San Antonio is currently in a serious drought, a 17 month drought. We have only received 20.52 inches of rain since April 2005, which is only 43% of normal. We have hit the hottest average temperature’s this year ever recorded in history. We have had the hottest August ever recorded in history, hitting 102 degrees!
It’s hot, dry and uncomfortable. It’s easy for us to go inside and crank up the AC. To jump into a car to drive down the street, instead of walking. As it gets hotter, we use more energy, opposite to what we should be doing.
You may already know how Global Warming works but just to confirm, when we burn fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clear forests, we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, which consequently, rises temperatures.
Global Warming has has had a significant impact on the weather, if you haven’t already noticed. I do not remember seeing uncontrollable, vast wild fires burn so many parts of our land when I was growing up.
What’s really strange about the weather in San Antonio, is that just 8 years ago, San Antonio experienced a record flood. We received 18.07 inches of rain in October 1998. This is the most rain we received ever recorded. The second highest was only 15.78 inches in September of 1946.
So a record flood just 8 years ago, to a record drought today. Does anyone see anything abnormal about this?
Ok, so the weather is acting a little strange, so what? Well, let’s just say that it is going to continue to act strange and stranger and stranger. It will continue to kill more and more people each year. It will change the way we function on a daily basis. So you say, ok, but I have no control over the weather change. Well, yes you do, not entirely but if enough to make a difference. And if you have children, younger siblings, younger cousins and you want them to live a full life and not have to worry about them experiencing the hardships of the weather due to changes you never made, then this should be important to you.
There are simple things that you can do and I would like to share with you some of the simple things I have done:
1- Change all light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs. Replacing one light bulb can actually save 150lbs of carbon dioxide per year. I have already changed my light bulbs and I do not see any negative difference in lighting. I just feel better everytime I have to use a light.
2- Recycle. I think San Antonio has done an excellent job with recycling. However, there is still a lot to be done. We need to have more recycle bins easily accessible in more public places. If you do not have a recycle bin, get one! They are free. The city will also pick up your recycling bin once a week. There is no work involved.
3- Plant a tree. A tree absorbs carbon dioxide over it’s lifetime. It can also produce shade in your yard and over your house so you don’t have to crank up that AC so high. My house had a few trees planted on the side but none in the front. We planted two trees, a Magnolia and Red Maple. It is really neat to see a tree grow and brings character to your house. Mature trees also increase the value of your home.
4- Turn off all unused devices in your home. If you are not watching TV or not on your computer, it is best to turn it off and unplug. We have gotten better at this.
5- Don’t use hot water unless you absolutely need to. Everytime I used hot water, I wasn’t conscience of the fact that I was using energy to get the water heater going. Now, I am and I do not use hot water unless I am running the dish washer or taking a shower but I have it on low pressure.
Things I have not done, but need to do.
1- Drive less. Living in a city that is so widely spread out and with not many public transportation options, it is a little more difficult to drive less. However, it can still be done, it will just require some planning and scheduling. We can take the Via Bus. You will save gas money and don’t have to wory about driving in traffic. We can car pool. Find out where your coworkers and classmates live and try to take turns car pooling. You will save gas money and spend quality time with your coworker.
You have probably have heard of other things you can do. If you are buying a new car, look for a hybrid or a car that can run on Ethanol. If you are buying appliances, look for the Energy Star.
It’s important to know what we CAN do. Making these small changes can roll into a significant positive change in our enviroment. It might be too late to stop Global Warming but at least we can slow it down.
I am becoming very passionate about Global Warming and am still trying to learn more and see what can be done. I will continue to post topics on Global Warming and what we can do in our own city to help.
