Often doing the simplest things will produce the greatest results. So is the case with halting global warming where changing a light bulb, lowering the thermostat in by a few degrees in winter months or just turning off appliances when they aren’t in use will help save our planet.

To be honest, policymakers haven’t helped in the quest to combat global warming. We’ve focused too much attention on the really big things — putting solar panels on houses, building plug-in cars and the like — when a quick answer to our challenges can be found at home.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, of which I serve on its Board of Directors representing the City of Fairfax, recently approved a set of recommendations to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the adopted report on climate change, recommendations were made to reduce our greenhouse emissions to 2005 levels by 2012, be 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction of 2005 levels by 2050.

These emissions are the gasses that according to scientists have resulted in a dangerous warming of the planet. This warming contributes to such things as higher sea levels, beach erosion, food shortages as a result of climate shifts and a general warming of the earth that affects its ecosystems and may lead to the extinction of many species of plants and animals.

And global warming is a challenge that faces this ever-growing region. The metropolitan region, with its 1.2 million residents, has experienced the results of climate change itself. According to MWCOG, "since 1940, water temperature in the Chesapeake Bay has risen by about a half a degree per decade. If this trend continues in this century it would result in a five degree jump." And that jump could have a significantly negative impact on the region’s residents, ecosystems and economy. It would be like having to rebuild our economy after a major earthquake, but one where the aftershocks continue to reverberate for years.

Yet for all the doom and gloom, we can do something, as individual households and businesses, that can reverse the effects of global warming. Fortunately, the steps we can all take will actually have the most effect, too, in helping our planet. The largest sources of greenhouse emissions come from our homes and businesses. The electricity we rely on to power our electronics and appliances comes from energy plants that are fueled by a variety of carbon-based products.

THE LESS ENERGY we use, the fewer of these sources need to be burned. And even as we see advances in technology that "burns clean" coal and oil, we still have a responsibility to use less electricity and take simple steps to lessen our consumption of the energy we use for work and enjoying our high quality of life.

The whole debate about global warming reminds me of the one we had 20 years ago over recycling. At the time, there were critics of the movement to recycle saying it was government interference and wouldn’t make a difference. We don’t think twice now about recycling, homes and companies save money, less landfill space is used and entire industries have sprung up as a result of the push to recycle. But why?

The answer: simplicity and education. It’s easy to recycle and the public was educated about its necessity. In the City of Fairfax, for instance, we have had a mandatory recycling program since 1990 for resident, collecting on average 18,000 tons a year. Those recycled items actually save the taxpayers money to the tune of $84,000 a year that the City recoups from selling those plastic jugs, newspapers and other items that can now be reused.

And fighting global warming is just as simple. By changing one traditional light bulb to a compact fluorescent light bulb, for example, you will lower the electric bill for lighting your house by 75 percent. This type of savings, when compounded region-wide, nationwide and universally can reverse the warming trends we’ve seen by lowering the amount of carbon and dangerous emissions that go into the air.

Finally, we need to educate the public about what simple steps they can take. This isn’t complicated stuff and as policymakers we have a responsibly to deliver practical tools to help people address our public policy changes. To start, please see the box of tips on this page. Also, MWCOG at the urging of the City of Fairfax and other jurisdictions will launch a public education campaign in 2009 on ways people can take on global warming.

Reducing the effects of global warming can seem daunting. But with a twist here and a twist there, turning back the clock on climate change will be as simple as changing a light bulb.

Daniel F. Drummond is a member of the Fairfax City Council. He can be reached at ddrummond@fairfaxva.gov or through www.councilmandan.com.