What is a Carbon Footprint?
Like the imprint that’s left behind after walking on newly-fallen
snow or dampened sand, your carbon footprint is the imprint you
leave on this world. In simple terms, your carbon footprint is
a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide that’s emitted into
the atmosphere as a result of your normal everyday activities
and the choices that you make.
Some activities such as driving your car emit more carbon dioxide
into the air than others. And much of the carbon dioxide emitted
into the air occurs during the manufacturing and transportation
phases of the products you use. So in these instances you have
not directly caused the problem but you become partially responsible
because you’ve chosen to purchase the product responsible for
its release.
Calculate your foot
print.
How can you reduce your carbon footprint?
Before you can reduce your carbon footprint it’s important to
understand your reasons for wanting to do so. Right now it’s the
trendy thing to do but trends come and go. Success is going to
require a commitment and a permanent change in your behavior.
If you’ve ever tried losing weight you know how important behavioral
changes were to your success (or lack of). You had to cut portions,
snack on the “right” types of foods and incorporate exercise into
your daily routine. You had to behave this way every day otherwise
you’d start regaining the weight you’d lost.
Well that’s the way it is when you’re trying to reduce your carbon
footprint. You can’t carpool just this week or increase your home’s
thermostat just this summer; you’ve got to incorporate these changes
into your life today and everyday. Doing so won’t be hard if you
truly want to make a difference.
When you’re clear about your reasons for wanting to reduce your
carbon footprint you’ll next need to learn which of your behaviors
contribute to the problem. That step’s easy since almost everything
you do or buy in some way emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The biggest culprits are anything that uses gas or electricity.
Here are just a few of the many changes you can make
starting right to reduce your carbon footprint:
Use less gas. Accomplish this by carpooling, walking, riding
a bike, running errands more efficiently, shopping locally, and
trading in your gas-guzzling vehicle for one that gets better
gas mileage.
Use less electricity. Accomplish this by turning off fans, televisions,
music players, computers, radios and other electronics when not
in use. Other ways to use less energy include washing laundry
and dishes only when you have a full load, hanging laundry on
a clothes line, grilling, and air drying your hair.
Waste less energy. Accomplish this by making your home airtight.
Install double-paned windows, properly insulate your walls and
attic, caulk and weatherstip openings, purchase energy efficient
appliances, install a programmable thermostat, and install compact
fluorescent light bulbs.
There’s even more you can do to reduce your carbon footprint
so get going. Even if you don’t think your changes are making
a difference, think of all the money you’ll save. Now that’s incentive
for change!
More
ways to reduce your foot print.
