How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

In honour of Earth Day which is on the 22^nd of April, we have been thinking about the current state of our climate. Fighting climate change can seem like a big task but if we all work together, we can dramatically reduce our carbon footprint and rejuvenate our planet. Over the years we have neglected the world, polluting the air and using up resources; if we act now, we may just have a chance to repair the damage we have caused.  While we all need to use energy for our daily lives, there are plenty of easy ways we can all be more planet-friendly and fight global warming.

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What is a Carbon Footprint?

Before we get into how we reduce it, you may be wondering what exactly a carbon footprint is. It is a way of measuring your impact on the planet, showing what kind of ‘footprint’ you’re leaving. Your carbon footprint is based on the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere that are a direct result of your daily life.

From what you eat to the way you travel, every part of your everyday life has an effect – basically, it’s how you live. Keep on reading for some simple steps that you take to make a real impact on your carbon footprint.

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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint at Home

From small changes to bigger ones, there are plenty of ways to reduce your carbon emissions at home. Below are a few ways that will help you on your way to being green:

• Turn off and unplug any appliances, devices, and chargers when they aren’t in use. Even though they may be switched off, they can still attract a flow of electricity, using up unnecessary energy.
• Eating less meat – if we do it as a collective – will reduce our emissions as the production of meat releases a high amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, mainly methane.
• Only using your heating when necessary can have a drastic impact on your energy usage. By wrapping up before turning your heating on, you may find you don’t need it. This will allow you to save money as well as reducing your footprint.
• Making sure that your energy provider uses renewable energy sources is very important. Non-renewable sources of energy are major contributors to a large portion of greenhouses gases whilst also taking precious resources from our planet.

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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint when Travelling

Now that you’ve made some changes in your home, it’s time to change your emissions on the road, whether it’s on your journey to work or on fun and leisurely trips out. Below are some simple changes you can make:

• Opt for cycling rather than your using car where possible. Sometimes the weather may not permit it but, by choosing your bike every so often, you can cut your carbon footprint by a considerable amount.
• Flying is known as one of the largest contributors to global emissions so limiting the amount you fly will reduce your personal contribution.
• Using public transport such as trains and buses is a great way to reduce your eco impact. They produce less carbon than driving every day, making them easier on the plant.
• Eco-friendly travel methods, such as e-scooters, emit very low emissions as they are charged by and run on electricity rather than fossil fuels.

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For more information, carbon footprint calculators and resources, visit https://www.carbonfootprint.com/. They have every bit of information you may need to reduce your carbon footprint and help save our planet.