ASHEBORO —
In 1972, Rene Dubos, then an advisor to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, was the first to remind us to think globally, act locally.
His idea, that seemed so simple yet poignant back then, might be even more relevant today. Dubos was saying that the best way to solve our global environmental problems is through actions at the local level – at home, in our community and in our state.
In this day of smog, polluted rivers and global warming, it’s easy for us to simply throw up our hands and think that nothing we do can really make a difference environmentally. But it can.
If Dubos were alive today (he died in 1982), his advice would likely be: “Use less.”
If we burn less oil, coal and wood, less carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Less gasoline burned means less smog and greenhouse gases.
Less oil pulled from the earth means less wildlife disruption, less offshore drilling and less chance for disastrous oil spills. Less electricity used means less nuclear waste, less strip-mining and less coal-plant pollution.
So what can we do locally to help?
The average flow rate of a household faucet is 3-5 gallons per minute. By using a low-flow aerator on the faucet head, you can reduce the amount of water used by 50 percent.
A typical family of four can save as much as 280 gallons of water per month. That’s 3,360 gallons per year. Imagine the hot water (and heating energy) we can save in the kitchen and bathroom.
Also, by turning off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving, you can save about five gallons of water each time. Don’t keep the tap running while washing dishes or the hose on continually while washing your car.
According to the Earth Works Group in Berkeley, Calf., Americans receive more than two million tons of junk mail each year. If only 100,000 people stopped their junk mail, we could save about 150,000 trees every year. The junk mail we receive in one day could produce enough energy to heat 250,000 homes, they say.
Something as simple as keeping your car tires properly inflated can help. Under-inflated tires cause more wear, which means more tires have to be made and discarded (another problem in itself). It also means less fuel efficiency, which means more fuel burned – which relates to more expense and more pollution. According to Earth Works Group, under inflation can waste as much as five percent of your car’s fuel because of the “rolling resistance” it causes. Patronize dealers who recycle old tires rather than just discard them (ask). Almost 300 million tires are discarded annually in America.
About half the phosphates in our lakes and rivers come from detergents. Before you buy, check the box and avoid high-phosphate detergents. Liquid detergents are generally phosphate-free. Also, according to Consumer Reports magazine, manufacturers recommend more detergent than necessary.
Most people keep their home water heaters set at about 140 degrees, which is hotter than necessary. Higher settings mean more energy use to maintain that temperature. Most energy conservationists recommend settings of about 130 degrees. That’s hot enough to kill bacteria but cool enough to save substantial energy. For every 10 degrees you turn down your hot-water heater, you save about six percent of the energy used.
Setting freezers and refrigerators 10 percent colder than necessary can increase energy consumption as much as 25 percent.
A good range for refrigerators is 38-42 degrees; freezers should be 0-5 degrees. At least once a year, vacuum the condenser coils on the back or bottom of the unit. Also, check the door gasket for breaks or dried-on food that prevent a good seal – allowing energy waste.
“Brother Dave” Gardner, a comic and satirist from the 50s and 60s, used to say, “If the world’s wrong, then right your own self.”
Let’s take Dubos and Gardner’s advice: let’s think globally, act locally and right our own selves. It sure can’t hurt.
Tom Gillespie lives in Trinity and is a journalist and public affairs specialist at the North Carolina Zoo. For more information on the zoo’s plant and animal collections, special events and education programs, go to their Web site at www.nczoo.org
Tom Gillespie
Zoo Tales: Green thinking begins at home
- Tom Gillespie
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Zoo Tales: Aviary a respite from winter's grasp
January and February are seldom thought of as a time for leisurely strolls along trails and stops to smell flowers blooming or to watch colorful birds. But at the N.C. Zoo's R.J. Reynolds Forest Aviary exhibit, that's what's in store for zoo-goers.
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Zoo Tales: Sitatunga an odd antelope
Mention the words African antelopes and, most likely, images of animals roaming vast, arid drylands would appear. But visitors to the North Carolina Zoo are often surprised to learn that one of the park's antelope species, the sitatunga, is classified as semi-aquatic.
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Zoo Tales: Helping hands
Over the years, the mission of the North Carolina Zoo – to encourage understanding of and commitment to the conservation of the world’s wildlife and wild places – has often meant going beyond the park’s walls.
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Zoo Tales: ‘Good Samaritans’ can unknowingly harm animals
Sometimes, no matter how well-meaning the actions of a “Good Samaritan” are, young, injured and disoriented animals can be harmed simply because the person trying to help the animal does not know the facts and proper procedures.
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Zoo Tales: Aging animals a concern
Although zoos have always faced the problems of aging animals, today it has become an evolving part of their animal husbandry – learning how to care for older animals and to meet their needs
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Zoo Tales: Bats often misunderstood mammals
Bats. It’s likely that only snakes are more feared and more misunderstood than these nocturnal mammals.
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Zoo Tales: Gorillas are treat for Zoo visitors
Though often erroneously called monkeys, gorillas are actually great apes. Gorillas are skilled climbers but spend most of their time on the ground.
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Zoo Tales: Fringe-eared oryx is zoo’s newest antelope
With a nickname like "spear antelope," one could rightly assume that the oryx, one of the N.C. Zoo's newest animal species, would have slender, elongated horns. But then throw in their subfamily name, Hippotraginae (which literally means "horse-goats"), and one might be left guessing.
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Zoo Tales: Ocelots a puzzle to many
Often, visitors to the N.C. Zoo who see ocelots for the first time aren't sure what they are exactly. Larger than a domestic cat but smaller than a leopard or jaguar, the ocelot is a wild cat ranging from South and Central America, through Mexico and into the extreme southern parts of Texas, with rare sightings in Southern Arizona.
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Zoo Tales: Animals beat heat in varying ways
At the N.C. Zoo and at many other zoos and animal facilities, keepers help the animals through a variety of cooling techniques from putting ice into the exhibits for the animals to wallow in to air-conditioned holding areas to ponds within the exhibits.
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