Today is Blog Action Day and people all over the blogosphere will be discussing the environment in some form or fashion. Whether you believe global warming is a true phenomenon or not, we must all acknowledge that our lives affect the earth, its ecosystems and every living thing therein.

Last week Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work helping the public to understand global warming. While some think Gore receiving the prize is a joke (he actually conceded the award to the IPCC), there is no denying that he has been a champion for global warming for two decades, telling people the world over what they can do to protect the future of the environment.

Here are some of Gore's tips for making your home or business more eco-friendly and saving money at the same time:

• Use compact fluorescent bulbs: Sure fluorescent light is the least flattering but they last a long time and according to Gore, “If every household in America switched five regular light bulbs for five fluorescent bulbs, it would be the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the highways for a full year.” 
  

• Use solar powered outdoor lighting: This is an inexpensive way to cut back on electric use and CO2 production.

• Use a programmable thermostat: “Set the setting so it's a little bit cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer when you're not in the house. A difference of 2 degrees can reduce a home's CO2 emissions by up to 9 percent over the course of a year.” My experience has been that you also save money on your heating and cooling bill.

• Change those air filters: Doing this can reduce your home’s CO2 production by 2% each year.

If you are in business, it is not impossible to go green. In fact, several our Know More Media authors have offered great tips for the green office. SistersInBiz author Monica Flores published a small business handbook for going green with information on green marketing, paper waste reduction, energy & water conservation, and more. 

On OfficeStuffer you can find an entire archive of information on green offices. Check out Jennifer Chait’s 10 Quick Steps to Green Up Your Office Space; find out where you can recycle old office supplies or where to find environmentally friendly office furniture.

It doesn’t take much effort to begin reducing consumption or implementing environmentally friendly practices into everyday life. The question really is: are you concerned about the future of our Earth? Global warming and climate change aside, we must all accept that our actions have an impact (many detrimental) on the environment and those effects could be seen and felt for generations.

Know More:

• Call Centers Save Energy - CallCenterScript
• Blog Action Day: Pharma and the Environment - PharmaGazette