Welcome to Matter of Trust: Green Energy Millions

For your personal Green Energy Millions (GEMs) commitments

click on the check boxes below next to the GEMs you want to keep.

Then, click on submit at the bottom of the page.

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- Please click on "Show Impact" for helpful facts.
Step 1

I will drink tap water instead of buying bottled water. Show impact.

Tap water has higher, cleaner FDA standards, but less advertising hype. Each year 1.5 million barrels of oil are turned into 89 billion toxic-leaching plastic water bottles (2.7 million tons.) Only 14% of these are recycled. 90% of the price is for transporation and wasteful packaging materials (containers, labels and caps.)
I will only buy energy-saving light bulbs and I will recycle burned-out bulbs at toxic drop-off locations, because these bulbs contain mercury. Show impact.

Buying one compact fluorescent light instead of one traditional bulb keeps 1/2 ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere! Recycle your fluorescents because 600 million are disposed of each year (containing 30,000 lbs of mercury.) And 1 teaspoon of mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake forever. Garbage companies have disposal instructions.
I will walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation, instead of driving, at least once a week. Show impact.

500 Million autos on earth burn 1 billion gallons of fuel and release 20 billion lbs of CO2 each day. The US uses around 50% of the world's gasoline. In 1960 90% of kids who lived within a mile of school walked or biked, today only 31%. Overall trips by foot vs. by car have dropped 42% since the 1970s.
I will shop at local farmers' markets at least once a month. Show impact.

Each supermarket meal you buy travels on average 1200 miles to get to your plate. Whereas groceries from local farmers' markets average only 56 miles. Wasteful packaging is also reduced up to 10%. And it makes sense to meet the people who grow and raise the food your family eats.
I will eat healthier by saying "No, Thank you," to second helpings of meat, poultry and fish and avoid them entirely at least once a week. Show impact.

In 40 years Americans have jumped from eating 196 lbs to 273 lbs of meat each year (a leading cause of obesity.) Livestock produces 13 billion tons of waste and 560 million tons of methane (cow burps and gas, yuck) each year. Methane is a bad greenhouse gas. It traps 25 times more heat than CO2.
I will purchase at least 5 "green" items for my household and office basic needs this month. Show impact.

The average US household spends $17,000 on basics each year. For starters, we recommend: chargers and rechargeable batteries (the US disposes of 2 billion toxic batteries each year), organic fair-trade coffee (coffee is the 2nd largest global commodity after oil), hand-crank and solar cell phone and flashlight chargers, tree-free or 100% recycled paper, CF lightbulbs, and travel mug...
I will say "No, Thank you," when asked if I need a bag. And I will carry a tote bag. Show impact.

Every year roughly 14 million CO2-breathing trees are cut to make 10 billion paper bags. Every minute 1 million new polluting plastic bags are used worldwide. At most only 15% of paper and 3% of plastic bags are ever recycled. Proven success: Ireland has reduced their plastic bags by 90%.
Kids: I will bug my parents to remember their commitments to our brighter, greener future.

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GREEN ENERGY MILLIONS