Change San Francisco

I’ve recently been into going green, and I’m trying to rethink everything I do. I’ve changed the car I drive,I now carpool, and I have even changed the type of light bulbs I use. I also changed the way I drink my coffee. Being that I’m a huge coffee drinker, I had usually been using 3 paper cups a day. Although they are small, it does add up after a while. Then one day I was at my favorite coffee shop, and they had “to go” coffee mugs on sale. I thought it would be a good idea to help make the world a little bit greener, by not wasting so many cups in one day. I  now use my mug everyday and found that the mug keeps my coffee warmer for much longer as well, which is another plus!

I recently got a new car, and I’m totally obsessed with it. I find myself taking drives around my block, just because I want to drive it. I love how it looks, drives, and of course the fact that it’s better for the environment. Before the Hybrid, I had a big SUV. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy driving that car, in fact I really liked it. I didn’t however like the fact that I was spending a crazy amount of money on gas, and also everyone kept telling me how bad those types of cars are for the environment. I knew they were right, but I thought all of the eco-friendly cars were not as nice looking. I finally gave in and decided to go to the car dealer, and actually check out the Hybrids. I saw the new Civic, and I knew right away that was the car for me. It was a big change from my SUV, but I absolutely loved how it looked.  I now have a nice looking car that saves me money and is better for the environment, and I’m actually much happier with it than I was with my SUV. I never thought that would happen!

Going green is so important for our environment, and is also so easy to do so. You can easily do so with just a few simple steps. Two of the main ways I try to be environmentally friendly is by not using plastic bags when I go shopping, and by walking or carpooling when possible. Both of these examples make life better or easier in addition to helping the environment. Holding lots of bags when you go shopping can actually be quite annoying. Why hold five small plastic bags when you can bring one large “green” bag?

Carpooling or walking to your destination not only helps saves the environment, but you also save lots of money on gas. With the gas prices only rising, carpooling only sounds better and better. Treat yourself to something special with the money you saved.

Starting with these few tips, you are well on your way to saving our environment.

I recently went grocery shopping just like any other time, and all I brought with me was my phone and some cash. I had no idea that I had to bring my own bag with me. Now that I look back on it, I had heard that many grocery stores were going to go green and not use plastic bags. I guess I just never thought that this was going to happen so quickly. I had to actually buy a “go green” bag,which I was a little bit mad about at first. I then realized that the store was only doing it for the customers own good. If the store doesn’t give out bags, they are helping the world become a little more environmentally friendly.I now use my green bag, and I even bought more for bigger shopping trips.

When you think of progress on the environmental front it is no surprise that one of the leaders can be found right in the bay area as San Francisco Energy Foundation. It is there that grants are issued in the pursuit of renewable energy and the green energy jobs that come with that.  The San Francisco Energy Foundation does more, however, than just work with the San Francisco energy companies. Their scope, while global, is directed at the United States and China.  These are the largest two energy markets and therefore are of the greatest concern. In addition, California Clean Energy Fund was founded 2004  in to accelerate investment in California’s clean energy economy which clearly helped the environment.

What areas does the foundation award grants in?  It is a broad range of areas that cover power, buildings, transportation and climate.  For example, in power the are supporting research in renewable and sustainable energy sources.  These include a wide variety of option like geo-thermal, wind energy, solar, and biomass.  With buildings, the grants fund research that produces structures that are more efficient and that create a small environmental foot print.  For instance, it funds work into making housing from recovered material rather than freshly mined or harvested material.

With China quickly taking over as the largest user of power they also support the China Sustainable Energy Program.  Since China energy demands will only increase, this is a crucial step and one that has been going well with the foundation’s help.  Over the last four years since this program started the have slashed both use of energy and greenhouse emissions.

The San Francisco Energy Foundation has been crucial in the area of green energy development as well as environmental conservation in the local area of San Francisco.