Carbon emissions have resulted in degrading our climatic conditions. Climate change is the product of increasing levels of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide emissions. And now it’s high time that we become carbon neutral and try to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible.
Every organization, business, and individual can help in reducing carbon emissions. It is the correct time to protect our environment and make ensure the health of our nature and climate by reducing carbon emissions through carbon footprint reduction. There are several ways of reducing carbon emissions by which you can also save money. Here in this blog, we have listed some of the major ways by which you can reduce carbon emissions.
What Is Carbon Footprint?
The carbon footprint refers to the total emission of greenhouse gases that are being caused indirectly r directly through your activities. And these activities include all the things you eat, purchase, and use. Every business, organization, person, event, and product has a carbon footprint. In simple terms, a carbon footprint is the total sum of all the indirect and direct carbon emissions that you have emitted over the period of one year.
It is said that the smaller your carbon footprint is the better it is for the climate and for the planet in the future. A big carbon footprint means that your activities are releasing excess greenhouse gasses and are causing a very negative impact on the climate. It is very necessary to keep the carbon footprint in control because we are already facing a lot of environmental issues. And if we don’t do it now, it will be very late for us to control the emission of greenhouse gasses.
Ways to reduce carbon emissions that save money
Here are some easy ways using which you can contribute to become carbon neutral and reducing carbon emission:
- Stop buying water in plastic bottles– We all know that plastic pollution is very bad and the threat it poses to the environment. But we end up using single-use plastic very often. According to a report, only 16% of plastics are recycled and the rest of it either gets dumped somewhere or ends up in rivers or oceans. You can at least help the environment by never buying plastic bottled water. Also, you should refrain from using plastic whenever you can.
- Walk or bike to short destinations- Whenever you go for grocery shopping or to a nearby mart, walk instead of using your car. This would be good for your health as well the environment. And it also won’t consume much time if the destination is within a mile. This can be your first step towards carbon neutrality. So the next day whenever you go to someplace nearby, use your legs instead of the car.
- Use LED bulbs- Incandescent bulbs use almost 75% more energy than LED bulbs and they are also not very durable. So just imagine the amount of energy you can save by exchanging all the bulbs in your house for LED. Your house can be the beginning of change, so replace all the bulbs in your house today!
- Use cold water for washing clothes or dishes- Start doing your laundry once a week and that too with cold water. This way you can reduce the emission of your household by almost 70 pounds annually. Heating water might sound like a harmless daily chore, but it is responsible for a huge amount of emissions. So, make the change in your lifestyle and save the planet.
- Use energy-efficient appliances- If you are planning to buy a new appliance for your home, make sure that its energy star certified. And if you can, then please change all the old, inefficient household appliances with efficient ones. You might think that by using the same old appliance for years and years, you are saving money. But Instead, you are losing a lot of money in the long run. Since the old appliances use a lot of energy, so your electricity bills are also huge. Thus, switching to energy-efficient appliances is the smarter option.
- Switch to electric cars- Using electric cars can play a major role if you are trying to save energy. If you are planning to get a car then make sure that you get an electric car. And if you can, then please replace your old one with an electric one. Even if you cannot, for now, start following the other tips to reduce emissions.
- Bring changes in your diet– Try to consume plant-based products and cut on the red meat intake. This can be cheaper, healthier, and even more environmentally friendly. By this, you can cut your long-term medical fees. Try to choose foods that have fewer carbon emissions. For example, beef has almost seven times more emissions than fish and almost 10 times more than chicken. If you try to avoid or consume less meat or if you go meatless then you can help in achieving carbon neutrality.
- Unplug electrical devices when not in use– Appliances like computers, air conditioners, and TVs consume energy even when they are not in use. These devices remain in standby mode and consume little power on their own even when turned off. But collectively it counts for around 10 percent of residential energy use. So, if you are not using a device then simply just don’t turn it off but always unplug it. These small steps make a great difference when seen in a collective way.
Conclusion
Climate change is one of the main problems that we are facing right now. And its impact is increasing day by day for everyone to notice Worldwide. Yes, it is not easy to reverse the change but if we start working on it now collectively then we can make an impact in the long run. Simple actions can also help a lot when everyone works on it collectively.
In this blog, we have listed multiple ways by which you can reduce carbon emissions and also save yourself a lot of money. We hope that you have understood everything about carbon emissions, and carbon footprint and now you are ready to incorporate some of these steps in your daily life for the betterment of your environment.
