Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The general consensus among scientists is that that carbon emissions must be reduced by 80% by 2050 to avoid temperature rise of more than 2°C. While offset programs, like SeaGrass Grow, are great for making up for what you can’t reduce, minimizing the carbon emissions you’re responsible for creating is the key. It might surprise you how just a few adjustments to your life can help change the world for the better!
Reduce Your Household Footprint
Most of the carbon emissions we create are not deliberate. They are just decisions we make every day without thinking of the consequences. To begin to curb your emissions, consider the easy daily choices you can make to lessen your CO2 footprint.
- Unplug your gadgets! Plugged in chargers still consume energy, so unplug them or turn off your surge protector.
- Wash with cold water, it uses less energy.
- Replace your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent or LED bulbs. The compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) that have the funky, curly shape save more than 2/3 of the energy of a regular incandescent. Each bulb can save you $40 or more over its lifetime.
Reduce Your Life Footprint
Only about 40% of the carbon emissions you create come from directly from energy use. The other 60% comes from indirect sources and are dictated by the products you use, how you use them, and how you discard them.
- Reuse and recycle your stuff when you’re done with it. It’s estimated that 29% of greenhouse gas emissions result from “provision of goods.” Manufacturing products produces an average 4-8 pounds of CO2 for every pound of manufactured product.
- Stop buying plastic water bottles. Drink from the tap or filter your own. This will also save you money and prevent more plastic trash from invading the ocean.
- Eat in-season food. It will most likely have traveled less than out of season food.
Reduce Your Travel Footprint
Planes, trains, and automobiles (and ships) are well known sources of pollution. Just a few changes to your daily routine or your vacation plan can go a long way!
- Fly less frequently. Take longer vacations!
- Drive better. Speeding and unnecessary acceleration reduce mileage by up to 33%, waste gas and money, and increase your carbon footprint.
- Walk or Bike to work.
