Carbon FOOTPRINT? Yuppp footprint. Like the actual footprint footprint. Just like how you go to the beach and leave footprints in the sand, but this time it’s not your feet. It’s carbon. Your carbon footprint.

Carbon footprint is simply the amount of greenhouse gases you emit for every activity. Everything for whatever thing you do is calculated.

But what’s really the point of calculating?

Does climate change ring a bell??? You should know by now that greenhouse gases are contributing to climate change.
We’re directing and indirectly pumping more of these gases into the atmosphere from our activities and in order to tackle the current climate crisis, we need to reduce our emissions.

Knowing your individual carbon footprint is one way to go about it. Knowing this will serve as a guide for you and will help you in reducing.

How do I calculate?

Calculating individual footprint manually really takes a lot. So many things need to be considered which makes the calculation part seem difficult in some cases. You don’t need to go through all that stress when you can simply calculate online.

How?

Thanks to organizations like WWF, the UN, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you can calculate your carbon footprint online. All you need to do is provide the required information like how often you drive or fly, how many miles you travel, or your usual diet and calculate away.

Now, the result from this calculation may not be correct. This is because a standard value is used in calculating but in the real sense, the emission varies based on the different sources like the type of car, different grocery stores you go to and so on. With this, the calculation maybe slightly higher or lower.

But then, what other option do we have?

The calculator may not give 100%, but at least we have something to work with. It gives us an idea of how much carbon we emit daily. The 99.9% is still a pass.

How can I lower my carbon footprint?

So, now you know how to calculate your carbon footprint, let’s get to the reducing part. The 27 tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint are grouped into 7 sections.

Transportation:

Transportation contributes a lot. This sector is a major climate change driver as it releases lots of greenhouse gases due to combustion of fossil fuels. Here are some useful tips.
– Going out? Drop the car. Drive less. Carpool. Use public transport. Walk if you can.
– Reduce your travel rate and drop the private jet.
– You can use one ride to kill two or more tasks to reduce your emission, rather than going twice or thrice.

Food:

Agriculture is another major climate change driver. Greenhouse gases from methane to carbon dioxide are released in large concentrations from agriculture. Here’s how you can reduce your carbon footprint with your diet.
– Reducing the amount of meat and animal products you consume is one way to go about this.
– Reduce your food waste. Get and prepare only what you need. Planning your meals ahead will help.
– Compost your organic waste because if they end up in landfills, methane is released from their decomposition. You’ll only be adding more fuel to the fire.
– Growing your own food is another way. This will cut down emission from transportation and other agricultural processes required to grow food crops.
– If you can’t grow your own food, support your local farmers rather than buying highly processed food which is just wrapped with more greenhouse gases. Buying locally also reduces emission from transportation.
– Buy in bulk. This will prevent you from going to the store each time you need to get something, cutting down emission from transportation. Remember, one ride to kill two or more tasks. When you do this, store them in your reusable container.

Energy:

It’s in the simple things.
– Turning off your lights when you’re out or not using them.
– Turning off your electrical appliances.
– Unplugging your charger.
– Switching to renewable energy sources is another way. Install solar panels on your roof.

Individual Behaviours:

The little things matter here too. Whatever thing you want to do, you need to THINK! It’s you REDUCING, REFUSING and REUSING.
– You don’t need that thing? Don’t buy it.
– You can improvise? Improvise and don’t get a new one.
– You can still use the old version? Don’t buy a new one! Use what you have.
– You can recycle? Then do that. Don’t buy a new one.
– Drop the plastic. Use reusable bags when going to the store.

Water:

Water is so precious and important. Lots of energy is required to supply, treat and use water, so conserving water is really important.
– Turn off the tap when you’re not using it. Don’t leave it running.
– Take shorter showers.
– Avoid unnecessary toilet flushing.
– Reduce food waste because it takes a lot of water to produce our food.

Fashion:

Fast fashion is now on the rise. From water pollution to greenhouse gas emissions, the fashion industry is really doing its best to cause more damage to the environment and contribute to climate change. Here are some tips.
– Before you buy any clothing, ask yourself if you really need it and if you can do without it.
– Consider the fabric or material type.
– Thrift.
– DIY. Turn your old clothes to new stuff. Revamp!

Carbon Offsetting:

Buying carbon offsets is another way. This should be done together with other practices, because that’s the only way it’ll work properly. Read more about carbon offsetting here.

Reducing your carbon footprint won’t just happen overnight. It’s not some magic stuff. You go one step at a time. Every little change matters and will go a long way, even if it’s just by you reducing your meat intake.

Remember, Climate Emergency.

Take action NOW!