Take A Step – Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

It is in our best interest to do as much as we can to conserve the world that we live in for our future and that of the future generation. At times we think that our governments must take care of the environment while in reality, everyone has a responsibility, and we should all do our part. Do not think that the factory in your city is the only culprit when it comes to pollution; even that plastic bottle you threw through your car window will cause so much damage to the environment. Therefore, it is crucial for each and every one of us to take a step towards the preservation of mother nature.

What Is a Carbon Footprint

This is basically any activity we engage in that leads to the emission of greenhouse gases, majorly carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. It doesn’t matter how big or small a carbon footprint is; the long-term effect still remains the same, global warming. There are major sources of carbon emissions which include;

• Agriculture: Activities such as livestock keeping lead to the emission of greenhouse gases. Livestock, especially cows, produce methane during their digestion. Methane is a major greenhouse gas.
• Transportation: This is one of the major causes of increased emission of greenhouse gases, majorly due to the burning of fossil fuels.
• Electricity production: Electricity is generated through the burning of fossil fuels, majorly coal. These are major emitters of greenhouse gases.
• Industries: Industries need different forms of energy for their production processes. In order to attain energy, there has to be burning fossil fuels.
• Waste: Un-recycled waste materials contribute to a large percentage of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

There is still hope for mother nature, especially now that so many people are getting sensitized to the issue of global warming. We might not be able to prevent total greenhouse gases emission, but we can at least play a role in reducing our carbon footprint. We can control some aspects of our daily lives that are major causes of environmental pollution.

Limit Meat Consumption

We have established that livestock such as cows are major culprits when it comes to the emission of greenhouse gases. It is therefore advisable to limit our consumption of beef as much as possible. Also, it is advisable to reduce your daily intake as cows are the major source of milk.

Recycling Waste

Adopt the use of items made from recyclable materials such as paper and plastic. So many countries are adopting this practice and encouraging different manufacturers to pay keen attention to the kind of material they use for the production of different items, especially food packaging material. In India, you will find so many sustainable food packaging manufacturers, such as spout pouch manufacturers in Delhi from logos-pack.com. All are aiming at one thing, reducing their carbon footprint.

Walk More or Rather Cycle

The gas emissions from cars and other modes of transport such as ships and airplanes are too harmful to the environment. You can reduce the adverse effects by limiting the use of these forms of transport to when you really need them. For short distances, you can decide to walk, or run, or bike. This will make a huge difference to the environment and will add to your physical health resulting from the exercise.

Conserve Your Electricity

Switch off those lights when you leave a room. Turn off your television and unplug from the sockets to save power. Turn down that air conditioner just a little bit, or rather use it only when you feel you really need it. You can also use energy-saving lights such as LED lights.

If you want to make a greater impact, switch to green energy to avoid the use of electricity totally. Adopting the use of solar power for lighting and other activities will for sure make a difference. You can install outdoor solar lights for lighting at night.

Buy Only What You Need

This includes both food and apparel. When you have too much, you might end up wasting the excess, thus leading to the huge garbage pits you see around. Avoid single-use items to limit disposing of so much. Try to shop for quality items that last for a long period of time.

Spread Awareness

You might be doing everything right, or rather trying to. However, if your neighbor is still stuck with the bad habits and not doing anything to reduce their carbon footprint, then we are still a long way from helping mother nature. Create awareness among each and every person or group of people you associate with. Make them aware of the kind of difference they are capable of making just by changing one bad habit.

Conclusion

Reducing your carbon footprint may seem like a very difficult and impossible goal to achieve, especially after reading this piece. You are probably wondering how it is possible to live without your car and that brisket that you love so much. To limit is not to stop completely; having beef every once in a while will not hurt; using your car fewer times than you used to will create the impact needed on the road to recovering our environment. That show of effort is what matters.