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My Carbon Pledge presented by
Facts:
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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.
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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.
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Simply unplugging unused appliances in the home can save 10% on the electric bill and remove 1% of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.
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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.
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According to current projections, two thirds of all polar bears will be gone by 2050 due to loss of Arctic ice.
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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 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 is to unplug unused appliances to decrease wasted "phantom" power usage. 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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