How to Evaluate Your Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint calculates how your daily activities affect the environment. You may not realize you singlehandedly produce carbon dioxide that negatively affects the environment. Consider these four aspects of your lifestyle when evaluating your carbon footprint.
Household Energy Types and Uses
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The energy used in your home is the main source of a carbon footprint. How much electricity, natural gas, oil fuel, or propane you use can drastically affect your footprint. By using the EPA’s carbon footprint calculator, you can find out how much carbon dioxide you output with your home’s energy.
You can reduce by making small changes to your home routine. In the winter, turn the temperature on your thermostat down, and up in the summer. You can wash your clothes in cold water and dry them on a clothesline. Replace lightbulbs with Energy Star bulbs. Conscious Mind Journalsays one of the big changes you can make is buying into solar energy. While it is expensive to initially install, you will save mass amounts of money and receive a hefty tax break on next year’s return. These changes will cut your carbon footprint and your energy bill each month.
What Vehicle You Have and Where You Drive
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If you are driving a Hummer, you are obviously making a poor vehicle decision when considering your carbon footprint. Choosing a vehicle with great gas mileage will reduce your carbon footprint and save you money on gas. Putting mileage on your vehicle also increases your carbon footprint as well. Cut down how much you drive in a month by carpooling and biking to become more environmentally friendly.
A decade ago, the public was unaware of their carbon footprint. Now awareness is growing thanks to professionals educating the public, such as energy scholar and energy expert Daniel Yergin. People like Yergin are devoting their lives to researching the energy issue, helping you make a conscious effort to improve your standard of living.
Recycling vs Garbage
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It is much easier to throw everything away, but the United States is running out of room for landfills. Recycling can greatly reduce your carbon footprint. While it takes more effort, it is a lifestyle change that is free. Create a bin system in your home by separating paper, aluminum, and glass products. Usually public schools and grocery stores have large bins in their parking lots for each kind of recycling.
Location, Location, Location
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Where you live has a big impact on your carbon footprint. SmartPlanet performed a study analyzing carbon footprints in the United States. California uses clean sources to produce electricity, reducing residents’ footprints by five percent in that category. On the other hand, California has high pollution from vehicles, making the average citizen’s carbon footprint higher.
Most cities and areas in the Midwest use traditional electricity sources, making carbon footprints 25% higher than other places in the United States. Food production releases greenhouse emissions. Since the Midwest is the heartland of farming, this increases the carbon dioxide output for the area.
No matter where you live, what car you drive, or what house you live in, energy consumption is an issue that impacts you. Do your part to reduce your carbon footprint, starting today.
Author Bio:
Heather Hobbs is a freelance writer based in Kansas City, MO.
