What Can I Do About Global Warming?

Individuals and congregations can take concrete steps to reduce their own global warming pollution emissions directly AND to advocate for policies that will reduce global warming pollution in Texas, the US and world.

Reduce Your "Footprint" Buying electricity that comes from renewable sources, making buildings more energy efficient, and choosing products that use less energy are all ways to cut your own global warming emissions. Here are lists, links and tips to get you started.

Advocate for Policy Change Call for public policies that reduce global warming pollution and deal effectively with carbon emissions. Invite your local government to join the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, urge legislators to require strict pollution controls on power plants, and encourage the Texas congressional delegation to support mandatory global warming pollution caps. 

Reduce Your Footprint

Energy Efficiency

All About Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs 

Bring Creation Care home! Download our tips on no-cost/low-cost ways to save energy starting today.

Energy-Efficient Appliances for Home and Congregation 

Congregations that commit to substantial energy savings can cut utility costs 25 to 30 percent, and make significant contributions to a cleaner environment. If each of the nation's approximately 307,000 religious worship buildings (source: U.S. Department of Energy, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey) cut its energy use and costs 25 percent:

• Congregations would save nearly $500,000,000 to spend on their
  other priorities.
• More than 13,500,000,000 kWh of electricity would be available with
  no new power plants.
• More than 5 million tons of CO2 emissions would be prevented.

By saving money with energy efficiency, congregations could achieve the equivalent of removing about 1 million cars and their pollution from the road, or planting nearly 1.4 million acres of trees.

ADVOCATING FOR POLICY CHANGE

Step One: Help Bring Your City into the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement 

Step Two: Urge Texas Lawmakers to Prevent Increased Global Warming Pollution from New Coal-Fired Power Plants

Step Three: Urge Texas Congressional Delegation to Support National Climate Protection Legislation

Step One: Help Bring Your City into the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement

On June 13, 2005, the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was passed unanimously by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Watch the video feature Mayors inside and outside of the Conference continue to formalize their commitment by signing on to the agreement.

As of September 26, 2006 307 mayors representing over 50 million Americans have accepted the challenge. You can read worldwide headlines about this locally-started initiative.

Under the Agreement, participating cities commit to take following three actions:

• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
• Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system

Participating Texas Mayors as of September 26, 2006

Step Two: Urge Texas Lawmakers to Prevent Increased Global Warming Pollution from New Coal-Fired Power Plants

Step Three: Urge Texas Congressional Delegation to Support National Climate Protection Legislation