Lower your thermostat in winter and raise it in summer Most people find that when they turn down their water heater to 120˚F, they don’t notice the difference when taking a shower or bath. How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at HomeĪnother area to look for ways to reduce your carbon footprint is by changing habits at home. Switching to reusable containers has a much lower impact on the environment. Once used, it becomes waste that consumes even more energy. The carbon footprint includes the material itself and the energy used in manufacturing and transporting it to you. Many items are made of plastic derived from oil. Use reusable cups, plates, utensils, bottles and containersĭisposable utensils used once and tossed after a meal are a tremendous waste of resources and contribute to your carbon footprint. By composting some of your organic waste, you cut down on the volume of refuse headed for the dump and also create useful organic matter for fertilizing your garden. A garbage truck needs to pick it up from your home, haul it to a landfill or processing center, then it undergoes even more energy-using processing. Compostĭealing with waste consumes energy. Reduce your food wasteīuying more food than you need and throwing it away wastes the food item itself, along with all the resources used to get it to you. If you choose, you eliminate that part of the energy use. It takes even more to transport it for processing, storage and then distributing it to markets. It takes energy to plant, cultivate and harvest food. Choose organic and local foods that are in season One of the delicious and healthy ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to high-protein vegetables and certain grains for some of your meals. When you consider using power to produce and ship their food, then ship them to processing and eventually to market, you are talking about a sizable carbon footprint. Raising animals requires more energy than growing plants. Eat less meat and stick with fruits, veggies, grains and beans How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Food 10. You will also reduce the wear and tear of travel on you. You can reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding multiple stops and plane changes on your journey. Taking off and landing burns more jet fuel than simply cruising at altitude. If you can fly less often, it’s an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. produces roughly 2 tons of carbon dioxide per person, which equals about 10 percent of a U.S. To help put this in perspective, a single round-trip flight across the U.S. Traveling by air spews more greenhouse gas than traveling by car. Another option is to find an electric car charging station and power up there. Not all homes are wired for an electric car charging station. Driving an electric vehicle and doing your electric car charging at home can help eliminate the greenhouse gasses that your conventional car produces. It is easy to tell people to drive less, but that might not be possible in your situation. Consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle Running your air conditioning less frequently or raising the temperature so that your system does not work as hard will reduce your carbon footprint. Cut down on air conditioningĬut usage of the most power-intensive appliance in your car. Using cruise control allows your car’s computer to accelerate smoothly and carefully maintain an even speed. We tend to speed up in certain conditions and slow down in others. You may not realize how much your speed varies when you are driving. Sharing a ride to work every day or going shopping can reduce your carbon footprint by about 2,000 pounds of CO2e every year. If the pressure is too low, your car is sluggish and burns more gasoline than necessary. Also, when properly inflated, tires require less energy to achieve and maintain speed while driving. Clean oil and belts and timing gears that are perfectly adjusted will help you get the most out of every gallon of fuel. When your car runs efficiently, it uses less energy. Regularly service your car and keep tires properly inflated Acceleration burns more fuel, so applying the brakes and speeding up is less fuel efficient than maintaining a smooth, even speed. How much you drive is not the only factor to consider. Organize shopping trips to get more done on each outing, walk or bike when distances are shorter, and use public transportation as much as possible. Cutting down on the miles you drive is one of the best things you can do for reducing carbon emissions. Drive lessĭriving a car is a major source of greenhouse gasses. How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Through Transportation 1.
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