A week ago, on Monday June 2, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a plan that will require states to cut their carbon emissions by 30% from 2005 levels. As most things that happen in Washington, DC do, it has caused a bit of controversy. Opponents of the Obama administration have called it a “war on coal” among other things, saying that the new limits will cost jobs in the energy sector and raise the price of electricity (if only temporarily). Advocates for climate change action argue that the plan is not ambitious enough and that cutting US emissions alone (and by so little) won’t be enough if the rest of the world isn’t onboard as well.
Either way, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
I have personally never been one for politics, though political action has the power to make massive changes for the better (or worse). When I first heard about the new limits, I tried to drown out the noise of squabbling politicians and think, “What does this mean for me?”
Coal-fired power plants have some of the greatest carbon emissions, and so they will be the ones most affected by the emissions limits. Likely the price of electricity will go up a little for a short time before it comes down again. Instead of complaining that now I have to pay more for electricity, I thought, maybe I can use this motivation as an opportunity to cut down on my energy consumption. I could save myself money and save the environment. A classic win-win situation.
How would I do it? Cut of lights in rooms as I leave them. Hang my clothes to dry and sweep all the non-carpeted surfaces. Put down the blow-dryer and curling iron and embrace my hair’s natural style (as rambunctious as it may be). Let hot leftovers cool before they go in the fridge. Take warm, not hot showers, and wash my clothes with cold water. Use fans to cool off in the summer instead of a lot of air conditioning. Bundle up in sweaters in the winter (and warm socks—warm socks can go a long way to keeping you warmer).
If I had the money (and actually owned my own home), I could go a bit further. I could invest in solar energy and outfit my home with photovoltaic (PV) panels that would produce enough energy to power my home. Not only would it save on my electric bill (if the price of electricity produced from coal does rise), it would also help the environment by producing renewable, sustainable energy. And the best part? If I produced any extra energy with my solar panels, I could sell it back to the grid. If power plants have to cut their carbon emissions, they’re going to be looking for renewable energy sources to supplement their production. The panels would eventually pay for themselves.
When I participated in the CELL Iceland program, we had to create action plans for when we came home. As the name implies, they were plans for the actions we were going to take live more sustainably. Some were big, some were small, and some were a little off the wall. (Mine was starting a garden in my backyard.) I don’t see why power plants should get the spotlight for having to cut their carbon emissions. It seems to me that right now is the perfect time to show them that We the People can cut our personal emissions, too. Now is the time to draft our own carbon-cutting action plans. What can—nay, what will—you do to cut your own energy use by 30 percent?
By Jessica Edington