By: centraljersey.com
Climate change is a hot topic. If we could harness all the energy and hot air that’s been devoted to debating climate change, we would solve the problem overnight. But until then, by far the best way to combat climate change is energy conservation.
While current data demonstrates conclusively that climate change is real and that human activities are having an impact, some folks remain doubtful.
But even the doubters can become energy conscious. Take a look at the Climate and Energy Project, a small Kansas nonprofit. This organization has successfully separated energy conservation issues from politically charged climate-change debates when making its case to Midwesterners – a group that’s been found to be generally more skeptical of climate change than residents of other regions.
Despite doubts about climate change, towns participating in the Kansas group’s "Take Charge Challenge" reduced their energy consumption as much as 5 percent in one year. Creative ideas abounded: kids looked for "vampire" appliances that suck energy even when they’re turned off; a church installed geothermal heating; restaurants served lunchtime meals without lights; and Boy Scouts distributed weatherization kits to make homes more efficient. What was the motivation for this widespread and creative energy conservation movement?
Some citizens responded to patriotism and the potential economic gains embodied by reduced dependence on foreign oil. For others, an appeal to "creation care" – the obligation of Christians to be stewards of the world God made – took root. And when all else failed, the bottom-line benefits of spending less money on energy was irresistible to individuals, institutions and local governments.
The initial "Take Charge Challenge" in 2010 proved so successful that the Climate and Energy Project will repeat it this year, with additional Kansas communities competing for bragging rights and a $100,000 renewable energy grant. To read all about it, go to www.climateandenergy.org.
Many towns in New Jersey also are cutting energy consumption and finding ways to operate more sustainably. Check out examples at the New Jersey Office of Planning & Sustainable Communities website (www.state.nj.us/dep/opsc/profiles.html). And Sustainable Jersey has information on its website – www.sustainablejersey.com/index.php – on a variety of energy-saving projects in almost 350 New Jersey communities.
If we learn one thing from Kansas’ example, it’s that everyone can make a difference. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic on climate change, there are multiple compelling reasons to conserve.
Let’s take a cue from Nike ads. Whether you save energy for the planet, for God, for your country or for your wallet, "just do it."
Michele Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information, contact her at [email protected] or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org.
