Last week we talked about recycling in Start the New Year Off Greener: part 1. Today we continue part 2 of the series Start the New Year Off Greener.

2. Reducing your carbon footprint

Carbon Foot Print explained

ways to reduce your carbon footprint

Carbon Footprint Explained

You’ve likely heard of the term “carbon footprint” many times. You know it has something to do with the waste we leave behind on the earth and what happens to it. But let’s look closer at this idea so that you truly understand how your carbon footprint, along with everyone else’s, adds to pollution in the environment as well as some ideas to change it.

The idea of looking at an individual’s carbon footprint came into being to educate the world about how everyday things we do affects the environment. It is also important to know how we can change these effects without reducing production, suffering without air-conditioning, or doing without. Just making small changes makes a huge difference.

Everything you do affects your carbon footprint which is how much CO2 you put into the environment. Everything you do from driving your kids to school, driving to the grocery, buying goods, and taking care of yourself and your home. Essentially just living and buying the things that you need add to your carbon footprint. The things businesses have to do to get the goods to you add to the overall carbon footprint.

The main sources of carbon are fossil fuels. It depends on what type of energy you’re using when you do things on how much CO2 you’re putting into the environment. For example, if you use solar energy in your home, and you have an electric car, you will have a lower carbon footprint than someone who does not have either of these things. When businesses use renewable sources of energy they too can lower their carbon footprint.

Go through in your mind an average day for an average family of four with school-aged children with two working parents.

1. Mom goes to work her car uses fossil fuels to get to work.

2. Dad goes to work his car uses fossil fuels to get to work.

3. Children ride in buses or parents drive them to school using fossil fuels.

4. Family buys groceries that are often shipped to their location from great distances. The shippers, in this case, use fossil fuels, as do the family to drive to the store. Even if you buy online and have home delivery, someone had to drive the groceries to your home, using fossil fuels.

5. The family buys furniture, clothing, and appliances, uses air conditioning, heat, and electricity, and takes care of their home and their lawn. All of these things add to the carbon footprint.

6. The family eats fast food. The food was shipped to the dinner. The family drove to the dinner.

7. The family is involved in out-of-home activities that cause more use of fossil fuels.

8. The family eats food from factory farms.

9. Workplaces use electricity, water, and energy to run

the business.

10. Schools use electricity, water, and energy.

As you can see this list can continue. But at each point, you can see places where any individual or business’s carbon footprint can be reduced if the opportunity is available. Families can recycle, buy fewer packaged things, grow veggies in their backyard, buy locally and convert to electric vehicles. Businesses can use lower water toilets, design green buildings that use less electricity, install solar panels, start a local grocery co-op and so much more.

It can seem daunting to work on lowering one’s carbon footprint. But if everyone simply did one thing such as eating less meat from factory farms, buying more things locally grown, and recycling items that can be recycled. If people used more renewable forms of energy as they become available to them and encourage their local governments to embrace these forms of energy, change can be made. It is easy to see how we can reduce waste and improve our environment by thinking about how we can lower our carbon footprint and do one thing at a time.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

You’ve likely heard it said: Reuse, Reduce & Recycle. Whatever you are doing, at home, work, or play try to find ways to use less doing it. Remember, experiences are always better than having more stuff.

1. Drive Less: There are many people who don’t even need cars at all. It might even be less expensive for you to get rid of your car, use public transportation, ride a bike, walk, and then rent a vehicle when you really need it. If you do need to drive, try to arrange your trips so that you don’t have to drive as much. Make a grocery list so you don’t forget things, and plan your navigation based on driving less. Plan your trips to town with more than one thing to do. If you have to pick up the kids from school, buy groceries, and get the oil changed, make it so you can do it all in one trip, in the most convenient order.

2. Drive a Low Carbon Vehicle: Today there are many choices for energy-efficient vehicles both electric and fuel-based vehicles. Find the best one for yourself and your family so that the vehicle works well for you and your needs.

3. Take Longer and/or Fewer Vacations: Going on vacation either in a car or in an airplane uses a lot of non-renewable energy in the form of fossil fuels. A great way to get more out of your carbon usage is to take longer vacations so that you stay in the location longer but go on fewer vacations.

4. Have Meetings Online Instead of in Person: If you attend meetings that require a lot of driving and flying (or training too) check out webinar technology. Many times online meetings enable companies to reduce the cost of these events in more ways than just energy usage.

5. Insulate Your Home: Newer homes are built with more insulation that is safe and keeps the house cozy in the winter and cooler in the summer. If your house is older, you may want to install energy-efficient windows and have someone find out if you can insulate your home even better. Old houses can be drafty, which wastes energy. Of course, we are suggesting that you do away with your old house, just get it up to date with the latest and best insulating tools.

6. Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances: When it’s time to get new appliances get the most energy-efficient one that you can afford. Today there are washers that use less water, refrigerators that use less power, and a whole host of other options to help save energy and money.

7. Replace Your Bulbs: Use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs when they go out. These bulbs use less energy and last longer than the older types of light bulbs. Many of the new bulbs are brighter than the old types also so you may need fewer bulbs to get the same amount of light.

8. Watch Your Thermostat: Instead of turning off your AC and Heating system monitor how you have it set. Use a programmable system so that you can automatically adjust the temperate when you’re not home. Don’t set it too high or too low as that ends up costing more money in the long run as does turning it off and on. Keep your house at a regulated temp all the time. This will keep your energy use more stable.

9. Buy Used: When you need new clothing, furniture, and certain household items try to buy used. The exception is electronics which will use more energy the older they are. But when you buy used clothing and furniture less pollution goes into the environment as they are not making new things.

10. Buy Locally: When you need to buy anything food or other goods you can save energy and reduce your carbon footprint by buying locally. When items are produced locally fewer fossil fuels are required plus it helps sustain the local economy and true family farms.

11. Don’t Eat Out: While everyone likes eating out occasionally try to eat at sustainable businesses that buy their items locally. Avoid eating at fast food places. Enjoy slow food made at home or made from local products at a local business.

12. Lower Animal Product Usage: You can reduce your carbon footprint substantially by going vegan and not using any type of animal product or processed food. If you can’t go that far buy local sustainable meats and produce and avoid processed food entirely. It’s also healthier.

13. Cut Down on Water Usage: It’s easy to install systems in your home that uses less water. If you have an old-fashioned toilet fill a water bottle with water and place it in the water tank so that your tank fills with less water. Don’t run the water continuously while showering or doing dishes. Wash clothing and dishes only when there is a full load. Grow edible plants instead of water-hogging grass in your yard. Use rain collection barrels to water plants. There are many other ways to save water, you just have to look around and see where your water goes to see ways to save on water use.

14. Invest in Solar: Depending on where you live you may be able to invest in solar panels to supply most if not all your electricity needs yourself. Some states even allow you to earn money from the production of electricity that you overproduce so that they can let others use it.

Reducing your carbon footprint is not going to cause you to suffer or be deprived. It will let you enjoy your life more knowing that you are leaving a cleaner earth behind for all the people who come after you. Make the world a better place for your kids and grandkids.

We hope this talk on how to Start Off the New Year Greener: part 2 has been informative if not eye-opening. Consider things in your life and in your home and how you can effect a change of your own. Please come back next week for Start Off the New Year Greener part 3 we will be talking more about solar energy.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.