I consider Cali Lewis a great friend that I’ve met through social networking, so this has nothing to do with her belief that global warming is a hoax. It does have everything to do with friends, family and people I don’t know thinking there’s nothing going on in regards to humans rapidly destroying our precious Earth. I just don’t get it.

Today, scientists announced a major rupture of an ice bridge that linked two large pieces of ice (size of Jamaica) and now the bridge has snapped in two. So a large sheet of ice connecting two other large masses broke, so what? Well here’s why it’s a big deal.

According to the BBC, “Scientists say the collapse could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the brink of breaking away, and provides further evidence or rapid change in the region.” The Wilkins Ice Shelf has been in the news the last few years because it’s rapidly breaking a part which almost ALL scientists say would effect the weather in a global fashion. Huge amounts of ice melting into the sea cause temperature to change in the water which then causes global weather changes. This is thus called global warming. The less amount of ice to reflect the sun’s rays, the hotter the Earth gets. Get it?

“We know that [the Wilkins Ice Shelf] has been completely or very stable since the 1930s and then it started to retreat in the late 1990s; but we suspect that it’s been stable for a very much longer period than that,” he told BBC News.
“The fact that it’s retreating and now has lost connection with one of its islands is really a strong indication that the warming on the Antarctic is having an effect on yet another ice shelf.”

So for those of us, friends included, who dismiss Global Warming as a hoax… really?

Anyone with an IQ of 20 or more knows that global warming actually does exist and it’s actually doing a lot of harm to our environment. Something I’ve never been able to understand is how politicians, world leaders, my parents’ generation, and a few others refuse to believe that all of our carbon dioxide emissions are ruining this planet.

So, I came across a wonderful environmental site that I wanted to blog about. They have some really great advice and tips for the average person so that we all can do our part in saving our Earth. After all, we only live once. Here are a few tips that I found worthy of listing…

(Source: SEQL.org )

In Your Home – Conserve Energy

1. Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
2. If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
3. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120.
4. Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
5. When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 every time you open the door.
6. Unplug seldom used appliances.
7. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
8. Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer.
9. Wash and dry only full loads of dishes.
10. Use ceramic coffee mugs (at work too) instead of disposable Styrofoam cups.

So, there you have it… these are very simple steps that ALL of us can do to help protect our world. It’s definitely going to be a resolution for me in 2008. Happy New Year!