Three simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces. Average global temperatures are increasing, ocean levels are rising, extreme weather events are becoming more common, and the future of the planet is at risk. And it’s not something we can leave to future generations to fix, we need to reduce our carbon footprint.
That’s where our carbon footprint comes in. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by our daily actions as we go about our lives. These gases, when released into the atmosphere, trap the sun’s heat and keep the earth warm. Unfortunately, human activities have tipped the natural balance, causing the earth’s atmosphere to retain too much heat (global warming).
Your ‘footprint’ is the total emission volume, for example, the average person in the UK has a carbon footprint of about 5.5 tonnes per year. This needs to drop to under 2 tonnes by 2050 to avoid a dangerous rise in global temperatures. Fortunately, there are things we can all do as individuals to play our part and minimise the damage.
A few simple changes in your day-to-day life can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and even improve your quality of life. Here are three ways to make more climate-friendly choices in your life to reduce your impact on the environment.
Consider the food you eat
The food you purchase and eat can have a huge impact on the environment and reducing your carbon footprint. The meat and dairy industry require a lot of land, water, and energy, and also produce a lot of methane (a greenhouse gas). Eating food that’s out of season or shipped from afar is also not ideal as it requires the use of fossil fuels for transport.
You don’t have to be vegan to make an impact though. Change starts with a few simple habit shifts:
● If you can make the change, a vegan diet is the biggest way to reduce your environmental impact.
● If you don’t want to go the vegan route, reduce the amount of meat (especially red meat) and dairy you consume in a week.
● Eat local products that haven’t travelled far and only food that’s in season.
● Buy only what you need to reduce the amount of food waste ending up in landfills (which produce a large amount of methane).
● Eat low on the food chain – things like fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds.
● Avoid products with plastic packaging.
● Compost your food waste at home and use it to fertilise your garden.
The bonus of making a lot of these changes is that they’re a great way to stay healthy too.
Rethink your clothing choices
The clothing industry accounts for 10% of all global carbon emissions, and ‘fast fashion’ is the culprit. It’s produced quickly, cheaply, and unsustainably, and the bulk of it ends up in landfills. To minimise your impact on the environment and reduce your carbon footprint, consider making the following changes:
● Reduce the amount of clothing that you buy.
● Choose to buy quality clothing that will last.
● Look for a Fair Trade logo or eco-friendly certification.
● Only buy clothing made from natural materials like bamboo, hemp, cotton, and linen, or recycled materials.
● Avoid synthetic fabrics.
● Try swapping, borrowing, renting, or buying second-hand clothing.
● Take good care of your clothes so they last longer – wash them in cold water and let them dry on the line.
● Never throw clothes away – donate what you can and upcycle what you can’t into cleaning rags or bedding material for animal shelters.
Get energy-efficient
Combatting climate change starts at home. Heating and cooling your home is energy-intensive and a good place to start in reducing your carbon footprint. With some small changes to the insulation and setup of your home, you can not only reduce your emissions, but probably save money too. Here are some places to start:
● Seal and insulate your home so that it retains heat in the winter and stays cool during summer.
● Turn down the heating – just 1ºC lower can make a world of difference to your emissions (and energy bill).
● Use fans instead of air-conditioning.
● Turn off the TV and unplug devices when they’re not in use.
● Switch off lights when you leave a room.
● Replace very old appliances (15-20+ years) – they’re less energy-efficient than newer models.
● Don’t set your fridge and freezer temperatures lower than necessary.
● Replace old bulbs with energy-saving LEDs.
● Turn down your water heater – it doesn’t need to be higher than 50ºC.
Think about your carbon footprint
There are so many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, from driving less to recycling more, but the change that will have the most impact is in your awareness of the choices that you make in your day-to-day life and how they leave a mark on the environment.
Once you’re aware of the effect your individual actions can have, it gets easier to make more climate-friendly choices. And small changes over time can make a big difference!