MNN - Mother Nature Network

To help reduce the impact of global warming, many are investing in alternative energy sources like wind and solar. But it’s important to improve our energy efficiency now with our current power systems. That’s because we want to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses that are going up in the air in the first place. People who used energy-efficient appliances last year prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking nearly 27 million cars off the road. And if we also improved America’s buildings, industry, and transportation, it’s thought we could reduce our annual emissions by as much as taking as nearly 400 million cars off the road. Well, how big a deal is that? That’s 6,000 times the weight of the Empire State Building of pollutants being put into the air. And with buildings lasting for over 50 years, simple choices we make now, like using proper insulation and updating lights with CFLs, will make a big difference, not only now, but for the next generation. We can do our part by buying the most efficient technologies available, from hybrid vehicles like this one to Energy Star appliances. I’m Jill Cordes.