Your ‘carbon footprint’ is the amount of greenhouse gas we use on a day to day basis. This amount is converted into a CO2 equivalent in tonnes or kg. It might seem strange to say that we use greenhouse gases – after all, we don’t use them directly (unless you turn on your gas stove) – but each of our activities from turning on a light to buying a new television uses natural resources somewhere down the production line. Our carbon footprint is a way of taking personal responsibility for this usage and helps us to measure our efforts to reduce this usage.
There are many simple ways to reduce our carbon footprint, with many of these being found in the home. Good insulation for example reduces your heating bill which is great, but it does this by reducing the amount of energy it takes to heat your home. Little things like turning off lights when not in use and not leaving appliances on standby all stop the waste of energy. Overfilling your kettle is one of the biggest wastes of energy in homes today, so simply filling it with enough water for your tea (using your cup as a measure) can save you energy (and water) every day.
Recycling is also an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. Most UK councils have roadside collections for recyclable materials – all you have to do is separate your plastics, paper and tins. Five minutes spent each day doing this helps the environment and means less waste goes to landfill. Landfill waste releases harmful methane into the environment as it degrades, but this same waste when composted in your garden doesn’t. This is because composting exposes the waste to air and it breaks down in an environmentally-friendly way. Landfill waste on the other hand is trapped underground and rots differently.
You can also recycle your waste water by using it in your garden, and cut down on water usage by investing in a water butt below your drainpipe.
Other actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint are a little more difficult in that they take more effort. Driving efficiently for example reduces fuel consumption, as well as wear and tear on your car. This means however that you should drive within a maximum speed of around 50mph and as anyone who has been stuck behind a slow vehicle in the middle lane of the motorway knows, this is easier said than done.
When it comes time to replace household appliances you can make energy saving decisions by buying appliances with the blue ‘energy saving recommended’ logo. These are certified as energy efficient and will use less fuel than other appliances, meaning there’ll be a saving on your energy bills as well as helping to lower your carbon footprint.
As consumers we can all make a big difference by the choices we make. For example we can try to buy products without lots of plastic packaging and use purchases more than once. This will save us all money in the long run as well as being good for the environment. Improved home insulation is a small investment that has a big long-term effect too. If everyone made these choices the world would be a cleaner, greener place.
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