Similar to how as parents we often teach our children that our actions and words affect others, the same goes for how we live our day-to-day lives and how all those things added up can negatively impact the planet.
According to The Nature Conservancy, a person’s carbon footprint “is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.” If you live in the United States, the average person’s carbon footprint is 16 tons, which is among the highest rates in the world.
The environmental organization notes that in order to achieve a global carbon footprint that’s closer to 2 tons, which gives the Earth a better fighting chance at avoiding a 2-degree “rise in global temperatures,” the average global carbon footprint needs to drop drastically by the year 2050.
Have you ever considered how you live your daily life and how you can change things to help reduce those harmful greenhouse gases? Even though you might not think so, every single family and home makes a difference. As every little bit helps, there are a ton of easy things you can change regarding your daily lifestyle that can help make noticeable changes in the long run.
Here are eight easy swaps and switches that will help lessen your carbon footprint.
Make a conscious effort to eat lower on the food chain.
Do you and your family eat several meals a week that revolve around red meat like burgers and steaks? As tasty as those items are, livestock (meat and dairy) “is responsible for 14.5% of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions.”
A lot of the greenhouse gas emissions are produced through feed production as well as processing and the methane that cows and pigs emit, so when you try and eat lower on the food chain — more veggies, legumes, and meat alternatives — it can certainly help lessen your carbon footprint. You can even turn things into a fun challenge with your family and go online and search for great vegetarian-based recipes that you can take turns making to help cut down on those harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Keep up on your car’s maintenance and practice efficient driving.
Did you know that keeping an eye on your car’s tire pressure and overall maintenance can actually help reduce your carbon footprint? According to the City of Austin, when the tires on your car are low on pressure, it makes your vehicle work harder, wasting gas and increasing the emissions your car produces. It’s a good thing to be mindful of checking your tire pressure at least once a month to ensure your tires are nice and full for driving.
It also helps reduce your carbon footprint when you drive more efficiently. This includes ensuring you’re not being heavy on the gas pedal every time you drive and keeping within the speed limit, coasting gently to red lights and stop signs, and not idling in drive-thrus. All of these little changes are so simple to implement and not only work to help reduce your carbon footprint, but these are practices that are also good for your car.
Instead of using the garbage can, compost to cut down on food waste effects.
It doesn’t matter how many meals are catered around what your kids will eat, unfortunately, there’s bound to be food waste because there are times when kids feel extra fussy or they’re not as hungry or they’re just going through a new phase where they just feel like telling mom and dad no to everything that’s on their plate.
When it comes to food waste and working to reduce your carbon footprint, composting is a great habit to introduce into your family’s daily lifestyle. Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter into a fertilizer that can be used in your flower beds and gardens.
So, instead of throwing those spoiled apple slices or leftover mashed potatoes into your regular trash can, you can put them in a small compost container that you can keep in your kitchen and take it outside to your larger composting bin every few days. All of that food waste, which produces harmful methane when it’s sitting and rotting in landfills, is actually used to produce something useful that benefits both your garden and the Earth.
Instead of cranking your heat or air conditioning, keep your thermostat in check.
According to LifeLabs, as temperatures rise around the globe, “energy demands on the grid are anticipated to increase with more extreme weather events” and “heating and cooling consume a substantial amount of energy and produce significant greenhouse emissions.”
During those sweltering summer months, most people want to crank up their air conditioner to the most comfortable and low temperature available, but running your air conditioner nonstop is not great for the environment.
LifeLabs suggests running your air conditioning 2 degrees higher in summer and heat during the winter months at 2 degrees lower than your normal thermostat setting. This has the potential to reduce your total carbon emissions by a significant number.
Besides groceries (which you can shop local for) and necessities, cut down on your shopping.
Most of us have had our carts full of those items that feel like absolute must-haves as we shop online, but when you put a cap on your spending and shopping, it can actually have a positive effect on the environment.
According to Wired, “any new purchase comes with an embedded carbon footprint” and if you’re someone who loves updating their wardrobe regularly, the fashion industry “produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions.” If you’re trying to make a positive impact and reduce your carbon footprint while still updating your wardrobe from time to time, make a concerted effort to shop your closet every season or even do a clothes swap with a group of friends. Even heading to the thrift store and recycling or repurposing other people’s disposed items can help.
Try to work out other travel plans instead of taking an airplane every trip.
Are you someone who is always going on vacation with your family or flying for work to attend an important conference? It may seem like the easiest option to head to the airport and hop on an airplane, but around 1.1 billion tons of CO2 emissions every year stems from aviation.
BBC.com reports that taking the train or bus has “far lower emissions” than airplane travel, so even if you can cut down on airplane travel or rearrange some things and take some form of public transit a few times per year instead of flying, it can certainly help lessen your carbon footprint.
Unplug your appliances when they’re not in use.
From hairdryers and flat irons to lamps and power bars that are plugged in all the time in guest rooms that go mostly unused, there are so many electrical outlets that are fully plugged in that could use a bit of a break. CNBC reports that there are “energy vampires,” which may include anything from computers to cable boxes and coffee makers, that “draw energy from electrical outlets even when off or idle.”
More from LittleThings: 8 Reasons We Need To Take Climate Change Seriously
Even though it may seem like a small thing, the electrical energy these small appliances take adds up over time — not to mention you’ll also notice things like this on your energy bill. If you start to make it a habit to go around and unplug things that aren’t actively in use, it can help reduce your carbon footprint and also give you some savings each month.
Make a change and switch to a low-carbon energy provider.
Speaking of home energy providers, if you’re thinking in terms of how your carbon footprint is measured, electricity use makes the list. If you have the means and opportunity, switching up things for a low-carbon energy provider that uses renewable and clean resources instead of burning fossil fuels can cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions.
The Rebellion Global blog suggests calling your electricity company and asking if it has plans or options that use renewable energy. Popular Mechanics notes that there are all sorts of ways you can switch to renewable energy within your home on your own, from installing photovoltaic panels you can put on your roof that use the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity or even invest in a solar oven.
