Do you remember the good old days when you could grab your sled in the winter and head down the nearest hill with all your friends from the neighborhood? You probably made a game out of catching snowflakes on your tongue. Would you really want your child to try that these days with all the pollution in the atmosphere? Now thanks to dirty snow your new baby may not have that same delightful childhood experience. However, with your help you can turn the planet around and help the world stay a safe place to play. Currently, there are many “green” factors, such as dirty snow and global warming, to think about in order to keep both your new baby and the planet he lives in a healthy, happy place.

Vehicle emissions are one major preventable cause of dirty snow. To help prevent those filthy flakes, consider walking, riding a bicycle, or carpooling as much as possible to keep the emissions to a minimum. Walking and cycling will also help you shed those unwanted extra pregnancy pounds so there are definite benefits to being planet-conscious! When you absolutely must drive, use cleaner-burning fuels.

Another unnecessary cause of dirty snow is soot particles produced by smokestacks from factories. The US has fallen behind most other countries in requiring factories to comply with reasonable emissions which could not only harm the environment, but also make it harder for you and your baby to breathe easy.

Forrest fires are a third factor that affects dirty snow. When camping be sure that you completely put out all fires before leaving camp. Keep fires far away from brush. Also, use common sense and don’t start fires on windy days, or throw cigarettes out of windows while driving.

How does dirty snow effect global warming anyway? Well, believe it or not, researchers have found that dirty snow can have as much detrimental effect on global warming as greenhouse gasses. You may find the idea of snow heating anything a bit absurd; however, consider this. Although bright clean snow reflects light, dirty snow is darker and absorbs heat which warms the atmosphere. Thus, at least one-third of global warming problems can be blamed on dirty snow, or at least on the people who produce the noxious emissions that cause the filthy flakes. Keep in mind that most of these emissions are preventable, and you can do your part to keep your family and planet healthy. Remember, use clean energy sources whenever possible.

Tags: clean, dirty, emissions, environment, factories, fires, global warming, Green Living, planet, pollutants, pollution, snow
Posted in: Green Living