Going green means eating green

hello harpobear

The Earth is our home and supports ALL of us.

Before we can make a difference we have to learn to respect the Earth and we have to be educated as how to live with less and take only what we need. Our society has been spoiled in so many ways: "To live the impossible dream" has now become the way how it has to be !

I would say the key is education, Al Gore has given us a lot of information, once we understand the seriousness of the situation we can individually or together find ways to "serve" our planet as it has served us. With knowledge and understanding we can take action and we have to take action "NOW'!

Friendly Greetings ~ benjamina

Is this going to be a new episode or just a repeat from the episode of this topic with Al Gore from a few years ago? I feel like I'm in a time warp.

Hello harpobear,

This thread could also be called "GLOBAL WARNING."

We better heed that "warning" because mother nature is stronger than any human and we still have the choice to be taught the lesson,

a lesson similar to the financial meltdown, we still have the choice to become aware and to be educated and to evolve our collective consciousness to heed off a "global meltdown."

I believe in the good of all people, once we understand the seriousness of the situation , humans will "see the light" within themselves; or one can also call it survival instinct and do the right thing. There is a lot of goodness in humans and when the situation really warrants it we will help each other, right now we are still "playing" and we are thinking we can get away with it. Well, think again !

Freindly greetings

Hello harpobear.

The thoughts are trickling in...

Turn off lights when you leave a room, use a small lamp to light the area where you are working, rather than lighting the whole room.

Another thought.

Do an electricity audit, one in the summer, one in the winter.

Go through your home and make a list where and when and how you can save on electricity,

which light fixtures, computers, TV's etc. can be turned off, which lights should be on, which lights should be off, etc.

Get the whole family involved, involving the family might bring the "message home" so to speak, that we have to and can save on energy - and it could be fun. Reward your kids for a good idea they may have contributed.

Friendly greetings.

Great suggestions benjamina9. Thanks for sharing them.

-HarpoBear, Oprah.com Community Producer

I would ask all Oprah viewers to take the time to research arguments against global warming. Not all scientists agree as the media would have you believe. Remember, Al Gore is a politician and I doubt if the Oprah show is going to have anyone on this show giving an opposing view.

Also according to the UN Report, animal agriculture causes more global warming emissions than all the world's transportation combined. It is a primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiverstity.

It takes up 70% of the world's agricultural land and 30% of all the land on this planet. For every pound of animal flesh consumed by humans, it takes 500 gallons of water. For one gallon of milk, it takes 750 galllons of water.

More than 10kgs of grain are required to produce 1kg of cow flesh. In the US, it takes 28 kilocalories of protein fed to animals to produce only 1 kilocalorie of protein for human consumption.

It takes 78 calories of fossil fuels to produce 1 calorie of protein from cattle. In general, animal agriculture produces 45 lbs of protein per acre for human consumption, as compared to an acre of wheat, which produces 138 lbs, legumes which produce192 lbs; corn which produces 211 lbs, rice 261 and soybean which produce 356 lbs of protein per acre for human consumption.

Once upon a time, the Amazon Rain Forrest flourished and absorbed carbon dioxide. Now 70% of it is used as pasture land, and much of what's left is used to grow animal feed. The slashing and burning of forest land now releases all that CO2 into the air.

But carbon dioxide is not the most potent greenhouse gas. Animals raised for human consumption also emit methane and nitrous oxide from their digestive process and manure. Methane has 23 times and nitrous oxide has 293 times the warming power of carbon dioxide. It's calculated that animal agriculture accounts for 9% of our CO2 emissions, 37% of our methane, and 65% of our nitrous oxide emissions. Some say giving animals more space would help the environment, but spreading manure over a greater area would only make it worse.

Reducing other sources of greenhouse gasses could take up to a century, but on the bright side, methane cycles out of the atmosphere in only a decade. So if humans adopted a plant based diet, the result would be a cooler planet in far less time.

Hello harpobear.

Vinegar and water, baking soda and lemon juice are all environmentally friendly cleaners for almost any purpose.

Vinegar and water; mix vinegar and water and fill the solution into a spray bottle, a natural and cheap cleaner.

You will find more information regarding the use of environmentally friendly cleaners on the internet.

Go green ~ color your world

I can't believe that people still have the viewpoint that global warming isn't real today. Do people think that wicked weather patterns, melting glaciers, and increases in incidents of skin cancer, etc are all just coincidences? Not to mention the worst thing as we impact the environment: our childrens' health...the rate of childhood allergies and asthma have become astronomical in recent years!

Anyways, on a more positive note, I think that whether or not we believe global warming is real, you can agree that it's not going to hurt to help your environment. In fact, saving energy means money in your pocket. We replaced all of our lightbulbs with energy efficient bulbs and started turning the heat off when we aren't home and at night, and our electricity bill decreased by $10/month and we got a rebate on our heating bill (2 free months on equalized payments!). Also, walking, car pooling, and taking the bus saved us over $100 per month when the cost of fuel went up.

I recently saw a show on a company in Montreal that is building green condos. They cost less than $200,000 to purchase, and they cost...get this...$75.00 A YEAR in heating, electricity, a/c and water heating. We pay more than this in a month just for heating!!! I can't wait to see other building companies accross North America building similar dwellings.

I attend college and I am taking an Earth Science class where we are taught that it is the sun's increase in solar energy that is causing global warming, rather than it being a man made problem. It seems as if you want us to believe something else than what the top solar physicists are saying. I respect Mr. Gore tremendously, but I respect science more. I would like to see Oprah ask some of the top physicists on to the show and give us both sides of this issue,

Kudos for taking on the topic of growing CO2 output... There is one more Most Important component that nearly always goes forgotten: Human health already has been affected by internal acidification and higher CO2 levels.

A healthy person on a balanced diet inhales 100 units of oxygen and exhales 80 units of carbon dioxide (CO2). This leaves the body 20 percent of oxygen, which it needs for many of the necessary functions - blood oxygen, iron transport, and more.

On the other hand a person on a high-carbohydrate diet inhales 100 units in oxygen and exhales up to 100 percent of CO2 leaving the body little or no oxygen for cell renewal and proper function. This leads to an acidic body environment and diseases from fibromyalgia to obesity and diabetes.

In times when half of our population is overweight and we consume an average 300kg of wheat per year per person (imagine nearly one kilogram of wheat per day) it becomes imperative that we also start considering that extra 20% of bodily output of CO2.

I hope this too will become "food for thought" when it comes to looking at reducing our carbon footprint.

-- Oprah this topic would much warrant a special segment!

Kudos for bringing this topic on the show. Al Gore is a great ambassador and change advocate. Unfortunately, one aspect of "Global Warming" that directly affects our own bodies remains continuously ignored -- even by Al Gore: Our own increased body acidity and CO₂ levels...

A healthy human being on a healthy diet inhales 100 units of oxygen (O₂) and exhales 80 units in carbon dioxide (CO₂). This leaves the body its necessary 20% of oxygen to function on.

On the other hand, a person on a high-carbohydrate diet inhales 100 units of O₂ and exhales up to 100 units of CO₂ leaving the body little or no oxygen to function on... This results in tissue acidification, ageing, and diseases from fibromyalgia to obesity to diabetes. Are we still wondering why the numbers of those affected by these diseases skyrocket?

With at least one in two person being overweight and a personal average of wheat consumption of 300 kg per year (nearly 1 kg per day!) this increase of up to 20% of extra CO₂ output from our own bodies keeps being ignored by environmental calculations, Al Gore, and by the media.

--Oprah, you could make a huge contribution by adding our own "personal carbon footprint" to the equation of Global Warming... this topic could certainly warrant a segment on "O"!