Foreword -- Part I. Thinking about Your Climate Choices. 1. Can One Person Make a Difference? -- 2. Sweat the Right Stuff -- 3. The Weight of the Evidence: How We Know the Planet Is Warming -- Part II. Making Effective Climate Choices. 4. Driving Down Emissions -- 5. Home Is Where the Heat Is -- 6. Taking Charge of Electricity at Home -- 7. A Low-Carbon Diet -- 8. The Right Stuff -- Part III. Rescuing the Future. 9. Step Up, Connect, Transform -- 10. Stepping Up at Work -- 11. Making Government Work for Us -- 12. Welcome to Our Low-Carbon Future -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix A: Resources -- Appendix B: Our Paths to 20: Team Member Statements about Reducing Our Own Carbon Footprints -- Appendix C: An Explanation of Our Research and Analysis Methodology -- Appendix D: Research Results -- Notes -- About the Authors -- Index. How can each of us live Cooler Smarter? While the routine decisions that shape our days-what to have for dinner, where to shop, how to get to work-may seem small, collectively they have a big effect on global warming. But which changes in our lifestyles might make the biggest difference to the climate? This science-based guide shows you the most effective ways to cut your own global warming emissions by twenty percent or more, and explains why your individual contribution is so vital to addressing this global problem. Cooler Smarter is based on an in-depth, two-year study by the experts at The Union of Concerned Scientists. While other green guides suggest an array of tips, Cooler Smarter offers proven strategies to cut carbon, with chapters on transportation, home energy use, diet, personal consumption, as well as how best to influence your workplace, your community, and elected officials. The book explains how to make the biggest impact and when not to sweat the small stuff. It also turns many eco-myths on their head, like the importance of locally produced food or the superiority of all hybrid cars. The advice in Cooler Smarter can help save you money and live healthier. But its central purpose is to empower you, through low carbon-living, to confront one of society's greatest threats.