I spend a ton of time driving to and from climbing spots, and flying to and from climbing spots. There are a few simple practices that I have adopted in my travels to help my traveling become a bit greener.

1. Keep my own coffee mug in the car. That way when I stop at Starbucks to get coffee, they can use my mug, and not use their paper cups.

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Have you checked out wecansolveit.org? The “We” Organization defines its existence as follows:

“Climate change is occurring now, and is already affecting our natural environment, our national security and our quality of life. But, there are effective, achievable solutions for addressing the crisis. An important step is to repower America by producing 100 percent of our country’s electricity from energy sources with zero carbon emissions — within 10 years. Making this switch will generate millions of good American jobs, cut energy costs, safeguard national security, and protect the climate. We need business and government leaders at all levels to help adopt policies and practices now that will enable America to switch to energy sources with zero carbon emissions. We need policies that encourage energy efficiency, renewable energy, and a unified national electricity grid.

We can repower America in a short time frame. We put a man on the moon in just eight years. We quickly retooled our factories to produce tanks, trucks and airplanes for World War II. We mobilized for civil rights and women’s suffrage. We’ve done this before, and we can do it again”

www.wecansolveit.org

One of the best ways to get motivated to take action and become involved in programs like this is read success stories. For example, check out the story on how the people and government of Colorado are joining together to make a difference:

How did Colorado voters become climate champions? They helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions just by going to the ballot box.

In 2004, Colorado was the first state to establish a climate-friendly RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) through a voter-passed initiative. An RPS is a requirement that a certain amount of electricity in the state come from renewable sources like solar, wind, and geothermal energy.  In Colorado’s case, the RPS specified 10% renewable energy by 2015.

Three years later, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter went a step further and doubled the standard to 20%. Large investor-owned utilities in Colorado must now obtain 20% of their electricity from renewable sources and small utilities must provide at least 10% renewable energy by 2020.

“By doubling the RPS, Colorado is reaffirming its commitment to maintaining national leadership in renewable energy development,” said Interwest Energy Alliance Executive Director Craig Cox.

Greenhouse gas reduction has become a state-wide effort in Colorado as more people pitch in to help reduce the state’s emissions. As American Wind Energy Association Western Representative Ron Lehr said,”Renewables are now bipartisan and mainstream. The people have spoken truth about power.”

This is just one example of how individuals, organizations, businesses and governments are helping to stop climate change. There are thousands more across the country and around the world – and it’s through these efforts that we’re going to be successful. We can’t afford not to succeed in this unprecedented challenge to our planet.