Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
GLOUCESTER – Climate change is a hot topic globally and Hampton Roads is dealing with its impact.
Dr. Roger Mann with Virginia Institute of Marine Science is on the governor’s commission to study the problem. He hopes to shed light on the threats to our region.
"I'm hoping it will get to the front page so that everyone can see that nobody is going to be unaffected here," he states. "The one (concern) that everyone should worry about is sea level rise."
There are wide-ranging predictions as to how much the sea level will rise globally over the next century, but most reasonable estimates are two to two-and-a-half feet.
Around Hampton Roads, land is sinking and that compounds the issue.
"From the Florida Keys to the Hudson Bay, if you plot the graph, the place with the highest rate of relative sea level rise is right at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay," he notes.
A changing shore line and the increasing reach of storm-driven sea water will greatly affect the entire region -- from utilities to mass transit and our local economy.
"If you are a private property owner or a planner in a city or in one of these rural areas, then you have to have a serious discussion about what your long-term infrastructure and long-term tax base is going to be."
After that, decisions must be made about how to deal with the situation.
Dr. Mann says those questions include, “Can I armor my waterfront? If this is appropriate, can I do this and what will it get me? Will it get me 25 or 50 years?"
Rising sea-level is just one issue.
He’s also concerned about temperatures trends.
"If it gets warmer, especially in the winter, when you are looking at biological systems, lots of strange things start to happen."
Pests and parasites will have longer active cycles. That can harm forestry, vegetation, and can increase the spread of disease to animals and humans as well.
In summer, prolonged heat waves can affect food crops, like corn.
"Above 90 degrees, the plant starts getting stressed. You get up to 100 degrees and the corn starts getting really stressed," he warns.
A change to our rain patterns is a concern because Hampton Roads relies heavily on rain for fresh water.
"There may well be an increased frequency in storm events and it is liable to get drier in the summer and wetter in the other months," he predicts.
Prolonged dry summers could further stress agriculture and put increased demands on our fresh water supply.
There is so much to think about when you consider climate change for Hampton Roads. Dr. Mann stresses the most important thing we all can do is get educated about the issues and what policy makers are doing.
The commission's report and recommendations will be issued in December.
