Our daily habits have turned so energy-consuming that if we were to make just tiny changes in every aspect of our lives, it would greatly benefit the overall reduction of CO2 in our atmosphere. You can start “thinking green” anywhere, whether it be recycling, renovation or travelling. By thinking green, we’re not only lowering the amount of CO2 emissions but also our expenses and our karma.
A carbon footprint is considered to be the total amount of greenhouse gases that a person or company produces by direct or indirect acts. Within this footprint you could count the amount of crude oil (petroleum) that you use during your lifetime. Now, you might think “I rarely drive my car” or even better “I don’t even have a car!” but petrol – or fuel – is only a small part of this geological formation that you use in your daily life.
how are we emitting CO2 in our daily life?
All the plastic in the world is made from petroleum. Everything. Your phone, your tablet and laptop, plastic bags, pens, cleaning supply containers, plastic bottles, your TV and appliances, toys, even clothes nowadays, and unfortunately – most of the food packaging. Paraffin candles are especially dangerous as we constantly breathe in the toxic fumes that separate from burning.
You know what else is a fun toxin? Acetylsalicylic acid (that’s a mouthful), commonly known as Aspirin. This little devil hides in painkillers and synthetic vitamins. I’m looking at you, B12…
You can also find petrochemicals in most make-up and hygienic products, and it doesn’t end there. It’s frightening to know that these are also added to food. Yay! Petrochemicals are present in canned goods, plastic-wrapped foods and food colouring. And all of this is still a small part of the amount of oil drilling that a single person is responsible for.
But let’s talk about greenhouse gases. They’ve been getting a bad rep, mainly because initially, greenhouse gases are good gases. They help catch and hold sunlight thus making life on Earth possible. The problem lies in the circulation. Humanity is emitting more gases than the natural processes can convert. Carbon dioxide emission follows almost our every activity. We can’t reduce breathing but there is a plethora of areas we can make a difference in.
the prognosis
In 2007, the IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released a worst-case scenario by predicting that by the year 2100 the average air temperature would have risen by 2.4-6.4 degrees Celsius (4.3° to 11.5°F). By 2012 though, we’d already progressed further, leaving them to predict a 3.5-7.4°C (6.3°-13.3°F) rise for 2100.
Water temperature had already risen by more than one degree. As a result we’ve lost more than half of our coral reefs, including one of the world wonders – the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian east coast. The worst-case scenario predictions for the rise in sea levels were put at 58 cm but only two years later they found that by 2100 it could instead be 73-189 cm. This would mean an almost 2-metre rise from the current sea level that in itself would mean the destruction of hundreds of cities, hundreds of thousands of deaths, destroyed ecosystems and overall a global apocalypse. 2012 could happen.
Scientists have said that in order to make a positive turn, a person’s footprint should reduce to 1.5 tonnes per year. Currently, the carbon footprint of an average European is more than 10 tonnes per year, the average North-American’s is 20, and the average African’s is 0.7 tonnes per year. Every single one of us can make a great difference starting with hygiene and ending with local elections.
how to reduce your carbon footprint with your voice and wallet
Did you know that every two minutes the Sun provides the Earth with as much energy as the whole planet uses within one year?
- Support renewable energy like solar panels, hydroelectric power stations and wind parks to influence the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- Support proposals and politicians who are trying to implement these renewable energy systems. And find out how you could make positive changes in your home.
A/C and technology
- Up to half of the energy used in office buildings goes to heat and to cool the rooms. The houses could be painted dark in colder climates as dark surfaces absorb 70-90% of the sun’s energy. It’s also important to insulate your house and prefer a water-heater.
- Heaters with regulators could significally reduce energy bills and the space in front of the heaters should always be clear of furniture so to ensure proper air circulation.
- Buildings without air conditioners already use half the energy than their counterparts.
Technology and electronics take up the other half of the energy usage.
- Take advantage of natural daylight. Place your desk underneath a window to avoid desk lamps.
- Replace your regular bulbs for LED-s and swith to floor lamps instead of spotlights in the evening.
- Unplug chargers if you’re not using them. By doing this, you’re already reducing your CO2 by 10%.
- Don’t put your computer to sleep, turn it off.
- Unplug the telly, radio and other energy-consuming devices. Or if you’re lucky enough to have plugs with switches – flick them!
- Reduce brightness on your TV, computer and phone screens – it’s better for your eyes as well as your wallet.
One research showed that an average American household has 50 devices constantly connected. Even if they’re “turned off”. I have 9: the stove-top, cooker and the rangehood (you could even not have one). The fridge, water-heater, floor lamp, telly and 2 routers. I always unplug the charger (mainly because my cat chews through them like biccies), lamps, kettle, toaster, washer and other devices. I could also unplug the TV and routers but all this is already savig me a pretty penny, not to mention it’s reducing my personal carbon footprint.
e-waste
We produce 40 million tonnes of e-waste every year. This is like throwing out 800 laptops every second.
70% of all toxic waste is made up from devices but only 12.5% of it is recycled. We can help this by using our electronics for as long as possible and at the end of their lives, buy new ones via reuse groups and pages. Refurbished phones and laptops are really hitting the market big-time and the misconception that they’re somehow less than store-bought is a total… well.. misconception.
saving costs with tots?
- Did you know that you could save up to 90% of energy by simply placing a lid on a sauce pan? This goes for cooking any type of food. Every time you open the oven door, 25% of energy is lost.
- One use of the kettle equals turning on 160 light bulbs, while boiling more water than needed equals emitting up to 125 cups of CO2.
- Bottled water costs up to ten thousand times more than tap water and the amount of diesel fuel required to make plastic bottles could fuel 100,000 cars and heat 60,000 homes for one year. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. (Disclaimer – I’m not actually suggesting smoking fuel. You get enough of that from candles. sic!)
- Opt for wine and beer made locally to reduce carbon footprint coming from brewing and transport. Choose organic when possible.
- Pick your own herbs for making tea, or buy the largest bag of loose-leaf tea to lessen the amount of micro-plastics entering your body from commercial tea bags.
around the house
- Instead of using house chemicals packaged in plastic containers or aerosols, use vinegar, citric acid and baking soda. They clean everything and anything. (Find my easy DIY recipes here)
- Choose a bagless hoover and compost the dust.
- Place a bottle filled with water in your toilet’s water tank. This saves you up to 5,000 litres of water per year.
- I know you love long hot showers but does your conscience? Try and do 5 minute showers because every 20 litres of hot water saved, you’re reducing your carbon footprint by 140 kg a year. (I talk more about water here.)
- Hang up your clothes and spray them with water – they’ll be wrinkle-free by the morning.
- 30 is the new 60! Choose a lower wash cycle. This also lowers your yearly carbon emissions by 200 kg.
- By hand-washing your car, you’re saving up to 700 litres of clean drinking water. If they’d collect all the rainwater that drops onto the UK roofs, it would reduce 80% of groundwater use.
- Avoid buying gas-based terrace heaters – they emit as much CO2 in two hours as one car emits in a day.
- An estimated 60% of all household waste is biodegradable but by sending it to landfill and not recycling it, directly produces a further 300 kg of carbon dioxide and 113 kg of methane. If your apartment building doesn’t have a bio bin, get a Bokashi bin. It turns all your organic waste into soil and fertiliser!
- The food with the lowest carbon footprint (and the cheapest) is home-grown. In lack of a garden, you can buy a small greenhouse. In lack of a balcony, turn your windowsill into a small garden bed. Choose more local fruits and veggies to get more nutrients that may otherwise not even reach you via imported produce. Preferring local and in-season produce could lower your carbon footprint by 600-700 kg per year. You’d also be supporting this reduction by buying organic foods.
- By going vegetarian, you’ll be cutting your yearly CO2 emissions in half. Animal agriculture is currently producing more greenhouse gases than all global transportation combined. Considering the consequences of production, the average omnivore consumes the same amount of animal products a day than it takes to make 5 litres of petrol.