Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

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Shreen Mohammad sits with other recruits during a military exercise at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) in Kabul March 28, 2012. A landmark NATO summit in Chicago endorsed an exit strategy that calls for handing control of Afghanistan to its own security forces by the middle of next year but left questions unanswered about how to prevent a slide into chaos and a Taliban resurgence after allied troops are gone. Picture taken March 28, 2012.   REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 18 OF 27 FOR PACKAGE 'AFGHAN ARMY RECRUIT'

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FACTBOX: So, you want to cut your carbon emissions?

Thu Jun 5, 2008 9:12am EDT

(Reuters) - The United Nations urged the world to kick its addiction to carbon dioxide on World Environment Day on Thursday, and said everyone must take steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

Just under half of personal emissions come from things under individuals' control, the United Nations said.

It recommends the following for anyone keen to shrink their carbon footprint.

* Wake up with a traditional wind-up alarm clock, not an electronic one: save almost 48 grams (g) of carbon dioxide (CO2) each day.

* Brush with a non-electric toothbrush: avoid nearly 48 g of CO2 emissions.

* Replace a 45-minute workout on a treadmill with a jog in a nearby park: save nearly 1 kilogram of carbon.

* Heat bread rolls in a toaster, not an oven, for 15 minutes: save nearly 170 g of CO2.

* Take the train rather than the car to the office: a distance of as little as 8 km (5 miles) can save 1.7 kg of CO2.

* Shut down your computer and flat screen during the lunch break and when you leave work: this cuts CO2 emissions generated by these appliances by one-third.

* Install a water-saving shower head. This will save 10 liters of water per minute and halve CO2 emissions of a three-minute hot shower.

* Switch from regular 60-Watt light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps.

* Dry clothes on a washing line instead of a tumble dryer: knock 2.3 kg of CO2 off your total.

* Pack a light suitcase: world savings of 2 million tons of CO2 a year are possible if every airline passenger cuts their baggage to below 20 kg and buys duty free goods on arrival.

Sources: Reuters, United Nations Environment Program (here

ent_day_June_2008.pdf) (Writing by Gillian Murdoch, Beijing Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by David Fogarty)

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