Reducing Your Carbon Footprints

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBy Tina L Douglas

Carbon footprint is a new concept that seems to be flooding the world nowadays. When we talk of carbon footprints, we are actually talking about the impact of our activities on the environment, especially on global warming. Like it or not, our everyday activities produces greenhouse gases which, in large amounts, can significantly impact our environment.

Whatever we do in our daily life - eating, going to work, taking care of our family, working and going to school - all contribute to the greenhouse gases that are being emitted in our atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are making a lot of changes in our climate and it has made our world a lot warmer than it previously is.

Obviously, since we are the ones emitting these harmful gases, there are also steps that we can do to reduce them through the choices that we make in our homes, offices, when we travel, as well as when we are eating. Everything that we consume and throw away have their own carbon equivalent so if we can reduce our carbon footprint, then we can ensure a stable environment and a conducive climate for future generations.
Here are some tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint in your home:

1. Unplug your appliances when they are not in use. You may have been used to leaving most of your appliances (TV, DVD players, components, computers, etc.) plugged in even if they are not in use. You might think that they are not consuming any electricity but they are. This is what we call "phantom electricity." Unplugging them does not only reduce your carbon footprint, it can also help you lower done your electricity bill.

2. Turn off your lights when they are not in use. Better yet, install energy saving light bulbs in your home. Energy savings does not necessarily mean low light. A lot of light bulb manufacturers are now producing light bulbs that emit enough light without necessarily consuming too much energy.

3. If the weather is not too cold, lower down your central heating to at least a degree or two. Lower heating also means lower energy consumption.

4. Skip bottled water. If you are off to work, purchase your own water bottle that you can bring every day from work. Bottled water are made from plastics which are often non-biodegradable. If you have your own water dispenser in the office, bring your own glass instead of using paper or Styrofoam cups.

5. Subscribe to online fax. If you need to fax from your home (which may be something that you do infrequently), subscribe to online fax services than purchasing your own fax machine. You not only save paper, you also save on additional cost that will come maintaining your fax machines like fax papers, inks and toners.

6. Buy everything that you need in a single trip. If you are in the grocery, purchase everything that you will need for the week or for the entire month. This will save you from making regular trips to your local grocery store and it saves gas (a non-renewable resource) too.

Tina L. Douglas is a well-loved author from California. She loves to write articles on various topics and give them a whole new dimension.

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