Hot As Hell

AAACHHOOOOO!!!!

That morning sneeze…

That morning chill in the air….

That extra laziness to get out of bed…. [extra because I feel lazy to get out of bed daily! :D]

That reluctance to wash one’s face with that cold water….

Even more reluctance to have a bath….Thank god for geyser!

Applying lots of moisturizer on dry skin and lip balm on dry lips….

Eating peas stuffed kachori, vegetable cutlets, carrots, spring onion (pyaj koli to be precise) sabzi ….

Smaller days and longer nights….

That bump in the elbow hurting real bad….

Sipping that warm coffee….

When I got up this morning, I found that winter is here already! In October!

But will it stay?

I am wondering this because the duration and the magnitude of Winter season has been decreasing every year in my town. It gets cold for two days and then again it is as hot as in summer. Last year it was proper Winter only for two weeks, that too in January. December was quite warm. All my sweaters including the Allen Solly ones which I had been waiting to show off didn’t get a chance to come out of the closet. Sigh!

Those who say global warming is a myth should come and stay in my town for a year. The temperature in summer reaches 46 deg C , the monsoon is erratic, no more 4-5 days of continuous heavy rain like we used to have many years ago, no more cold winter months and the pleasure of sleeping under quilts. And after the so called winter, its Summer again. There is no Spring practically!

I guess all of you had read several posts on October 15  about Global Warming as many bloggers had participated in Blog Action Day 2009. As I was on my Diwali vacation during that time and as I don’t think blogging about an issue should be restricted to just one day, I am blogging about it now. Moreover I have not added my blog to that website [as it asked for my password] but still I feel strongly about the issue. Today when I felt the first winter chill, I was happy!! But that happiness was short-lived as I remembered last year’s winter season and the change in my town’s climate over the past few years.

Trust me, no matter how much water is found on the Moon or how many missions are sent to Mars, this is the only planet that can sustain life.

So save it while you still can. Or it will be literally hot as hell on Earth. Here a few things you can do at your level to stop global warming :-

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Inflate Your Tires

Change Your Air Filter

Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full

Use Recycled Paper

Adjust Your Thermostat

Change the AC Filter

Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can

Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases

Take a shower instead of a bath

Take Shorter Showers

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly

Buy Products Locally

Buy Minimally Packaged Goods

Cover your pots while cooking

Buy a Hybrid Car

Buy a Fuel Efficient Car

Carpool When You Can

Don’t Idle in Your Car

Reduce Garbage

Plant a Tree

Insulate Your Water Heater

Replace Old Appliances

Do not leave appliances on standby

Put on a Sweater

Insulate Your Home

Air Dry Your Clothes

Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

Switch to Double Pane Windows

Buy Organic Food

Bring Cloth Bags to the Market

Turn off Your Computer

Eat less meat

Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions

Ditch the Plastic

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On a lighter note, Global Warming may be helpful to some beings after all!!

Tips taken from StopGlobalWarming.Org

• 
  

  Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

  Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year. Take the Energy Star pledge.

• 
  

  Inflate Your Tires

  Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

• 
  

  Change Your Air Filter

  Check your car’s air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.

• 
  

  Fill the Dishwasher

  Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

• 
  

  Use Recycled Paper

  Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

• 
  

  Adjust Your Thermostat

  Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

• 
  

  Check Your Waterheater

  Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.

• 
  

  Change the AC Filter

  Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.

• 
  

  Take Shorter Showers

  Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

• 
  

  Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

  Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.

• 
  

  Buy Products Locally

  Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

• 
  

  Buy Energy Certificates

  Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

• 
  

  Buy Minimally Packaged Goods

  Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

• 
  

  Buy a Hybrid Car

  The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid

• 
  

  Buy a Fuel Efficient Car

  Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

• 
  

  Carpool When You Can

  Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

• 
  

  Don’t Idle in Your Car

  Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait for more than 30 seconds.

• 
  

  Reduce Garbage

  Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

• 
  

  Plant a Tree

  Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

• 
  

  Insulate Your Water Heater

  Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

• 
  

  Replace Old Appliances

  Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

• 
  

  Weatherize Your Home

  Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.

• 
  

  Use a Push Mower

  Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.

• 
  

  Unplug Un-Used Electronics

  Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

• 
  

  Put on a Sweater

  Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

• 
  

  Insulate Your Home

  Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.

• 
  

  Air Dry Your Clothes

  Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.

• 
  

  Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

  Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.

• 
  

  Switch to Double Pane Windows

  Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.

• 
  

  Buy Organic Food

  The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

• 
  

  Bring Cloth Bags to the Market

  Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

• 
  

  Buy The Bracelet

  Made from 100% scrap leather by Roots — 100% of net proceeds go the Stop Global Warming Fund.

• 
  

  Turn off Your Computer

  Shut off your computer when not in use, and save 200 lbs of C02. Conserve energy by using your computer’s “sleep mode” instead of a screensaver.

• 
  

  Be a Meat Reducer

  The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.

• 
  

  Ditch the Plastic

  2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!