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Tribal Climate Change Newsletter
ITEP’s monthly Tribal Climate Change Newsletter provides news items, resources, announcements about funding
opportunities, conferences and training, and other information relevant to tribal climate change issues.
If you would like to receive the newsletter, please send Sue Wotkyns an email at
 Susan.Wotkyns@nau.edu
and ask to be added to the list. We may occasionally send announcements in addition to the monthly newsletters if
we have something to share that is time-sensitive.
Sections:
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| Voice Your Opinion about Climate Change Issues: [Top] |
- Tribal Government
Contact your tribal leadership and Natural Resources or Environmental department about climate change issues.
- National Congress of American Indians
Contact your NCAI area representative.
www.ncai.org/Executive_Committee.15.0.html
- Federal and State Government
To find contact information for the President, your senators and representatives, your state governor and legislators,
go to the Congress.org website and type in your zip code in the box below "Get Involved."
www.congress.org/communicate
- Local Government
Has your community adopted the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement? If not, encourage your community to do so.
Participating cities commit to take the following actions:
- Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities
- Urge their state governments and the federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse
gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012
- Urge the US Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national
emission trading system
http://usmayors.org/climateprotection/agreement.htm
- Utilities
Does your utility use renewable energy? Does it have a net metering policy that allows customers who produce their own
electricity, by wind or solar power, to sell unused energy to the utility? Encourage your utility to do these.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: [Top]
Calculate your carbon footprint…and then find ways to reduce it. |
Carbon Calculators - you can calculate your carbon footprint using one of these online calculators or the many others available
on the Internet.
- Household Emissions calculator (US EPA)
www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
- Office Carbon Footprint Tool (US EPA)
This tool was created for office-based organizations ("offices") located in the US to assist offices in making
decisions to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their activities. This tool will allow the user
to develop an estimate of their GHG emissions from a variety of sources including company-owned vehicle transportation;
purchased electricity; waste disposal; and leased assets, franchises, and outsourced activities. The tool is available
as an Excel spreadsheet.
www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/carboncalc.htm
- Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator (US EPA)
Translates greenhouse gas reductions from units that are typically used to report reductions (e.g., metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent) into terms that are easier to conceptualize (e.g., equivalent number of cars not driven for one year).
www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html
- Cool Climate (Berkeley Institute of the Environment)
Evaluate your household's carbon footprint, including direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, household
energy, food, goods and services.
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/
- Emissions Calculator (NativeEnergy)
Website has lifestyle, travel and event emissions calculators.
www.nativeenergy.com/pages/individuals/407.php
- WECalc: Your Home Water-Energy-Climate Calculator (Pacific Institute)
This free online calculator asks you a series of questions about your home water use habits. Based on your replies, it
estimates your water use and provides personalized recommendations for reducing that use. WECalc also estimates your
water-related energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Delivering water to your home requires energy—to
bring it to your community, to treat it so that it is safe to drink, and to deliver it to your home. More energy is
used to heat water and, after use, to convey it and clean it at a wastewater treatment plant.
www.wecalc.org/
Things you can do
Try to use less fossil fuel-you can do this by cutting back on energy use, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy,
increasing energy efficiency, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", and many more ways. You can find numerous ideas on the
Internet. Here are a few websites to get you started:
| Ways for Youth to get Involved: [Top] |
- Great Ways to Go Green! (Pacific Lutheran University)
The goal of this guide is to take you on a walk through a typical day of a college student. Along the journey it will
provide you with simple steps you can take to make your own life a little greener so that you can do your part in
helping not only the campus community, but our planet as well.
www.plu.edu/sustainability/How-can-I-be-involved/Great-Ways-to-go-Green-at-PLU/home.php
- Calculate Your Impact (US EPA)
Emissions calculator designed for youth.
www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/calc/index.html
- Climate Change and Children's Health (US EPA)
Website geared towards teens. Includes emissions calculator and resources to help teens take action.
www.epa.gov/climateforaction/
- Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA)
AYEA trains youth leaders to impact environmental issues through community action projects and campaigns; skills training
in leadership, environmental education, civic engagement, and community organizing; and green jobs. Website has useful
information and ideas about how to get involved in climate change issues.
http://ayea.org/
- Project Budburst
You can join other citizen scientists in submitting data on the timing of leafing and flowering of native trees and
flower species in your area.
www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/
- Water Conservation for Kids
Lists twenty practical ways that kids can save water and provides links to more online resources about water conservation.
www.thewaterpage.com/water-conservation-kids.htm
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