"We can break our dependency on fossil fuels, substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions, move to sustainable energy and, in the process, create millions of good paying jobs," according to Senator Bernie Sanders. He will chair a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee next Tuesday on how taking measures to reverse global warming can, in the process, create a new sector of the economy known as "green jobs."

One of the witnesses scheduled to testify at Tuesday's hearing in Washington, D.C. is David Blittersdorf, founder of a Hinesburg, Vt.-based manufacturer of wind energy measurements systems. He also is chairman and executive officer of a new small wind manufacturing company. His NRG Systems serves wind farm clients and wind turbine manufacturers around the world. His newest venture, EarthTurbines, hopes to bring small wind energy technology to homes across the country. Blittersdorf also is a past president of the American Wind Energy Association.

Sanders and Senator Barbara Boxer, the committee chairman, are the lead sponsors of the comprehensive Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. Senator Patrick Leahy is a co-sponsor as well. As the the most aggressive measure in Congress on global warming, it calls for reducing emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Also, the Senate on June 12 approved a proposal by Sanders and Senator Hillary Clinton that authorizes $100 million to train workers in "green collar jobs" that involve the design, manufacture, installation, operation, and maintenance of clean, efficient energy technologies.

Meanwhile, individuals can do their part to reverse global warming. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend nearly $23 billion a year on energy to light their homes. If every household in Vermont replaced a single inefficient bulb with a compact-fluorescent light bulb, the resulting energy savings, according to EPA, would be the equivalent of preventing nearly 20 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year. That is like removing almost 2,000 cars from Vermont's roadways.

To read more about the campaign called Change a Light, Change the World, click here.

To learn more about steps you can take to stop global warming, click here.