CO2の排出量を減らすために、あなたがしていることは？

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

Last week’s answers surprised me a little bit. EVERY PERSON I spoke to said they felt UNVAVORABLE about North Korea. There were other countries they felt unfavorable about too, for example, China, Myanmar, Iraq and America, but the most unfavorable country was North Korea. Everyone said they feared North Korea and their nuclear ambitions (核兵器への野心). I wish there would have been more time to discuss that question but maybe another time. Or you could always leave your thoughts in the comments section below. I will respond and would love to continue the conversation.

Ok, on to this week’s topic. This week, I read a United Nations webpage called, “12 little things” that focuses on fighting climate change. Basically, it says how each of us, in our own little way, can reduce climate change in our own lives and houses. In other words, we can reduce our carbon footprint. You can read the “12 little things” below. After reading, think about the following questions:

Q. How many of the “12 little things” do you do in your daily life?

and...

Q. What, if anything, do you do to decrease your carbon footprint?

Here are the “12 little things” you can do according to the UN:

TURN IT OFF
Turn off your lights, televisions, DVD players, stereos and computers when you are not using them because they can use between 10% to 40% of the power even when they are on standby. Also, unplug battery chargers (i.e., portable telephone chargers) as soon as they have finished charging.

BE EXACT
When making tea or coffee, fill your kettle with only as much water as you need.

CLOSE IT ASAP
Don't leave fridge doors open for longer than necessary.

CHECK YOUR CAR TIRES
Inflate your tires to the correct pressure to improve your car’s fuel efficiency.

DON’T USE PLASTIC
Use cloth or reusable bags when shopping and avoid buying products that use unnecessary wrapping.

USE A FAN
Instead of using air conditioners in the summer, wear cool clothes, and use a fan.

DRIVE LESS
Do your weekly errands in a single trip and pay your bills online. Walk, bike, ride the bus or carpool as much as you can.

SLOW DOWN
If you drive slower than 90 kph, you will consume up to 25% less fuel.

DRIVE A HYBRID CAR
A hybrid or other fuel-efficient car emits less carbon dioxide.

REPLACE
Replace your regular light bulbs with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs cost more but use about one third less power.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT
Choose as much local food as you can—food which was grown or made near you.

RECYCLE
Consume less, and re-use old products.

There isn’t a Japanese website for “12 simple things” but if you wish to view the site in English, click this here.

Have a good week and I will look forward to hearing from you.

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

United Nations
国連

focus
集中する

fighting
食い止める

reduce
…（の程度数量など）を減らす

carbon footprint　
人間の活動が地球温暖化に及ぼす影響を、CO2の排出量に数字で換算した数値

standby
スタンバイ.

unplug
（プラグを抜いて）電源を切る

fridge
冷蔵庫(refrigerator).

necessary
必要な

inflate
（空気ガスで）膨張させる, 拡張する

correct
正しい

pressure (tire pressure)
気圧

fuel efficiency
燃費効率がよい, 低燃費の

unnecessary
不必要な,

instead
それよりむしろ, その代わりに,

errand
雑用

carpool
（通勤買い物で）自動車の相乗り

consume
消費する

hybrid car
ハイブリッドカー

replace
替える

compact
コンパクトな

fluorescent light bulb
螢光灯