2. Tell your electric utility: No new nuclear power plants. And no relicensing of existing ones either. Chernobyl and Fukushima have demonstrated that although nuclear accidents are rare, when they do occur, the cost and devastation is biblical (according to the U.N., $235 billion for the former and as much as twice that for the latter). Moreover, we'll live with the toxic waste, even from the power plants that function normally, for generations with no viable way to neutralize or safely store it, meaning we're risking the lives of our kids and grandkids for "cheap" power today.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who holds a doctorate in physical chemistry and therefore knows a thing or two about these matters, has persuaded her country to end its use of nuclear power completely. Instead, the German government has adopted an 80 percent renewable-energy target for 2050 (renewables already account for 25 percent of the national electricity mix), proving you can have a robust industrial and manufacturing economy based on clean energy sources.
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3. Switch to organic food. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, runoff from agriculture "was the leading source of water quality impacts on surveyed rivers and lakes, the second largest source of impairments to wetlands, and a major contributor to contamination of surveyed estuaries and ground water." And recent research shows a decrease in intelligence for kids exposed to pesticides while still in the womb. That's right, before they take their first breath, babies from mothers living near fields where pesticides are sprayed are poisoned unnecessarily. Until now, healthier organic choices were hard to find and more costly, but a recent announcement by Walmart to revive the Wild Oats brand in its grocery stores is sure to change that.