WITH FRIENDS

FLICK OFF WITH FRIENDS

When you start to FLICK OFF, you may notice it feels so good you'll want to start doing it with your friends, ooooh yeah!!!

But we won't try to fool you, it may be tough at first. Here's why:

ERRR...AWKWARD!

Doesn't matter how shy or outgoing you are, it's tough to directly comment on someone's lifestyle. On top of that, telling someone to FLICK OFF can often be misinterpreted as a criticism. For instance, perhaps you've noticed your boyfriend lets the tap run while he's brushing his teeth. This bugs you, and when you address it, he's all, like, "chill out, it doesn't matter!" When really, it does matter, because all you're trying to do is save the earth! But, you see, it starts here. If you're brave enough to take a stand with your loved ones, then imagine all the confidence you'll have when it comes to FLICKing off with strangers!
 
CLUELESS, BUT NOT HOPELESS

You're 'in the know', so what you may not have considered is that some folks simply just don't know about the effects from their actions. It's not so far out. Even the concept of climate change is still being debated by the media. So when you see someone idling away while they're completely parked, you can't always assume it's just some wanker! There are folks out there who seriously haven't pieced together the links that a running car leads to emissions, which leads to health problems, pollution and the greenhouse effect, which leads to the demise of the human race, really... Be brave, and take this as your opportunity to speak up, share what you know, and end it with a pleasant smile.
 
OLD TIMERS IN NEW TIMES

Okay, it's not the best excuse ever, since scientists have been figuring out and defining climate change since the 1970s. In fact, scientist Charles Revelle began measuring CO₂ in the atmosphere in 1958! It's not that age or culture is the generalisation here. It's people being set in their habits. If your neighbour is used to hosing down his driveway all summer (because driveways totally need to be clean, right?) then that's probably the way he likes to get things done. It's a learned behaviour that doesn't necessitate change. Or at least that's the viewpoint. Your best bet is to teach by example. By leading a green life, and by showing people the benefits.
 
WHO CARES?

Then there are those who couldn't care less. How sad. These are the people who like their SUVs and their paper plates and their perfect lawns. These people enjoy these lifestyles they feel they've earned, and they feel entitled. To them, individual actions don't matter. It doesn't matter that they're wrecking the earth because by the time the bad stuff happens, they'll be long gone. But that doesn't seem very fair, does it? Especially after all the effort you've made trying to be green! So don't let them get away with it. If you see someone littering, call them on it. If you're in a store that leaves the front doors open at all times, tell them it's wasteful. People are only going to change if they know their actions aren't acceptable.

THINK IT DOESN'T MATTER? YOU'RE WRONG!

If your friends tell you it doesn't matter that they leave the light on when they leave a room, they are absolutely wrong.

A tonne of CO₂e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) is emitted when you:¹

• Travel 2,000 miles in an airplane.
• Drive 1,350 miles in a large SUV.
• Drive 1,900 miles in a mid-sized car.
• Drive 6,000 miles in a hybrid gasoline-electric car.
• Run an average U.S. household for 60 days.
• Have your computer on for 10,600 hours.
• Graze one Ugandan dairy cow for eight months.

Average CO₂e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) per year:²

• 4.5 tonnes for average U.S. car.
• 4.5 tonnes for the average global citizen.
• 6.2 tonnes for electricity use of the average U.S. household.
• 1.5 million tonnes for a 500 megawatt coal plant.
• 6 billion tonnes for the U.S. as a whole.
• More than 25 billion tonnes for the whole plant.

Some of the statistics represent U.S. figures, but every person and every country contributes to climate change. Luckily the good people at Clean Air-Clean Planet have calculated how you can reverse these actions. Every time you tell a friend to take action, we get closer to these results.

To offset 1,000 tonnes of CO₂e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) you could:³

• Move 145 drivers from large SUVs to hybrid for one year.
• Run one 600-kilowatt wind turbine for an average year.
• Replace 500 100-watt light bulbs with 18-watt CFLs with a 10-year life.
• Replace 2,000 refrigerators with the highest efficiency model with a 10-year life.
• Install 125 home solar panels in India with a 20-year life.
• Plant an acre of Douglas fir trees with 50 years of growth.
• Protect four acres of tropical rainforest from deforestation.

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS TOO! Tell us how your FLICK OFF conversations are going or like, about that time you told you-know-who to FLICK OFF! We love those stories. Bring it! Click on "add new comment" below.

^{1 Source: http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/ConsumersGuidetoCarbonOffsets.pdf
2 Source: Ibid.
3 Source: Ibid.}