Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

What Is A Carbon Footprint?

Before describing how to reduce your carbon footprint, it would be good to answer the question, What is a carbon footprint? 

A carbon footprint is the calculation of how much carbon dioxide individuals or other entities (like corporations) create. There are carbon footprint calculators online that will help you determine how much yours is. Most of us produce carbon in our lives with home energy use, the automobiles we drive and airplanes.

Reducing your carbon footprint means lowering the amount of carbon dioxide your activity generates. The first step in reducing your carbon footprint is identifying things in your life that contribute to a higher carbon dioxide level. For example, electricity is one of the largest producers of carbon emissions so when you learn ways for lowering your electricity usage, you will be learning ways for reducing your carbon footprint.

Here are some things that you can start doing immediately:

• Turn off electrical devices when not in use
• Turn out a light when you leave the room
• Replace your old appliances with new ones that are more energy efficient
• When washing dishes or laundry, always wait until you have a full load to get the most efficiency of your water
• Turn down your central heating by a couple degrees (it can make a big difference)
• Turn down your hot water heater settings a couple degrees (even just 2 degrees can equal big energy savings)
• Use an energy efficient broiler
• Replace older small appliances with newer, more energy efficient models
• Unplug your cell phone as soon as charging is complete
• Hang your laundry to dry instead of machine drying

Here are some changes you can make in your home to help in reducing your carbon footprint:

• Recycle your gray water
• Use energy saving light bulbs
• Insulate your home properly
• Insulate your hot water tank
• Purchase and use products made closer to where you live
• Buy organic produce
• Be wary of over-packaging
• Reuse bags when doing grocery shopping
• Don’t purchase bottled water if you can drink your tap water safely
• Recycle as much as possible
• Save on your printing costs
• Use power saving settings on your computer

Here are some ways you can economize on your travel to reduce your carbon footprint:

• Carpool
• Car share when making family errands
• Walk or take your bike instead of the car when possible
• Take a ferry or channel instead of a plane when possible
• Use a train or coach instead of domestic flights when possible

Do your part to help reduce climate change by reducing your carbon footprint with these easy tips.