How are you impacting the future generation?
The Situation
Let’s start by defining Carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production, use and end-of-life of a product or service. How does this have anything to do with you , you ask? The bulk of an individual’s carbon footprint will come from day to day activities like transportation, housing and food. So how can we make sure we are not contributing to the greenhouse gases emissions?
But first wouldn’t it be great to actually know your carbon footprint before deciding to do anything about it? Please use this link to calculate your and your family’s carbon footprint. https://offset.climateneutralnow.org/footprintcalc . To do so successfully and actually get a close to the truth approximation, you will need to know the following:
- Approximately how many miles you travel by car, bus, train and plane.
- The energy usage in your home.
- How much you spend shopping.
- The composition of your diet.
Simple Yet Impactful Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Let’s be realistic. You will likely need to use a car today or tomorrow. Most of us already have appliances that may not be so good for our environment. The best we can do is alter our lifestyles now to reduce our carbon footprint.
Here are some tips to make our life day to day activities more climate-friendly.
- When driving, go easy on the gas and brakes. Drive “like you have an egg under your foot,” recommends Brian West, an expert in fuel and engine research. Or go back to good old car pooling, who knows you might actually make lifetime friends who also resonate with your cause.
- Reducing your meat intake, red meat in particular, is a better choice for the environment. Pretty sure there are a lot of alternatives to red meat !
- Consider less clothes purchases, reuse, recycle should always be at the top of your mind. Buy just enough, and buy less !
- Eat like the king or queen you are ! Meaning do not use disposable cutlery, you and the world around you deserve much better, right?
- Do you really need new Christmas lights? Or can you use the same ones you had last year? More so, avoid using too much unnecessary energy within your home.
- Shop Sustainably carry that shopping bag you used last week.
- You can also support initiatives and projects that offset these emissions in your locality. Your impact, contributions will go a long way to ensure your future generation gets to enjoy the fresh crisp morning air that you still do.
Carbon footprint and the Future
The greenhouse gasses we release into our atmosphere today will stay there for thousands of years. The actions and more importantly we take right now will have a significant impact on our children, our children’s children, and future generations of all the planet’s inhabitants for millennia.
We often pass on the blame and responsibilities to our governments and large corporations to resolve the climate issues, but the truth is , change starts small , within us, then gradually your neighbors, your company starts resonating with your mission and will start making these changes too.
Sources:
- Roston E, Migliozzi B. “What’s Really Warming the World?” Bloomberg.com. Published June 24, 2015. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world/.
- “Carbon Footprint Calculator.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Last updated July 14, 2016. https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/.
- Livia Albeck-Ripka. “How to reduce to reduce your carbon footprint” https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint
