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Posts Tagged ‘Carbon Footprint’

Following on from our previous post “Carbon Footprint – What is is and how to calculate it” we now discuss how you can reduce your own carbon footprint in 10 easy steps.

Everyone is talking about reducing their carbon footprint, but what exactly are greenhouse gasses ad how can you help reduce them and what impact do they have on the environment.

Humans add significantly to the level of naturally occurring greenhouse gases:

• Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by the burning of solid waste, wood and wood products, and fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal).
• Nitrous oxide emissions occur during various agricultural and industrial processes, and when solid waste or fossil fuels are burned.
• Methane is emitted when organic waste decomposes, whether in landfills or in connection with livestock farming. Methane emissions also occur during the production and transport of fossil fuels.

Below are 10 simple steps everyone can take to help reduce human impact on the environment without putting in much effort.

1- TRANSPORT – think about your journeys, we all have a need for transport which relies upon petrol/diesel but how may of these journeys are actually required. If it’s just a short trip think about walking or using a bike. This not only will help reduce harmful gas from you vehicle but will help you keep healthy. If for example you make 10 journeys a month which could easily be done by walking you will not only cut your carbon footprint but save money on fuel and costs as well as exercise while enjoying being outside and seeing things you would usually let pass you by.

2- RUBBISH – think about not only recycling but the actual products you buy. Are the products you but actually required or are they more impulse purchases, by reducing the amount of products you buy you reduce the waste you create and save money in the process. If more people shopping in supermarkets for example stopped buying over packaged goods and instead bought them from independent retailers the amount of waste created would be significantly reduced. For example meat. In a supermarket meat us usually purchased on a polystyrene plate wrapped in plastic with a cardboard wrapper showing a picture of the contents? As well as descriptions. If the same product was bought from an independent butcher t is usually placed into an individual plastic bag with far less packaging (also the meat tends to be a lot fresher and often cheaper). It is the over packaging of most products which produces the most waste.

3- INTERNET – most people have the internet, it’s a fact but how can it be used in a more environmentally friendly way you ask. Well as most people are aware Google is the most popular search engine available, but did you know that they operate a service called Google Black? Try the service its Google but with a black background, this saves energy because the computer screen uses less electricity to show the colour black as it does to show white. Not only does Google black save energy but it shows how much energy has been saved by its users. Follow this link and bookmark it as your homepage to help save energy http://www.blackle.com/

4- ELECTRICITY – as you are aware electricity is made by power stations either coal, gas or nuclear. This need for electricity is the biggest cause of climate change, the easy option is to use less energy. Turn off any appliances not in use and never leave anything on standby. This not only saves energy reducing your electricity bills therefore saving you money but also helps to reduce your carbon footprint. Try to get your electricity from a renewable source many power companies will sell you renewable energy as a tariff of your bills just ring your current provider and ask for details.

5- RECYCLE – try to use some of the items you would usually throw in the bin for a different purpose. Instead of throwing away old items of clothing cut it into pieces and use it for washing windows, cleaning the floor or car, etc. There are many charity shops which will make use of old items or advertise them in the local papers as buyer collects even if you get rid for free it saves them going to landfill where it can take hundreds of years for it to bio degrade.

6- GROW YOUR OWN VEG – this may not seem like a carbon footprint reduction but think about the vegetables you buy. They are grown on farms go through machinery and get packaged, they are then driven sometimes hundreds of miles between the farm, storage, retail outlets and finally back you your home for use. If you grow your own it’s a simple matter of walking out the back door into the garden and picking fresh tasty vegetables without the transportation and therefore reducing environmental impacts from numerous angles. Not only is it better but it’s cheaper as well.

7- HEATING – when your at home or have go to see friends and family have you ever noticed how in cold weather people put the heating on then open a window “for some fresh air”. As most people radiators are near windows you are basically paying you heating bills for the heat to go directly out the window so it serves no purpose what so ever. Try to have the heating on and close the windows this ensures the heat is kept within the house and therefore save money and energy.

8- PICK UP LITTER – if you are walking around or have nothing better to do, try litter picking. This not only ensures waste and rubbish can be recycled properly but makes the environment look nicer for others.

9- AT WORK – everyone takes things seriously at home but tend to relax there beliefs at work. Do you really need to print that email, when possible use double sided printing. Instead of driving to meetings try using the phone its cheaper and easier for those non essential meetings and discussions. The workplace is full of energy saving concepts and as well all know in a recession saving money is crucial to all businesses.

10- OTHER PEOPLE – talk to people, this is probable the most important carbon reduction you could make. Many people have good ideas and concepts which can be taken on by other people. Sharing of ideas and beliefs is what is going to reduce mankind’s carbon emitions the most. The green movement is spreading because people are talking and sharing ideas and concepts, the more people you talk to regarding carbon reductions and how they can be made the more people will act on this information.

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint without spending money or making massive changes to your lifestyle these above points will help. Not only does it cost nothing to do but it actually makes you financially better off. If people want to comment and leave more ideas by commenting on this story please feel free to do so the more ideas that get listed the more choice is on offer to people therefore the more carbon reduction we will see.

Carbon Footprint Advert

Carbon Footprint (CF) – also known as Carbon Profile – is the overall amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (e.g. methane, laughing gas, etc.) associated with a product.  The carbon footprint of a product includes its entire life-cycle from creation right through to end-of-life recovery and disposal. Causes of these emissions are, for example, electricity production in power plants, heating with fossil fuels, transport operations and other industrial and agricultural processes.

The carbon footprint is quantified using indicators such as the Global Warming Potential (GWP). As defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a GWP is an indicator that reflects the relative effect of a greenhouse gas in terms of climate change considering a fixed time period, such as 100 years (GWP100). The GWPs for different emissions can then be added together to give one single indicator that expresses the overall contribution to climate change of these emissions.

How can I measure my own carbon footprint?

There are some really good online calculators that can take the hard work out of what can be a complex calculation.

WWF Carbon FootPrint Calculator WWF Carbon Footprint Calculator This simple calculator calculates your families footprint by asking you 4-8 questions in four categories; food, travel, home, and stuff.  After answering the multiple choice questions the calculator then presents you with your carbon footprint in planets.  The idea being that if everyone on earth lived like you, this is how many earth-like plants we’d need to sustain us. The forums and hints & tips pages give useful information of how you can reduce your footprint

Act on CO2 Carbon Footprint Calculator Act on CO2 Carbon Footprint Calculator This is the official Carbon Footprint Calculator from the UK Governments ‘Act on CO2‘ campaign. The calculator is split in to several categories -Individual or Household Heating & Lighting, The first set of questions allows you to calculate the footprint of an individual or a UK Household.  It focuses on your CO2 contribution for your heating and lighting.  The results pages tells you how much CO2 (in tonnes) you contribute. The second set of questions calculates the CO2 contribution of your electrical items and tells you approximately how much CO2 is emitted (tonnes per year). The third, and final,  set of questions asks about your travel regime.  At the end it gives you your total CO2 contribution as well as a useful CO2 planner to help reduce your impact on the environment.

Google’s UK Carbon Footprint Project Google UK Carbon Footprint Project Use the Google Carbon Footprint calculator to measure your carbon footprint and find out what practical steps you can take to make it smaller. On a personalised page, you can track your progress, update your carbon-reducing actions and see a Google Map featuring the footprints and actions of everyone taking part. To share ideas, ask advice or find people in your local area to collaborate with, join the UK Carbon Footprint discussion group.

Carbonica Carbonica Carbon Footprint Calculator Carbonica’s Carbon Footprint Calculator provides several calculators for both individual and business calculations. The great thing about Carbonica is that they not only give you great information about how to reduce your carbon footprint but you can buy trees to offset your carbon footprint.  Offsetting one tonne of CO2 costs just £2.99, and for that one tree is planted in the rainforest which is about 10% of your annual carbon footprint.  You can even purchase 1 tonne offset packs which is great for households or businesses with larger footprints.  They offer a 25% discount when you buy 10 packs.

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy Carbon Footprint Calculator Use The Nature Conservancy’s carbon footprint calculator to measure your impact on our climate. Their carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases your choices create each year. The calculator walks you through a set of simple questions in subjects  such as home energy, driving & flying, food & diet, and recycling & diet.  At the calculator provides you with some pie charts showing and comparing your carbon footprint against the U.S. average. Like many of the tools listed here they also provide some useful hints, tips, and ways to reduce your footprint.

Carbon Footprint www.carbonfootprint.com Calculator www.carbonfootprint.com provides calculators for both home and businesses.  After entering details about the home/business, travel, food, and recycling it provides your CO2 footprint in tonnes per year.  The results page compares you against the rest of your country and against the rest of the world so you can see how good, or bad, you fair. Other areas of the site offer helpful suggestions for reducing or offsetting your carbon footprint.

There are many more Carbon Footprint Calculators out there.  If you find a good one let us know.