Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

DIET

What we eat and where we shop for our food directly impacts carbon emissions. Large animals such as cows produce a lot of carbon through gas exchange and rely on a lot of food which takes carbon to import. Products which are grown further away or require a lot of processing produce more carbon emissions during transportation and manufacturing.

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

Eat food produced locally to reduce transportation emissions
Avoid red meat and products that come from red meat animals
Avoid foods with plastic packaging because plastic is made from oil

SHOPPING

The items you purchase require a lot of manufacturing and transportation. Generally, the more items someone purchases, the more their carbon footprint increases. Shipping materials, manufacturing, transporting to stores, and then to your home through online shopping produces a lot of carbon dioxide.

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

This video is a great resource to view for more information on how the production process works and the emissions that are created in the mean time.

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

Buy from local shops when possible
Buy from second hand shops
Avoid purchasing clothes from shops which manufacture their goods far away
Avoid purchasing items which are not designed to last
Use reusable bags when shopping
Try to avoid purchasing frivolous items

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The above graph depicts the sources of global energy. Most of the energy usage worldwide comes from oil, coal, and natural gas. All of these are nonrenewable sources of energy and will eventually be depleted. Furthermore, all of these produce lots of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide when they are burned for energy.

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To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

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Energy Use

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Anything which requires electricity or gas is powered with energy. There are many energy sources which fall into two categories: nonrenewable and renewable. Renewable can be replenished and examples include solar, hydro, and wind. Nonrenewable cannot be replenished and include natural gas, coal, and oil/ petroleum.

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To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

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Reduce your total energy dependance
Use renewable energy sources to power your home, electronics, transportation, etc
Advocate for renewable energy subsidies and programs in your hometown

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

WASTE

When products and food sit in landfills, they emit carbon overtime. It is important that we try to limit what we throw away, so we do not contribute to the carbon dioxide emissions.

To reduce your carbon footprint in this area you can...

Avoid using products with packaging that need to be tossed
Use reusable bags
Bring Tupperware for leftovers at restaurants
Avoid online shopping
Shop at zero waste grocery stores
Compost
Recycle
Reuse containers

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