Carbon Footprint

Are you conscious of your carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide that is placed into the atmosphere as a result of your daily life. Virtually everything we do results in some amount of carbon dioxide being released into the air. Even leaving appliances plugged in or flipping the light switch has an impact on your carbon footprint. There are numerous things that we can implement in our daily lives in order to reduce it. Switching to reusable canvas bags for grocery shopping is a simple and practical thing we can all do. Not only are you helping the Earth, but you also will have an easier time carrying your groceries. Recycling is another easy thing we can all do. Check with your local waste companies, they may even provide you with a free recycling bucket.

Being energy efficient is also very important in reducing your carbon footprint. One of the Earth biggest producers of carbon dioxide is coal burning power plants. These plants are responsible for creating the electricity that we use in our homes. By consuming more electricity, these plants are forced to burn more coal and release more carbon emissions. “On average, every American is responsible for about 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to statistics compiled by the United Nations. That is far above the world average of 6 tons per capita.” (Clayton Sandell). We could reduce this easily by during down our heaters a few degrees or remembering to always turn off lights. Stopglobalwarming.org informs us if we were to move our heaters down two degrees in the winter we would save the atmosphere 2,000 pounds of carbon emissions. Again, we are helping the Earth, but ourselves at the same time. Think about how much money you could save by wearing warmer clothes around the house! Also according to stopglobalwarming.org,” if every household in America replaced just three bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs, we would all save $60 a year and collectively keep a trillion pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere”. My family has replaced nearly all of our bulbs and I can confirm that we have saved tons of money on our electric bill. Not to mention, they last for 6-10 years so you won’t have to replace them as often.

If you would like to find other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint go to http://green.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_reduce_your_carbon_footprint . They have great ideas. Although we may not be able to do everything on their lists, every little bit helps. Are you interested in finding out your own personal carbon footprint? Go to http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/  and input your information to find out. I completed the questionnaire and my family of four produces approximately 58 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year compared to the average American household of four that produces 110 tons of emissions. Although this may seem like a good time to pat myself on the back, it is far from it. The average worldwide household of four only produces approximately 22 tons of carbon emissions. What does your family do to help reduce their carbon footprint?


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