Use this to read about how to reduce your carbon footprint

Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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.

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.

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

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

How you choose to get from one place to another greatly impacts a person's carbon footprint. Since transportation requires the use of an energy source, it emits carbon dioxide when the energy source is burned during combustion.

The graphic above shows how some sources of transportation are more energy efficient than others. For example, planes produce the most carbon dioxide per kilometer and trains produce the least.

Walk or bike more frequently Ride public transportation when available Try to reduce plane travel when other options are available Carpool Use transportation that is powered by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, or geothermal

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.

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

What we eat and where we shop for our food directly impacts carbon emissions. Large animals such as cows produce a lot of carbon&nbsp;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.

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

Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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.

The Story of Stuff

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.

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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