Sustainable Works: Day Two

Tonight's Sustainable Works session was all about energy.

Talking about energy usage is of course a little depressing since the conversation always makes people feel like there is no hope for the planet and our future. The discussion is always centered around how much of the Earth's natural resources have been used up and how much the make up of the planet has changed, including the melting of the polar ice caps.

Fortunately, our fearless workshop leader, Becca was able to keep things positive and focus on the small changes that we can make at home in order to lead to a bigger scale of impact.

It was inspiring to hear how active California is in reducing the amount of carbon used for energy and made me proud to live in this state for its leading role in coming up with environmental solutions.

Here are a few solutions you can do at home to help save energy:
1. Replace light bulbs with energy efficient CFLs or LEDs.
2. Purchase Green Power or Green Power Credits to offset carbon-based power (Check out how to do this in Los Angeles by visiting lawdp.com and click "Green LA", or contact the customer service number on your energy bill in your hometown).
3. Pay attention to heating and cooling in your home:
Use energy star appliances whenever possible; turn off lights and unplug electronics when not in use; use dark curtains to block out sunlight to keep your home cooler in warm months, and use fans instead of air conditioning; install solar panels in your home, just to name a few. :)
4. Finally, a solution to all environment issues, of course, eat a plant based diet, or at the very least, start with one meal a day and move on to one day a week, which saves the energy needed to farm and raise livestock.

For more information and to join the workshops: http://www.sustainableworks.org/