Green Maus

Following a May meeting on a Copenhagen Climate Council study, it is estimated that 2 million new jobs would be created in the U.S. if its stand to formulate cleaner sources of energy is pursued.

The Copenhagen Climate Council study said the United States would gain that many jobs if its electricity use grew by just half of 1 percent a year and a quarter of its electricity came from wind energy and other renewable sources.

Further talks between the European Union Commission and the U.N. are being scheduled regarding the regulations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. The countries represented at the Major Economics Forum account for 80% of the global emissions of heat-trapping gases.

For more information on these meetings please visit www.msnbc.com.

More tips on how Going Green will save you money:

Saving money while saving ENERGY:

• Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and few degrees higher in the summer to save on costs
• Unplug appliances when you are not using them OR use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliance are off and cuts “phantom” energy use
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible.
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during the machine drying. If you must use a dryer, consider adding dryer balls to cut the drying time.

Saving money while saving WATER:

• Take shorter showers. This will lower your heating bill too.
• Install a low-flow showerhead.
• Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
• Plant drought- tolerant native plants.

This Spring, Toyota and The World Resources Institute (WRI) launched Southern Forests for the Future, a WRI project designed to raise awareness of the threats facing southern U.S. forests and increase the amount of forest conserved or managed in a sustainable manner.

With acres of forests diminishing each year, Toyota has made a pledge to fund the project with a $1.49 million grant over the next three years, with the following three components being fulfilled:

• Increase awareness about the threats facing southern forests and the value they provide
• Identify and develop a portfolio of options that align economic incentives with forest stewardship
• Pilot test and implement these options

The forests included in this project stretch from east Texas to Virginia and from Kentucky to Florida. Covering more than 200 million acres, they are among the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world and provide a wide range of ecosystem services including: timber, paper, watershed protection, carbon storage and recreation. It is estimated that currently, one million acres are lost each year to
urban development and unsustainable forest management.

With constant innovation and a commitment to improving the environment, Toyota has contributed more than $464 million to philanthropic programs in the United States.

For more information on what Toyota is doing for the environment visit Toyota.com.

With the assistance of Carbonfund.org, Volkswagen is giving VW owners the comfort in knowing that being a customer of VW is helping reduce carbon emissions and better our environment. To kick-start the project known as the Carbon Neutral Project, Volkswagen donated hundreds of thousands of trees to help offset some of the carbon emissions of its community.

The contributions will be put toward VW’s chosen means of carbon neutralization, the re-forestation of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley – aka The VW Forest.

Through the development of the VW Forest and the efforts of the VW Community, the Carbon Neutral Project has formed a “Carbon Neutral Counter” that as of today has calculated the following:

• 280,395 trees will be planted in the VW forest
• 80,387 vehicles’ emissions are being offset by the VW Community
• 416,429 tons of carbon are being offset by the VW Community

The idea behind the VW Forest is simple; to plant enough trees to offset a year’s worth of carbon released by a vehicle. The trees remain in a lush wildlife preserve that will actively absorb thousands of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. The wildlife will also benefit any animals currently becoming extinct with the disintegration of our US forests.

To find out more about the VW Carbon Neutral Project please visit vw.com.