CartClimate Kit Companion
Useful kit-related info I couldn't fit on those little cards!
Buying More CFLs
Big Tip: For your home, buy bulbs with a color temperature of 2700K (usually called Warm White), the closest to the color of incandescents.
Guide: Environmental Defense has great info on How to Choose a Bulb as well as a cool page to help you to Find Bulb Options for various locations.
Recycling CFLs: CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (about 1% of the mercury in old thermometers and getting smaller all the time.) So they shouldn't be tossed in the regular garbage. Bring them to a hazardous waste site or, better yet, find out here about Recycling CFLs including Locations Near You. Ikea offers CFL recycling at its stores (more info).
If a CFL breaks: Because of the mercury, leave the area and ventilate the room well. Find clean-up instructions here. (Quick overview: Wear gloves, don't use a vacuum or broom, use stiff paper to scrape pieces into plastic bag or jar. Read more above.) If a CFL breaks still in its clamshell packaging, just put the whole thing in a sealed bag to go to the hazardous waste site.
Don't put a CFL in a lamp that can be easily knocked over by kids.
Tips About Tire Pressure
Tip 1: Know What Pressure You Need. Don't inflate to the pressure listed on your tire (the tire's maximum.) Find the recommended pressure for your car in one of the following places: your manual, on a placard on the frame of the driver's side door, or inside the gas door.
Tip 2: Remind Yourself at the Gas Station. Put a note in your car to check your pressure at the gas station, where there's usually an air machine in the parking lot. Press the nozzle (which has a built-in pressure gauge) firmly onto each of your tire’s valves, see what your current pressure is, and inflate as needed. (I did this myself for the first time recently, and it was easy to do!)
Tip 3: Stick Some Quarters in Your Car. Air machines at gas stations cost around 75 cents. Wait to put the quarters in the machine until you've checked and know if you need to add air.
More help: See this Guide & Video: How to Check Your Tire Pressure
Take Me to Your Leader
The kits include letters to Congress where you can just fill in your official’s name and address on the envelope and letter. But even better—download our Word documents, customize them, and print them out yourself so they don’t look like form letters!
Download Letter to Senator
Download Letter to Representative
It's going to take serious legislative action to address the challenge of climate change. A great way to keep in touch with your elected officials: sign up for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Email Action Network. You don't need to be a scientist (you just need to be concerned!) I've been a member of UCS for years and know they do great work.
More Motivation to Bag Those Plastic Bags
Want some added motivation to start bringing your reusable bags with you more often? Check out this photo documentary of plastic bags throughout London.
Getting off Junk Mail Lists
Getting less junk mail saves trees and emissions from mail trucks! You can go to the Direct Marketing Association's website to remove your name from junk mail lists. It's free online, though you do need to enter your credit card information for verification. I put the form and $1 payment in the kit to make it easiest for folks to actually do it!
More info re: opting out of unwanted credit card solicitations here.
Check out catalogchoice.org to specify which catalogs you do and don't want to receive.
Eat Less Meat
The production of meat, especially red meat, is hard on the planet (especially when done in contained animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Now, doesn't that just sound unpleasant?) See what the New York Times talked about in "Rethinking the Meat Guzzler."
For an edgier take on the issue, check out this funny video about factory farming done as a parody of The Matrix: The Meatrix. Remember, it's edgy, but I think it's well done. I know from my work with the Union of Concerned Scientists that the issues it raises are real. Great resources: UCS' work on antibiotic resistance and the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production, as well as their work on sustainable agriculture.
Recipes: Thinking of eating less meat but need recipes to try? I've found some tasty, healthy recipes at EatingWell.com (type vegetarian in their search bar).
Toilet leaking?
Ok, so you see colored water in your bowl and know your toilet is leaking. Now what? Find out more here.
Tree Planting
Forests are important allies in the fight against climate change (read more about why here at the UCS site). We're planting trees for each kit sold through American Forests Global Releaf Program. Another great source for tree planting and information is the Arbor Day Foundation; their site describes their Rain Forest Rescue program.
Purchasing Green Power
Find out about options for buying green power in your area.