon footprint. Solar power, wind power, and geothermal energy seem to be very popular sources of green energy that people can incorporate easily into their home in some small way. Some people even go big and sell the extra energy back to the power company.

There is an increasing demand for individuals who are trained in renewable energy. The pay and benefits are very good. It used to be that oil-riggers were in very high demand. Now you will find a growing need for windmill engineers, fabricators, and repair personnel. Since the energy is captured on American soil, these jobs cannot be outsourced. That is another plus for our economy.

The advantages of living a greener life through renewable energy just keep coming. Tax credits and incentive programs are popping up left and right for individuals who incorporate renewable forms of energy in their household. These federal tax credits can be used by businesses as well as residential consumers. By the time you take advantage of a 30 percent tax credit and reduce your energy bill, your improvements will pay for themselves in record time. Even something as simple as swapping out old appliances can earn you a rebate in many states.

As said previously, once you start making your own space more environmentally friendly, you are likely to get more involved in this movement. There are many green communities being promoted in more urban areas. Working hard at being environmentally conscious citizens, these groups make even greater strides and promote more awareness. The tax credits provided by the government have certainly made this more attainable.

Jack Bauer – Sustainability Expert?

The plot line: 24′s Jack Bauer is racing against time. But this time his target isn’t a terrorist plot; he’s just trying to reduce his carbon footprint. That’s actually the plot line for 24′s parent, Fox channel, and its daddy, News Corporation. The company says it has reduced its carbon emissions and made the seventh season of 24 carbon-neutral.

So, how do you make a show like 24 carbon-neutral?

Actually, Fox reduced the carbon footprint of the show by 43 percent and bought carbon offsets for the remainder. And it reduced it emissions with green power purchases, renewable power use on the set, distributing scripts electronically instead of via paper, using CFLs and biodiesel and fuel-efficient vehicles. Some of these things are easy, low-hanging ways for any business to reduce its emissions and costs.

There’s a whole list here. Fox even has a Fox Green Guide with best practices for minimizing the environmental impacts of video production.

And News Corporation, too, has aims of further reducing its emissions. Admittedly, the company has a way to go. A slide shown in a Greentech Media webinar on Energy and Environmental Management Across the Global Enterprise showed that from 2006 and 2008, the company has reduced its carbon emissions from 674,000 metric tons to 642,000 metric tons. That’s not much, but the company still aims to be carbon neutral. According to Vijay Sudan, manager of energy initiatives at News Corp., the company is doing so by:

o Driving efficiencies and reducing costs
o Engaging audiences
o Exciting employees
o Building new partnerships and strengthening existing ones
o Demonstrating thought leadership and innovation

Yes, those platitudes can sound like bunk. But engaging and exciting your employees in green and sustainable initiatives is a big key to success in this area. And unlike some of Fox’s shows, you don’t have to torture them! Sudan says the company has brought in experts on energy and sustainability to speak with employees, and does not direct its news operations to report on them. Yet they do and ask for more. (Hey, we editors and writers love easy access to expert information!)

That is a good example of engaging employees. Will those at many companies be as attentive and quizzical as editorial types? Don’t be surprised if they are. Many people are quite interested in energy efficiency and sustainability, and these can be your team leaders. Find these people and make them your company’s sustainability experts-and they will learn more and help you reduce your energy needs and your costs.