21招教你步入“低碳生活”时代

我们中的每个人都应该对自己日常生活活动和选择所产生的温室气体负责。因此，防止气候变化需要地球上的每个人共同来努力。

EACH and every one of us is responsible for the greenhouse gases we emit in our daily actions and choices. Therefore, combating¹ climate change is going to take the combined efforts of everyone on the planet.

在中国，平均每户每年的碳排放量是2.41吨二氧化碳。足够填充半个奥运游泳池了。

The average household carbon footprint in China is 2.41 tons of carbon dioxide annually². That's enough to fill half an Olympic swimming pool.

看到这个数字觉得吃惊么？下面，我们来看看怎样减少碳排放量。

Surprised? Well, here's how you can work to reduce it:

1. 开始计算你自己的碳排放量。这个数据是你的起点，从这里开始你可以监控自己的进展。接下来，你可以记录一些细节，例如：你所居住的公寓的情况，你的个人能源消费及旅游习惯。

1.Get started by calculating your own carbon footprint. This will give you a starting point from which to begin monitoring your progress. You enter details such as what sort of apartment you live in, your personal energy use and travel habits.

2. 每周有一天吃素。由于烹饪肉类耗时较长，所以耗能更多。此外，动物打嗝、放屁时会产生另一种危险的温室气体--甲烷。

2. Each week, choose one day when you don't eat meat. Meat uses up lots of energy because it takes a long time to produce. Animals produce methane³, which is another dangerous greenhouse gas, when they burp and fart.

3. 只买适量的食物，如有剩饭要富有创新精神。例如：将剩菜做成汤。在餐厅吃饭，如有剩饭一定要打包。但是，切记要适用自己的饭盒，避免用一次性饭盒。

3. Only buy the amount of food you need and if there are leftovers⁴, get creative. For instance, make them into a soup. Ask to take food home from restaurants if there's some left, but remember to take your own container to avoid using a disposable carton.

4. 了解身边的回收利用设施。然后，确保把纸张、塑料瓶等物品分开以方便回收。也有回收电器、电池的地方，确保你能找到它们。

4. Find out what the recycling options are in your area. Then make sure you keep items such as paper and plastic bottles separate so that they can be recycled. There are places where you can recycle electronic appliances and batteries. Make sure you find them.

5. 使用节能灯泡节省能源。它们的耗电量仅是普通灯泡的三分之一，持续时间却是后者的10倍。

5. Conserve⁵ energy by using efficient light bulbs. They use about one-third of the energy of normal bulbs and last 10 times as long.

6. 热水器不用就别开，温度控制不要过热。烧水时在锅上盖好盖子。

6. Only turn the water heater on when necessary, and adjust temperature controls to avoid overheating. Put a lid on a pan when boiling water.

7. 使用后的废水将被处理，此时污水中的部分甲烷会释放到大气中。建议采用喷头淋浴而非浴缸。缩短两分钟洗澡时间，省水同时为自己多争取两分钟睡眠时间。

7. After use, waste water has to be treated, and some methane from sewage escapes into the atmosphere. Take showers rather than baths and reduce your shower time by two minutes. This will save water and give you an extra two minutes in bed.

8. 使用洗衣机时，确认满载，如果衣服不是很脏就把温度调低。

8. When using the washing machine, be sure there's a full load and turn the temperature down if it's not really grubby.

1 combating   

v.与…战斗( combat的现在分词 )；与…斗争；防止；减轻

参考例句：

• Death seemed combating with life. 死亡似乎正在和命运作战。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has put his heart and soul into the task of combating the drought. 为了抗旱，他可没少操心。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

4 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。

5 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！