A high level of scientific confidence indicates that an increase in greenhouse gases, caused by human activity, is causing the Earth's climate to warm.  For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and deforestation have caused concentration of heat-trapping"greenhouse gases" to increase significantly in our atmosphere.  Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide occur naturally and are emitted to the atmosphere both through natural processes and human activities.  Other greenhouse gases (e.g., fluorinated gases) are created and emitted solely through human activities. 

Greenhouse gases are necessary to life as we know it, because they keep the planet's surface warmer than it otherwise would be.  But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth's temperature is climbing above past levels.  Rising average temperatures are already affecting the environment.  Some observed changes include shrinking of glaciers, thawing of permafrost, later freezing and earlier break-up of ice on rivers and lakes, lengthening of growing seasons, shifting plant and animal ranges, and earlier flowering of trees (IPCC, 2007). 

• Get a home energy audit.
• Replace incandescent with CFL light bulbs.
• Install a programmable thermostat to adjust during times you are gone or asleep.
• Set thermostats down 2° in winter, up 2° in summer.
• Clean/replace furnace and air conditioner filters every year.
• Choose energy-efficient appliances (when replacing).
• Do not leave appliances in standby mode.
• Wrap water heater in an insulation blanket.
• Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed.
• Recycle at home, school, the office, and in public whenever possible.
• Insulate/weatherize your home.
• Cover pots when cooking.
• Use less hot water.
• Run the washer and dishwasher only when full.
• Take shorter showers.
• Dry clothes on a line when possible.
• Install a ceiling fan.
• Compost organic waste.
• Use hand tools and a push or electric mower.
• Plant trees in the west or southwest location of your home to shade your house and reduce energy consumption.
• Shut lights off when you leave a room.
• Use power strips to prevent loss of phantom power.

• Avoid driving at lunch time by taking your lunch to work.
• Telecommute from home.
• Bike, walk, carpool, or take public transportation to work.
• Provide a bike rack and changing facilities.
• Become an ENERGY STAR-labeled building.
• Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified products for the office.
• Use energy-saving settings on office equipment.
• Turn lights, computers, and equipment off at the end of the day.
• Use power strips to prevent loss of phantom power.
• Use Portfolio Manager to compare energy use of your building to other similar buildings nationwide.
• Join Clean Air Zone Idaho.
• Install motion sensors and low-flow fixtures in bathrooms.

• Check your school's climate impact.  Use EPA's Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit (Climate CHECK) or Portfolio Manager.
• Take your lunch to school.
• Bike, walk, carpool, or take the bus to school.

• Teach students about climate change and ecosystems.
• Engage students in estimating emissions.

• Complete an energy audit.
• Install motion sensors and low flow fixtures in bathrooms.
• Partner with the ENERGY STAR for K-12 Program and use Portfolio Manager to track and rate the energy performance of your portfolio of school buildings.
• Develop an inventory of school emissions and take the 2008-2009 College & University Green Power Challenge.
• Start a recycling program.
• Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified products for the office.
• Use energy-saving settings on equipment.
• Xeriscape the grounds and only mow when needed.
• Take your lunch to work.
• Bike, walk, carpool, or take the bus to work.
• Start a composting program.

Carbon Footprint Calculators

• EPA's personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator
• The Nature Conservancy carbon calculator
• The World Resources Institute carbon calculator
• Wired carbon calculator
• Redefining Progress carbon calculator
• Best Foot Forward Calculator
• American Forests calculator

EPA Green Power Partnership

EPA Clean Energy Program

EPA WaterSense Program

American Public Transit Association Idaho Transit Links

Idaho Environmental Guide: Greenhouse Gas Section