Causes of Global Warming from Homes
Global warming is the observed increase in average worldwide temperatures attributed to man-made factors, such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. While many of the causes of global warming are due to industrial activities, family homes also contribute to this negative environmental trend. By adopting more energy efficient practices and living on a smaller and more sustainable scale, homes can offset their contributions to global warming.-
Energy
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Fossil fuels are the largest source of the greenhouse gases that release heat-trapping pollutants into the atmosphere and cause global warming. While most all homes require energy for heating, cooling, cooking and light, homeowners often have some discretion in deciding what form of energy they will use and how much. According to the Environmental Defense Fund's Campaign to Fight Global Warming, private homes in the U.S. are responsible for 21 percent of the country's global warming pollution. Choosing energy efficient options, such as halogen lightbulbs or solar power panels, can go a long way toward reducing household power consumption and help minimize destructive contributions to global warming.
Plastics
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Modern consumer culture is awash in plastics, which enter homes in the forms of shopping bags, packaging, toys and furniture. Plastics are an environmental disaster because they are infrequently and inefficiently recycled, and moreover contain a number of chemicals that are harmful to the environment and contribute to global warming. Home construction and appliances are also a major source of PVCs, a common form of plastic known popularly as vinyl. PVCs are the world's largest source of dioxin, a toxic chemical that poses serious harms to the environment and accelerates the globe's rising temperatures.
Construction
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While green design and sustainable building practices are becoming more common, they remain the exception and not the standard of new home construction. The House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming noted in 2008 that deforestation accounts for more than 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. New home construction contributes to damaging deforestation practices, especially as the demand for bigger houses spurs on harmful logging activities and forest degradation. This problem is especially grave with respect to new home building practices that favor exotic, tropical woods for flooring.
Lawns and Gardens
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While a bright green lawn is often viewed as a charming feature of a healthy home, a private patch of grass often comes at the expense of the environment. Lawns commonly use excess water, depend heavily on chemical fertilizers, and rely on petroleum-fueled mowers, all of which contribute to global warming. Although homeowners have the option of switching to organic lawns and gardens, the constraints of the natural environment sometimes mean that grassy havens are no longer an ecologically sound option. One way of reducing the environmental impact of a lawn is to convert at least half of it to a consumable garden.
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