Giving presentations on behalf of the Climate Project is an ongoing volunteer post, but Dr. Van Susteren, who is the sister of Fox News legal analyst Greta Van Susteren, has parlayed her expertise and connections into other opportunities aimed at the betterment of Mother Earth. She has accepted an invitation to join the board of the National Wildlife Federation and was appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to serve on the Maryland Climate Change Commission.
“As stewards of the planet, it really is our job to protect what we're given and ideally to present it in better shape for succeeding generations,” she said. “We have a distorted view [of ourselves] as masters of the universe, when we should be thinking of how we can peacefully coexist with nature. I worked as a doctor in Africa. I've had people die in my arms. It isn't abstract for me to know that impoverished people are suffering and dying as a result of our greenhouse gas emissions. Many children today spend the entire day looking for water instead of going to school because of the terrible drought conditions. Increasingly, it's a humanitarian issue. It's also a social justice issue, and it's going to be a national security issue. We're 5% of the world population and we're putting up 25% of the greenhouse gases. What will people think of us?”
Practical Ways to Help in the Fight Against Global Warming
What can busy physicians do to lessen the impact of current greenhouse gas emissions on global warming?
“Vote,” Dr. Lise Van Susteren advised. “The science is there. The rate-determining factor really is elected officials. The quicker they write the regulations, the faster we're going to have action on this. Vote for those politicians who are advocating for legislation that will do something about climate change. We are in a very tight budget as far as time is concerned because we are really in trouble.”
She offered other practical tips:
▸ Be green at the office. Toss any existing incandescent lightbulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent ones. Install motion-sensitive light switches.
Ask your building manager to request that the local power company buy its energy from renewable energy sources. “Turn it off, turn it down” is the mantra, and that includes heating and air conditioning.
The same drill goes for home.
“If you are building or renovating, make sure you do it green,” said Dr. Van Susteren, whose home is powered by energy purchased from a wind farm.
“There are energy-efficient windows and doors. You can ask your service provider about getting an energy audit. You will be told where you are losing energy so you can beef up insulation and reduce your losses through windows and doors.”
She added that solar panels on roofs “are an excellent choice and they usually pay back very quickly.”
▸ Promote green talk. “Everybody should be talking about global warming,” she said. “It should be all we talk about. We should be talking about all the ways to reduce our carbon footprint.”
She added that it's healthy to participate in green activities such as walking, riding a bike, carpooling, telecommuting, or taking mass transit.
“We need a fundamental change in the way we look at how we get around,” she said.
“If we are getting off fossil fuels, we'll have greener skies and a much healthier place to live. That's a credo that doctors have and should be talking to their patients about all the time,” added Dr. Van Susteren.
▸ Ditch the gas guzzler. Make sure your next car is a hybrid. Better yet, if you can afford it, buy one now.
▸ Purchase Energy Star appliances. “They use two-thirds less energy than non-Energy Star appliances,” she said. “If you have a refrigerator in the basement that you don't have to use, unplug it. Get rid of it. It's probably an old refrigerator. Refrigerators are huge energy sucks.”
▸ Be mindful of phantom energy loss. Unplug appliances, cell phone chargers, and other devices that use standby power when they're not in use.
Better yet, “put all that stuff on a power strip and turn that power strip off when it's not needed,” she said.