With the impending effects of global climate change on our in minds, YingwenTeach has committed to becoming an ever more environmentally conscious and ecologically responsible service organization. This is a worthy challenge, and we are reorganizing our lives in order to meet it to the best of our abilities. In the process, we are finding that sustainable living is good living.

On this page, you will find information related to sustainable travel and living. Please feel free to Contact Us with ideas how we can improve upon resources on how to reduce our carbon footprints. We welcome your suggestions.

There is strong scientific consensus that human activities are primarily responsible for the dramatic rise in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions which have led to rising global temperatures in the past two centuries, and especially since the 1950s.

Here are a couple of good Wikipedia articles that explain the issue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

Jet travel is significant contributor to CO₂ emissions. Many environmentally-responsible travelers are now purchasing “carbon offsets” to compensate for the increased carbon emissions. Ask your travel agent about how to purchase these offsets. Or go to http://www.carbonfund.org/ to purchase offsets. For jet air travel, this will add $10-$15 to your flight costs for a long international flight.

Offsets are good, but we need to do more. Here are some ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint and live a more sustainable life.

1. Plant trees and support organizations that plant trees.

2. Ride a bike!  Take the bus! If you can’t do this, drive an energy-efficient car.

3. Support local farmers and eat local foods.  Better yet, plant a garden.

4. In your home, use compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescent lights, conserve water, use only cold water in your washing machine, dry your clothing using a clothes line instead of an electric/gas dryer, lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer, insulate your home, turn off the lights when leaving a room and turn off electronic equipment when not in use, get to know your neighbors and share resources, and don’t forget to recycle and reuse items whenever possible.

Resources:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/

http://www.sustainablelivingmagazine.org/

Write to info@yingwenteach.com to share your ideas on sustainable living.