1. Carbon Nation Discussion and Action Plan

2. Group discussion Guidelines 1. You will meet with your groups and discuss the questions assigned to you as a group for 5 minutes. You will be put in four groups. 2. You will then share out your thoughts and answers with the rest of the class. 3. Once we are done sharing, you will then write a one paragraph commitment to action using the following suggestions as a guide. You will pick at least 3 things to implement to help reverse climate change. (this is what is being stamped for credit today) 4. Keep track of your progress with a climate change journal - you can do it electronically, in a notebook, make a notebook, up to you as long as you track your progress. These will be checked periodically throughout the year. I will be collecting them at the end of second semester.

3. Suggestions for your action plan Energy Efficiency Weatherize your house – if there’s a draft, there’s a leak. When your roof needs repairs, paint it white at the same time. Unplug DVD players, coffee makers, phone chargers – anything not in use. 5-minute showers are much better than baths. Raise your kid’s allowance if they help reduce utility bills. – tell your parents about this one! Clean Energy Buy your utility’s green energy option. Seek out community purchasing groups to buy & install solar panels in bulk, Land Use Meatless Mondays – eat meat one day less a week. Eat local food, efficiently delivered. – check your labels and see where your food is coming from! Use only Forest Stewardship wood products. Use a push lawn mower. Leadership Elect clean energy public servants. – when you turn 18! Demand tough energy efficiency building standards. Take mass transit at least once a week. If you’re a student, become an engineer. Share all this great info with your family, friends and co-workers.

4. You can do a lot more than just these things. Here’s a few more…. Use green cleaners Buy a re-usable water bottle Look for products that do not contain petroleum based products – look them up online, the list is long…. Eat more veggies!!!

5. Sample journal entry – I want you to note what you do on a weekly basis Goal: To reduce my use of greenhouse gases and water use on a weekly basis. My main focus will be on using less water, eating cleaner, and buying less overall. Week 1 – I reclaimed all my water while I was waiting for it to get hot every day this week; I ate vegetarian 3 days this week and made sure what I ate was produced locally; I didn’t buy anything this week.