Climate Change and How You Can Help!
Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing humans today. Temperatures have risen across the world by .13°F each decade since 1880, and that rise has only accelerated since 1981 to .32°F each decade. In fact, the top ten warmest years have all occurred since 1998, showing that the last twenty two years have shown no signs of slowing the climate change. Since the world round is being met with higher average temperatures than ever before, it has impacted other parts of our climate, such as the polar caps melting and our oceans rising.

With temperatures rising, ice masses melting and water levels rising around the world, we are tasked with the biggest obstacle of our lives, slowing and eventually stopping the negative trends in climate change. These negative trends have impacted us greatly already, with more destructive storms than ever before and disappearing beaches at our favorite spot on the Jersey Shore. Some simple things that you can do to help is below!
  • Ditch the Plastic Water Bottles- We've all heard it by now, that the many plastic water bottles we go through each year are helping to destroy our planet. Make good use of your reusable water bottles and help save landfills!
  • Update Your House - Everywhere you look now, you find more energy efficient items, so make the changes in your house! Change out the inefficient incandescent light bulbs and get high efficiency appliances! You'll save money by using less energy and could also qualify for a tax credit!
  • Listen to Your Parents - Your parents might have told you when you were a kid "We don't live in a barn" when you didn't close a door or got upset when you didn't turn out a light. We should follow that advice, as it was extremely energy conscious and can save us money!
  • Be Involved with Nature - There are many ways to help climate change by being more in touch with nature. You can plant trees to help lower CO2 levels or plant native plants that pollinate to help wildlife like bees (who have a large impact on our food supply). Beyond this, you can begin composting for food scraps to lessen the amount of waste going to landfills!
  • Save Water - Beyond energy efficient appliances, save water by shortening your showers, by stopping any faucet leaks or by turning the water off while brushing your teeth or shaving. This helps our water supply while also saving energy!
  • Update and Maintain your Car - Gasoline is another energy hog that takes a ton of electricity to produce. Driving more fuel efficient cars helps resolve this problem, while easing the amount coming out of your pocket! Two other tricks to improving fuel efficiency is replacing your oil and keeping your tires properly inflated. These maintenance tips, will help increase your miles-per-gallon by reducing unnecessary friction.
We might not all be able to lead the charge in the pursuit of slowing down climate change like Greta Thunberg and Al Gore, but we can all take steps to help our planet and the future!

If you're interested, there is some more information and tips to do your part in slowing climate change in the links below.
Whitemarsh Township Parks and Recreation | 610-828-7276 | parksandrecreation@whitemarshtwp.org