The vehicle you drive has the single largest impact on climate change of any action you take. Indeed, for each gallon of gas you burn, 20 pounds of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. To offset this release:

• Reduce your amount of driving when possible by taking public transit (bus, metro), walking, bicycling, working from home, and car-pooling. Doing so could reduce your GHG emissions by up to half a ton. Indeed, one city bus filled with commuters can keep more than 40 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
• If purchasing a new vehicle, choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your needs. Such a choice may entail switching class of cars entirely (e.g., from a sports utility vehicle to a mid-sized sedan) or switching within class. To assist your decision, check the fuel economy sticker on the cars you are contemplating purchasing (in Canada, see the EnerGuide label, or check the Fuel Consumption Ratings. In the US, check the Green Vehicle Guide. Finally, consider buying a vehicle with a hybrid engine. Hybrids run on gasoline and self-charging electric engines that never have to be plugged in. AtmosClear's President owns as hybrid, and she learned recently that some hybrid retailers are exploring offering battery leasing programs. Batteries last 25-30 years, whereas cars and other vehicles have shorter lives. Battery leasing programs will reduce the costs for consumers to purchase or lease hybrid vehicles.
• Plan your driving with the goal to minimize emissions. Small changes such as combining errands, working flexible hours to keep out of rush hour traffic, using ethanol blended gasoline and avoiding idling are just a few examples that can make a big difference. Indeed, idling for 10 minutes a day can produce almost a quarter ton of CO2 emissions each year, so choosing to park rather than sit in a drive-through lane will have beneficial effects. Likewise, bringing lunch or eating in the workplace cafeteria will cut down on traffic during the hottest part of the day. And if you own more than one vehicle, using the less fuel-efficient one only when you can fill it with passengers will also reduce emissions.
• Maintain proper tire pressure. Because 70% of vehicles have at least one tire that is over- or under-inflated, it is important to check your tire pressure once a month. With correct tire pressure, GHGs can be reduced by about 1/8 ton per year.
• Retiring your vehicle. If your car is 13 years or older, recycling programs, as in Alberta'Car Heaven, may be able to take it, thereby reducing emissions. Indeed, 650 retired cars reduce emissions by more than 2,800 tons of CO2.

The above tips will not only help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, they will also save you money. For example, avoiding idling and maintaining proper tire pressure can each save you $50 in wasted fuel, while a fuel-efficient vehicle will save you thousands of dollars over its lifetime.

In recent years, American households use about 10% more energy on average than they did 10-15 years ago due to larger home size and greater use of appliances that use electricity, such as computers, TV games and videos/DVDs. To reduce household emissions:

• Heat. First and foremost, a high-efficiency model furnace is recommended for minimal energy use. Although such furnaces can be expensive, government programs may be available in your area to help offset the cost. Next, because lost heat contributes to GHGs, ensure that your home is draft-proof. By using caulking and weather-stripping, sealing and insulating heating and cooling ducts, and installing a programmable thermostat to replace your old dial unit can reduce your home heating needs by up to 20%, thereby reducing your GHG emissions by up to half a ton (5% of a typical family's CO2). To assist you in determining where your home is losing energy, free audits are offered by many utilities or you can visit EnerGuide for Houses to conduct your own evaluation, or check out the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy publication Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings.For the heat that you do use in your home, install and use a programmable thermostat. A reduction of 5°F at night or when you are away during the day can reduce your GHGs by close to half a ton.
• Appliances. Another significant source of unnecessary CO2 emission is derived from our appliances (refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters use the most energy). Accordingly, when purchasing a new appliance, as with a vehicle, choose an energy-efficient one -- look for the Energy Star label. These items may cost a bit more initially, but the energy savings will pay back the extra investment within a couple years. For example, a 2002 model EnergyStar qualified refrigerator uses less than half the electricity of a unit built ten years ago, and will reduce GHGs by close to 1/10 of a ton each year. If each household in the US replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we would eliminate 175 million tons of heat-trapping gases. And regardless of how efficient your appliances are they should be turned off when not in use. This means turning off TVs and computers when no one is in the room and unplugging freezers or refrigerators that are only used for holidays and parties (the latter can reduce emissions by nearly 10%). Finally, when possible, use your microwave for cooking tasks instead of your electric oven. It will use one-third the energy and, during the summer, won't heat up your kitchen, resulting in you turning up the A/C.
• Light bulbs. Replacing your incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent lights will make a significant contribution to lowering GHGs emissions. In fact, go beyond that and use light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs.  You might also try a string of LED lights to cut your energy use during the holiday season. And to avoid unnecessary use of your lights, add timers to ensure they go off when you are not around.
• Water. Use the same standard of efficiency for water use as with heat and electricity. This means washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot (the same clean clothes, less wear and tear on them, and half the energy used). For showers, try a low-flow showerhead, such as the Bricor, which reduces water consumption by 40% while creating a powerful shower stream. Other water-efficient devices include toilets (for which some utilities offer a rebate), aerators and waterless urinals.
• Garbage. Although about 70% of household waste could be recycled or composted, currently only about 25% (in Canada) is. Reducing household waste can significantly contribute to lower emissions; for example, by composting, a family of three can cut their GHGs by more than 1/8th tonne each year.
• Planting a tree in your backyard. It is also possible to help CO2 levels outside your home by increasing the number of trees on your property, which will in turn store carbon. You might even rally with others to increase the number of trees in the public areas of your neighborhood. These trees would provide much-needed shade in the summer, thereby reducing fossil fuel use.
• The workplace, school or local government are other areas in which our individual actions can make a big difference. Energy-efficient policies such as turning off lights and computer workstations at night, switching to compact fluorescent lighting, investing in energy efficient computers and office machines, or using renewable energy would contribute significantly to the reduction of GHGs. For example, in 1990 the city of Toronto embarked on an effort to reduce its emission, lowering them 67% below 1990 levels.

It goes without saying that the above tips will not only help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, they will also save you and your community money. For example, for every 2° F you lower your thermostat, you can save 2% on your heating bill. Likewise, switching to one compact fluorescent light bulb would save a country like the US $15 billion in energy costs. Finally, by implementing energy-efficient practices in the workplace, the city of Toronto now saves $10 million (Cdn) each year.

If, after taking as many of these steps as possible, you still use energy and generate emissions, consider puchasing verified emission reductions (VERs) to "offset" these remaining emissions. Offsetting is a practice of using the services of specialists to achieve goals that you cannnot achieve on your own. Offsetting is common in industry, where some industrial plants are able to more easily or more cheaply reduce emissions than others. Those that can do it more cheaply or more easily may be willing to sell their emission reducing services to others. Visit our [Projects and VERs page] to get more information on our VERs and the projects that generate them.