“There has been consensus among scientists for years that global warming is a serious problem and that it is caused by human activity” (“Global Warming Solutions A Basics.”, n.d.).I am here to tell you, global warming is a real and serious threat. With the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere the land and ocean temperatures have increased. Over the last 25 years, 11 of the 12 warmest years on record have occurred in the past 12 years. Something needs to be done to change this trend. This is where each and every one of us comes in. You might not think things in your everyday life have an effect on global warming but you are wrong. Here in the Midwest, we are at the center of our global warming problems and can be at the center of our solutions (“Global Warming Solutions A Basics.”, n.d.). Just making relatively small changes in your homes can make a huge impact on global warming if everyone makes similar changes.
A new heating and cooling system is one of the biggest upfront costs for a green change, but it has the biggest return as well; in the form of money saved and lessening pollution. “As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills” (“Heat & Cool Efficiently,” n.d.). Which is why you should start with this change. Although simply replacing your system all together could be the most cost effective and energy efficient choice. An alternative choice is using a programmable thermostat. Using a programmable thermostat can improve efficiency of an older system and save you money on utility bills and cut down of the amount of energy used to power your home. This type of thermostat works with your existing heating and cooling system. It uses pre-programmed setting to know when to run or when to shut off and save energy. “A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs” (“Heat & Cool Efficiently,” n.d.).
The easiest and simplest way to cut down energy use in your home is with lighting. This is something you can get up right now and do. Are there any rooms in your house that no one is in but a light is on? If so, go turn it off. “Nationwide, artificial lighting consumes about 10% of a household's electricity use. Use of new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in homes by 50%–75%. Upgrading 15 of the inefficient incandescent light bulbs in your home could save you about $50 per year” (“Lighting,” 2012). You can also simply use natural lighting from the sun thought windows and skylights; this is commonly referred to as daylighting. With daylighting you can increase the energy efficiency and reduce the climate impact of your home. Something else I have and use in my own home is light dimmers. I have this in three of the rooms in my house. Using dimmers is a great way to reduce energy in your home. They are used to control how bright or dim the lights in the room are. With using traditional incandescent bulbs 90 percent of the energy they use is given off as heat. That energy is just being wasted. With a dimmer you can cut down on the energy that is being wasted thought heat.
Another easy way that you might have not heard about or even thought about is called standby power or phantom energy. Standby power is defined as “Electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off (but are designed to draw some power) or in a standby mode” (“Standby power,” 2012). There are a lot of house hold items that use this power: TVs, DVD players, computers, cell phones, and basically anything that has a light on when it is off. “By 2010 regulations were in place in most developed countries restricting standby power of devices sold to one watt (and half that from 2013)” (“Standby power,” 2012). Even with those regulations in place there is still a lot you can do to cut back on standby power usage.
A way you can cut down on this excess power is by putting things on a power strip. Using a power strip will allow you to turn off multiple things with just one switch when you leave the house, or even better the room. Another way is to replace old items that were made before the government put the standby power regulations in place. Owning a home is a big part of the “America dream” and we spend most of our time in our homes, which is why you should take that into account when trying to slow global warming. You need to help the planet for our kids and their kids. With all these changes come two big advantages: slowing global warming and saving you money by reducing energy usage. These simple changes cost more up front but most will pay for themselves within the first three years. I challenge you to make these changes to help yourself and the planet.

Reference
Global warming solutions a basics.. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.globalwarmingsolutions.org/basics
Heat & cool efficiently. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac
Lighting. (2012, April 25). Retrieved from http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=11985
Standby power. (2012, Apirl 23). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standby_power