3 Solutions to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Climate change is a real problem in today’s world. The crisis has been exacerbated by human activities and subsequent greenhouse gas (GG) and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) over the past couple of centuries. It’s left the generations of the present and the future with a huge issue at hand. 

While we can’t slow down the problem by ourselves, reducing your carbon footprint – consisting of the amount of CO2 and GG emissions associated with all of your daily activities – is undoubtedly a great start. 

Thanks to technological innovation, making environmentally conscious choices has never been easier. Here are three practical solutions to reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Solar Power Incorporation

Adding solar power to your home – whether through a handy solar generator or rooftop panels – is probably the most efficient way to reduce your carbon footprint. Solar panels are designed to capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells and convert it into regular electricity; most don’t even require direct sunlight to function.

In areas where rays of sunshine are constantly penetrating your living quarters, relying on solar power is an informed choice, especially by combining panels with backup generators to power you through nights and cloudy days. 

However, the initial fees make this a costly choice. It does require a bit of research into your electrical consumption and deliberating over the financial aspect of the acquisition. Ultimately, the installation costs are often offset by long-term savings on your electricity bill.

2. Smarter Transportation Choices

Making environmentally conscious choices concerning how you get around can go a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint; studies have shown that an average passenger vehicle can emit as much as 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year. 

Simply driving less can be an easy way to slash your carbon emissions. This could be by using rideshare apps, public transportation, carpooling, or biking. This also minimizes engine idling that accompanies driving and reduces traffic congestion. 

If your daily commute requires you to drive, there are still some ways you can cut down on your drive time and energy consumption:

• Avoid traffic jams
• Turn on the cruise control feature
• Avoiding air conditioning usage

Taking these measures to increase fuel efficiency all help cut down on carbon output.

3. Nutritional Changes

Believe it or not, switching to sustainable eating patterns can also make a big difference in diminishing your carbon budget. There are various things one can change regarding their nutritional tendencies, including:

• Lessening food waste: Your three-week-old Thai takeout, when thrown out, will eventually be shipped to a landfill to decompose and produce methane, one of the globe’s most potent greenhouse gases. The moral of the story – finish your food! Meal prepping and buying only what you need can also help.
• Ditching plastics: As the first culprit everyone thinks about when mentioning taking care of the environment, single-use plastics and foods packaged in them should be avoided. If you can afford to do so, bring your reusable bags to grocery stores, steer clear of bottled water, and buy products shipped in sustainable packaging.
• Plant-based meats: Meat consumption plays a surprisingly significant role in emitting greenhouse gases. For those of you who aren’t big on greens, there are plenty of meat alternatives on the market that taste very similar to the real deal.

Go a Little Greener 

While some of these choices may take more time and initial investments, the long-term impacts of individuals making environmentally conscious decisions will eventually add up. While the issue of climate change is beyond most of our lifestyles, taking these small steps can help you rest easier knowing you’re at least doing your part.