Your carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) you release into the atmosphere through your day-to-day activities over a given period (World English Dictionary). Why should you care?

Scientists predict serious potential danger for our planet if the imbalance of carbon dioxide production versus neutralisation is not corrected soon.

Be part of the solution

Try using these simple, constructive ways to reduce your carbon shoe size, and save yourself hundreds of rand in the process.

    • Buy organically, locally grown food; it’s likely to have been cultivated in an eco-friendly way and didn’t have to travel far. Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than the boxed or plastic-wrapped variety, and use reusable cloth tote-style bags.
    • Ditch bottled water; it has a huge carbon footprint. Not all plastic water bottles are recycled, making the footprint even bigger.
    • Replace incandescent light bulbs with the fluorescent variety to save a vast amount of CO2 from the atmosphere; they use about 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last much longer. Compared to normal bulbs, the fluorescents are more expensive, but they will eventually pay for themselves due to lower energy costs.
    • Switch off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Many electrical items, such as laptops, microwaves, televisions, and cell phone chargers draw a trickle of electricity even when turned off. Use a power strip for groups of electronic items; one flick of the switch and everything is off.
    • Choose indigenous plants for your garden and plant them in organic soil; it’s made using eco-friendly methods and uses less resources. Green plants are also a good way to counterbalance CO2.
    • Compost your food and garden waste to reduce the amount of rubbish that you send to landfills, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
    • Take a direct flight whenever possible; your impact is reduced when you take one flight as opposed to hopping onto a couple of passenger jets to reach your final destination. You might also feel less harried when you arrive.
    • Save water. Only water your garden when needed and in the coolest part of the day. Close the tap while shaving or brushing your teeth. Repair all toilet and tap leaks immediately (a leaky toilet can waste 758 liters of water per day). Do your laundry in cold water.
    • Bundle errands together to reduce how far and how often you travel, and inflate your car’s tyres properly. For an extra “carbon freebie,” try carpooling and running errands with a friend.
    • Reducing, reusing and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing and disposal.

 

Sources:

 

http://clinton4.nara.gov
www.eco-wisdom.com
www.epa.gov/climatechange
www.sustainability.publicradio.org