How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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Your carbon footprint is how many greenhouse gases you release in your daily activities. Be remembered by your good deeds, not your carbon emissions.
Added December 10, 2007

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You Will Need

Deep concern for the future
Sense of personal responsibility

Step 1.
Turn thermostat up/down

Turn your thermostat up in the summer or down in the winter by just two degrees, and you’ll prevent hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide from being released each year.
Close doors to rooms that you are not using to maximize heating and air conditioning. Insulate windows and doors to save even more heating costs.
Step 2.
Unplug electronics

Turn off and unplug your computer, TV, and other electronics when you’re not using them. Even electronics in sleep mode draw power.
Leaving your TV cable box on 24 hours a day uses about 65% as much energy as a standard refrigerator.
Step 3.
Change bulbs

Change all the incandescent bulbs in your home to compact fluorescent bulbs, which use about 75% less energy.
Step 4.
Do full loads of laundry/dishwashing

Do your laundry or run a dishwasher only when you have a full load. It saves water and it’s an excuse not to clean.
Step 5.
Eat local

Eat local: An organic out-of-season vegetable from the other side of the world may sound delicious, but it had to make that trip on a huge container ship.
Take a canvas tote with you shopping, so you have a ready – and better – answer to the question “paper or plastic?”
Step 6.
Bring own coffee cup/mug

Bring your own cup or mug when you buy coffee and stop tossing an average of 20 pounds of disposable cups a year.
Step 7.
Cut back on bottled water

Cut back on bottled water. Most tap water is perfectly safe to drink, and making the plastic and transporting the bottles uses huge quantities of fossil fuels.
Step 8.
Plant a tree

Plant a tree. Trees help reduce greenhouse gases, and every one counts. Consider it a peace offering to the Earth.
Step 9.
Consolidate car trips

Don’t jump in your car every time you feel the urge to run an errand. Plan and consolidate your trips to cut down on gas.
Step 10.
Carpool, public transportation, bike, or walk

When you can, carpool, use public transportation, or ride your bicycle. Or walk, proud to be treading lightly.
Cattle produce as much as 37% of the atmosphere’s methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Comments View all (7)...

I like it - very concise with good ideas.

Reply about 1 year ago by damian

I've been able to make a habit of brining my canvas tote while shopping. It took me a long time, but it got to the point that I started looking at each plastic bag with disgust. It's the little things that start momentum. Now I've got to get myself a coffee mug.

Reply about 1 year ago by joclark

somewhat depressing, but informative

Reply about 1 year ago by lissa

Consuming less meat should also be mentioned. Raising animals for food is a primary cause of deforestation, water shortage, and greenhouse gas emissions. Animal agriculture takes up 70% of all agricultural land, and 30% of the total land. It's not at a steady state either, due to the world's population rising so quickly. Moreover, animal agriculture accounts for 37% of our methane, and 65% of our nitrous oxide, which wield approximately 20 and 300 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, respectively. (it constitutes only 9% of carbon dioxide emissions) ...didn't mean to make this post so academic.

Reply about 1 year ago by padma