Everybody Do a Little Bit

The Environment Bug was visiting with his friend, Pete, who lived in an apartment building in a big city.

“It is quite warm in here,” said the Environment Bug.

The Environment Bug went over to the thermostat and saw the temperature in the apartment was 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Do you mind if I turned this down a bit?” asked the Environment Bug.

“No,” said Pete. “Go ahead. I never touch it. When it gets warm in here, I just open a window.”

“Pete,” said the Environment Bug. “It is good to open the window for fresh air but if it is warm in here, you should always turn the thermostat down. Do you realize the amount of energy that you are wasting?”

“I never thought about that,” said Pete.

“If you were to turn your thermostat down whenever you were warm, you would save so much energy,” said the Environment Bug.

“But really,” said Pete. “I’m only one person. What difference does it really make?”

“It actually makes a huge difference,” said the Environment Bug. “True, you are only one person but if you save a little energy and your neighbour saves a little and his neighbour saves a little and then if I save a little, it would all add up.”

“True,” said Pete, after pondering what the Environment Bug had just said. “That does make perfect sense.”

“Our environment is in a pretty unstable condition right now,” said the Environment Bug. “If each person on this planet does just a little bit, it would amount to a lot.”