Jeanne Zang had a question for the audience of nearly 50 people: "How many of you feel overwhelmed by global warming?"

Nearly every person raised a hand.

The response was familiar to Ms. Zang and Helen Ortmann, who were at La Roche College last week to speak at the annual meeting of the North Area Environmental Council.

"We started with a group from our church when someone said, 'Let's save the world. We will meet for an hour and figure out what to do,' " Ms. Zang joked.

When the group failed to come up with a viable plan, someone discovered the book, "Low Carbon Diet -- A 30-Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds" by David Gershon.

The book discusses how people can make changes in daily activities to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is put into the atmosphere, which some scientists believe is contributing to global warming.

Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels are burned to power cars, heat homes and produce goods.

"The book outlines the steps to take and how to form a group to follow the plan. It is so easy to do," Ms. Zang said.

According to information shared by the speakers, the average American household produces 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually compared with the average German household, which produces 27,000, and an average Swedish household, which produces 15,000.

The book suggests that everyone start by determining their carbon dioxide "footprint" and then take action from there.

"The book claims you can reduce your own [output] by 15 percent. That may seem like a drop in the bucket, but if everyone in the U.S. did it, it would make a huge difference," Ms. Zang said.

The ideas in the book "are not so radical they are scary," Ms. Ortmann said. "They are accessible and doable for the average person."

Here are a few suggested changes:

• Check tire pressure often. A car will get better gas mileage on properly inflated tires.

• Schedule regular maintenance checks on vehicles. A well-tuned car uses less gas.

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in place of the typical incandescent ones.

• Recycle junk mail or place your name on lists that prevent junk mail from being sent to your home.

• Unplug appliances at night, especially those with LED clocks.

• Set your home thermostat at 55 to 58 degrees at night.

When Ms. Zang suggested household temperature be kept at 55 to 58 degrees at night, one man quipped, "That would result in a divorce."

Ms. Zang replied, "You don't have to follow every suggestion exactly. You can make it up in some other way."

She also talked about the four levels at which people can make changes: personal, household, work place and community.

"You can be flexible and make changes in one place, if you can't in another," she said. "You can make your own decision on how many pounds of carbon waste that you want to lose."

The book suggests that community members form groups that meet regularly to help each other make changes, but that isn't necessary, she said.

"Individuals can make changes. A group is ideal to support each other and offer ideas, but it can be done without it," she said.

Ms. Zang and Ms. Ortmann have participated in a group on the North Side to talk about ways to reduce CO2 emissions.

Ms. Ortmann said she was improving her home insulation as a result of their group meetings.

"I think it was pretty successful," she said. "The value of a group is that we can share ideas and come up with new ideas."

The North Area Environmental Council works to promote a healthy watershed area in the northern suburbs.

For more information about "Low Carbon Diet -- A 30-Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds" by David Gershon or carbon-reducing measures, visit www.empowermentinstitute.net. Jeanne Zang and Helen Ortmann may be e-mailed at LowCarbonDietPgh@yahoo.com.