Help Nature! Reduce Carbon Footprint

What Is a Carbon Footprint?

The carbon footprint is defined as the total sets of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an organization, event, product or person. Those gases are coming from all different sorts of activities such as transportation, consumption of foods, fuel, and production of materials. These gases are one of the main reasons why our climate is changing. Big efforts are being made to reduce our impact on nature. Solar or wind energy and reforestation are good examples.

But how can we help? Not all people have the opportunity to place those expensive solar cells on their roofs or build a low energy home for their family. But there are many other ways to reduce your personal impact on nature and help it to restore.

10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Use reusable items such as a thermos to take coffee to the office or use glass or reusable plastic containers to take water or beverages with you. If it is not possible to use a reusable option, recycle your waste correctly.

Try to walk or take the bike where possible and leave your car at home. Not only nature will benefit from taking the bike or walking, but you’ll save money and gas, and you’ll become more fit. If walking or biking is not an option try to carpool or take public transport as much as possible.

Another great way to reduce your personal carbon footprint is using less air conditioning or heating in your home. Add insulation to the walls or attic and install weather stripping around your doors and windows. This may reduce your energy need by 25 percent and will save you a lot of money while helping nature! You can also turn out heating or air conditioning when sleeping or away from home.

Buy eco-friendly products! Whenever possible you should prefer to buy organic or “fair trade” products that are produced with less impact on our environment. Choose among locally produced products, they don’t have to travel that far before ending up on your plate. If going to a restaurant, try one that serves locally produced or seasonal dishes.

When going to the grocery or any other store, take a reusable cloth or plastic bag with you. Choose for products with a minimum of packing. For example, take the loose tomatoes instead of those wrapped in plastic.

Unplug electronics you don’t use frequently. They often contain a standby mode that keeps asking for energy when plugged in. You can try to use a power strip to switch them all out at once. Laptops, televisions, stereos and cell phone chargers are some examples of electronics we often forget to unplug.

Check the tires of your car regularly. When tires are not inflated properly, the car uses more fuel.

Replace energy consuming appliances with eco-friendly alternatives. Replace incandescent bulbs with a compact fluorescent light bulb. They’ll cost you more but they use up to 5 times less energy. Also, consider replacing an old fridge or freezer with an energy efficient one.

If you’re not a vegetarian, try to skip meat on your menu for one day a week or more if you’re willing to. The meat production sector is one of the major polluters of our environment. Livestock produces a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas. So leaving out meat from time to time will reduce our carbon footprint.

If possible purchase ‘green electricity’ to power up your house. This electricity is produced through renewable sources such as wind, wave, and solar power.

Why not try some of this yourself. It doesn’t need a lot of effort and they won’t cost a fortune. You’ll even save some money and are helping nature!

ALSO READ 30 Easy Go Green Ideas For Your Home FOR MOR TIPS AND TRICKS!