In the face of the recent National Climate Assessment report on the threats of climate change, the Trump administration continues to try to roll back environmental policies. Individuals, however, can make a difference by reducing their personal greenhouse gas emissions. While there are many ways to do this and save energy—such as insulating your home, putting up solar panels, and planting trees—the following are the simplest and easiest changes you can make. They require little effort or financial investment.
First calculate your carbon footprint
Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases—including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases and others—that you produce as you live your life. The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project determined that in order to hold the global temperature rise to 2˚C or less, everyone on earth will need to average an annual carbon footprint of 1.87 tons by 2050. Currently, the average U.S. per capita carbon footprint is 18.3 tons. By comparison, China’s per capita carbon emissions are 8.2 tons. We all have a ways to go to get to 1.87 tons.
Calculate your carbon footprint at carbonfootprint.com to find out how you’re doing. The EPA’s carbon footprint calculator can show how much carbon and money you will save by taking some of these steps.
Here are some of the easiest ways you can start to shrink your carbon footprint.
Food
1. Eat low on the food chain. This means eating mostly fruits, veggies, grains, and beans. Livestock—meat and dairy—is responsible for 14.5 percent of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from feed production and processing and the methane (25 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over 100 years) that beef and sheep belch out. Every day that you forgo meat and dairy, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 8 pounds—that’s 2,920 pounds a year. You can start by joining Meatless Mondays.
2. Choose organic and local foods that are in season. Transporting food from far away, whether by truck, ship, rail or plane, uses fossil fuels for fuel and for cooling to keep foods in transit from spoiling.
3. Buy foodstuffs in bulk when possible using your own reusable container.
4. Reduce your food waste by planning meals ahead of time, freezing the excess and reusing leftovers.
5. Compost your food waste if possible. (If you live in New York City, you can find a compost drop-off site here.
Clothing
6. Don’t buy fast fashion. Trendy, cheap items that go out of style quickly get dumped in landfills where they produce methane as they decompose. Currently, the average American discards about 80 pounds of clothing each year, 85 percent of which ends up in landfills. In addition, most fast fashion comes from China and Bangladesh, so shipping it to the U.S. requires the use of fossil fuels. Instead, buy quality clothing that will last.
7. Even better, buy vintage or recycled clothing at consignment shops.
8. Wash your clothing in cold water. The enzymes in cold water detergent are designed to clean better in cold water. Doing two loads of laundry weekly in cold water instead of hot or warm water can save up to 500 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Shopping
9. Buy less stuff! And buy used or recycled items whenever possible.
10. Bring your own reusable bag when you shop.
11. Try to avoid items with excess packaging.
12. If you’re in the market for a new computer, opt for a laptop instead of a desktop. Laptops require less energy to charge and operate than desktops.
13. If shopping for appliances, lighting, office equipment or electronics, look for Energy Star products, which are certified to be more energy efficient.
14. Support and buy from companies that are environmentally responsible and sustainable.
Home
15. Do an energy audit of your home. This will show how you use or waste energy and help identify ways to be more energy efficient.
16. Change incandescent light bulbs (which waste 90 percent of their energy as heat) to light emitting diodes (LEDs). Though LEDs cost more, they use a quarter of the energy and last up to 25 times longer. They are also preferable to compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, which emit 80 percent of their energy as heat and contain mercury.
17. Switch lights off when you leave the room and unplug your electronic devices when they are not in use.
18. Turn your water heater down to 120˚F. This can save about 550 pounds of CO2 a year.
19. Installing a low-flow showerhead to reduce hot water use can save 350 pounds of CO2. Taking shorter showers helps, too.
20. Lower your thermostat in winter and raise it in summer. Use less air conditioning in the summer; instead opt for fans, which require less electricity. And check out these other ways to beat the heat without air conditioning.
21. Sign up to get your electricity from clean energy through your local utility or a certified renewable energy provider. Green-e.org can help you find certified green energy providers.
Transportation
Because electricity increasingly comes from natural gas and renewable energy, transportation became the major source of U.S. CO2 emissions in 2017. An average car produces about five tons of CO2 each year (although this varies according to the type of car, its fuel efficiency and how it’s driven). Making changes in how you get around can significantly cut your carbon budget.
22. Drive less. Walk, take public transportation, carpool, rideshare or bike to your destination when possible. This not only reduces CO2 emissions, it also lessens traffic congestion and the idling of engines that accompanies it.
23. If you must drive, avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration. Some studies found that aggressive driving can result in 40 percent more fuel consumption than consistent, calm driving.
24. Take care of your car. Keeping your tires properly inflated can increase your fuel efficiency by three percent; and ensuring that your car is properly maintained can increase it by four percent. Remove any extra weight from the car.
25. When doing errands, try to combine them to reduce your driving.
26. Use traffic apps like Waze to help avoid getting stuck in traffic jams.
27. On longer trips, turn on the cruise control, which can save gas.
28. Use less air conditioning while you drive, even when the weather is hot.
29. If you’re shopping for a new car, consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle. But do factor in the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the car as well as its operation. Some electric vehicles are initially responsible for more emissions than internal combustion engine vehicles because of manufacturing impacts; but they make up for it after three years. This app rates cars based on their mileage, fuel type and emissions from both the production of the car and, if they are EVs, from generating the electricity to run them.
Air travel
30. If you fly for work or pleasure, air travel is probably responsible for the largest part of your carbon footprint. Avoid flying if possible; on shorter trips, driving may emit fewer greenhouse gases.
32. Fly nonstop since landings and takeoffs use more fuel and produce more emissions.
33. Go economy class. Business class is responsible for almost three times as many emissions as economy because in economy, the flight’s carbon emissions are shared among more passengers; first class can result in nine times more carbon emissions than economy.
34. If you can’t avoid flying, offset the carbon emissions of your travel.
Carbon offsets
A carbon offset is an amount of money you can pay for a project that reduces greenhouse gases somewhere else. If you offset one ton of carbon, the offset will help capture or destroy one ton of greenhouse gases that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere. Offsets also promote sustainable development and increase the use of renewable energy.
This calculator estimates the carbon emissions of your flight and the amount of money needed to offset them. For example, flying economy roundtrip from New York to Los Angeles produces 1.5 tons of CO2; it costs $43 to offset this carbon.
You can purchase carbon offsets to compensate for any or all of your other carbon emissions as well.
The money you pay goes towards climate protection projects. Various organizations sponsor these projects. For example, Myclimate funds the purchase of energy efficient cookstoves in Rwanda, installing solar power in the Dominican Republic, and replacing old heating systems with energy efficient heat pumps in Switzerland. Cotap sustainably plants trees in India, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Nicaragua to absorb CO2; you can sign up for monthly offsets here. Terrapass funds U.S. projects utilizing animal waste from farms, installing wind power, and capturing landfill gas to generate electricity. It also offers a monthly subscription for offsets.
Get politically active
35. Finally—and perhaps most importantly since the most effective solutions to climate change require governmental action—vote! Become politically active and let your representatives know you want them to take action to phase out fossil fuels use and decarbonize the country as fast as possible.
thank you for this information, I do my share but could improve. As the richest people on earth use more carbon their should pay carbon tax.
Thank you for the information
yes.
this is a very good article. whoever wrote this needs to be credited for actually giving ideas and not just telling us that we need to change the future lol.
Where is # 31?
very useful for kids and adults
Thanks for sharing with us about ways reduce carbon footprint.
Travelers have a range of effective options to offset the carbon emissions of air travel and contribute to a greener planet. One approach is to support certified carbon offset projects that focus on renewable energy, reforestation, or sustainable agriculture. By financially backing these initiatives, travelers can counterbalance the environmental impact of their flights. Another strategy is to invest in airline programs that allow passengers to purchase carbon credits directly during the booking process, with funds directed towards environmental projects. Additionally, travelers can minimize their carbon footprint by opting for direct flights, which generally have lower emissions compared to connecting flights. Taking advantage of energy-efficient travel accessories, like reusable water bottles and solar-powered chargers, can also contribute to reducing the overall ecological impact of their journey. By combining these approaches, travelers can make a tangible and positive difference in the fight against climate change while continuing to explore the world.
Just looked through multiple organizations that list things we can do to lower our carbon footprint. Not one of them, including you will dare to include family size. Nothing else compares to having less children. You should add it despite being a bit of 3rd rail for some people. Nothing will reduce our personal and world-wide carbon footprint more than only having one or two kids….or none or adopt. Governments should pick a date in the not too distant future when child tax credits are limited to only two kids. There are too many people on this planet. If we do not reduce the human population, mother nature will.
I think everyone should go vegan
I disagree, go vegan
The most effective way to slow climate change is education. You only have to read some of the comments here to see this. “Eat meat so that you don’t have to clear land for vegetables.” “Have more children so that there are more people to advocate for carbon footprint reduction.” “Use off-peak electricity rather than peak.” “Dry leaves and press them in books so that their carbon doesn’t return to the air.”
The Holy Gail of business is to “Track anything you really want to improve”. This concept is also true for CO2 reduction. In an effort to reduce my CO2 footprint, I have developed a spreadsheet for tracking almost all personal energy consumption and comparing it to last year. Each of the last 4 years, my consumption has dropped at least 4%, largely due to the reinforcement of my daily conduct by this tracking system provides.
The spreadsheet tracks: Electrical, Gasoline, Natural Gas, Electric Car and Air Travel with an optional weather adjustment. It take about 10 minutes a month to input data from your utility bills and credit cards into the Excel spreadsheet.
If anyone wants to try it, send me an email at lance.gockel@gmail.com. It is free, as part of this retired engineers effort to slow down global warming. You will receive no junk email.
I do agree with you Kalpna, the richest people use an average of 1000x times more (the richer the more they use), since they have mansions (requires a lot more power), boats, private aeroplanes etc
thank you for this information, I do my share but could improve. As the richest people on earth use more carbon their should pay carbon tax.
Eventually if you think it through;The only way to stop this madness is to cause an event that puts human-kind back in the stone age. = true C zero
Ex(nuclear war, volcano, asteroid-hit, peacefully = mass sterilization)
Our modern economy especially in USA unlike old cultures built for 1000 year ago peasant medieval life, Is built to consume oil and life is impossible without machines and energy for them.
Questions 1: Is there a way to draw large amounts of clean water and return it to rivers pure again?
2: Can all economic tasks be done during sunlight hours and let night time be for resting and socializing with people again?
3: Can we grow enough NATURAL nutritious food for everyone and distribute it before it spoils?
4: Can we build biodegradable homes for all with no chemicals in them?
-Yes native Americans called them Teepees.
I have yet to read a book where someone tackles this gorilla in the room, the whole technology to save us isn’t fast enough and sorry the Venus terraforming idea will never work. I wish it would believe me.
Perhaps we will not be able to reproduce again but if we don’t act ALL life goes extinct.
The science is yeast cells in a petri dish, they consume everything and all die at once.
The reason humanity is sinking so rapidly is greed in all shapes and forms. Our atmosphere and ecosystems are dumping grounds for the sake of profit/greed. I’m of the logic that we should each and everyone face the truth and pay a carbon tax on everything we do that creates the problems. If we buy cheap Chinese junk that we don’t need it should be taxed like a luxury. If we want to take an exotic vacation that uses a lot of carbon then we should be taxed more for doing it frequently. We are all part of the problem we all need to be made more aware by ponying up and being responsible. Yes there should be a child bearing tax because some of us multiply with no concern about educating and teaching them to not be a burden on others and that’s a huge part of the problem just like eating carbon intensive meats is part of the problem.
I disagree with the meat one. Meat is essential for a healthy lifestyle, protein is a need for life. I will not be going vegan and telling people to do so is bigotry.
Vegan chicken has best chicken substitutes. There are so many <a href=https://veganoforo.com/switch-to-a-healthy-and-nutritious-diet-with-veg-chicken/>benefits of veg chicken</a> Like health, as it can assist in many ways.In addition, it protects you from many infections.Those who consume meat always suffer from one thing or another, and their health is always at risk.However, around the world, people are beginning to change their diet.
Do you have any idea for primary kids?
Simple and applicable suggestions – Fantastic article, thank you
? What do all our congressmen and Senators drive??
? What do all our congressmen and Senators drive??
I think some of yall are all missing the point of the article.
Everyone must go vegan.
You can’t say everyone “Must” go vegan. It is healthy to eat meat and other stuff, not everyone can be vegan it can make people sick if they were raised eating meat. Same with vegetables if someone who was raised eating vegetables then meat may make them sick. All though neither meat or vegetable community is wrong. Though I find it rude for you to say “Everyone must go vegan” I do support you for being vegan 🙂
Every aspect of everyone’s life needs to change.
okay.
#savetheworld
Yes save the world please our world needs help! *^*
Love this article!
I’m in the midst of reading the article right now. SO GLAD TO HAVE FOUND U!!! I only recently heard on NPR that residential homes emit more carbon than I ever knew about and am madly trying to learn of all of the ways that we can contribute for the good of the climate. Am very excited to hear this news. Thank you all so much for being there and for the work that you all are doing!
Finally an article that actually lays out what each of us can do. The problem seems so overwhelming.
Great information. Thanks.
Hey Patric, I just think that your forgetting that we use a large areas to grow crops to then feed live stock, much more then it would take to feed the human population. Also cows produce methane.
To say myself, I think this will help our planet during COVID and to increase the population of endangered creatures.
I agree with all these things, but the 8.7 tons per capita is misleading for china as china has ~1.3 billion people inside their nation while America only has ~350 million, If you don’t know per capita is basically per person. So while china may have a lower per capita they have 3 times more people. if china had the same amount of people as the united states it would equate to ~32.3 tons per capita, giving them a much higher per capita than the U.S.
I am beginning my journey to reduce my carbon footpring
no one Ever Looks at a Shark and Tells Him That he is Destroying the Environment By Eating Other Fish. So Why do People Look At Meat Eaters and Say we Destroy The Environment?
If there were 8 billion sharks there would be no fish.
i think everyone should start to be more observant and have more respect for the things and people that put this world into shape. I also think pollution is one of the main problems and some people can fix that but chose not too and it has damaged our world.
Al gore has done really well with this ‘carbon offset’ business. He went from being worth $2 mil to hundreds of millions. His house in Nashville uses huge amounts of energy.
oh shoot guys this is a major problem.
we have to…..
CHANGE
it’s so nice people care about this subject, soon all we’re gonna here about is this.
Animal feed is now being used that produces less methane in cows.
Btw, if you get breast cancer, the first thing you are told is do NOT eat soy. Many products include soy; oils labeled ‘vegetable oil’ are often 100% soy.
Also, not kidding: we tried plant based ‘fake meat’ and we had indigestion and gas for days.
Let’s go with Gore’s plan – less people. Not sure how he plans to achieve that.
Live healthfully. Healthy living & preventative care saves lots of resources.
This means cultivating a healthy body. Keeping a healthy mind
The healthcare system is full of high consumption (huge industry sector, single use everything, high energy resources.). I’m grateful resources exist but it’s best to consciously live the best you can in hopes of needing it as little as possible.
Don’t buy toys that require batteries.
but what if I want to
Don’t go to or support: car races, hot air balloons, boats with motors, joy flights, cruise ships, jet skis etc.
growing your own food and owning a few chickens is a really good way to help I think. Usually eggs from commercial farms are mass produced and are less quality.
thank you for helpimg me on a assinment i am going to make the world a better place
Stop shopping at Trader Joe’s. Most of their packaged goods are made in Turkey, China, Vietnam, Bulgaria, etc. Orange carrot juice made in Turkey in glass bottles shipped to your local TJ’s and sold for 2.99 is a carbon disaster. TJ’s is mostly frozen dinners, highly packaged and processed foods, many with artificial flavoring and colors, high sodium and sugar and non-local produce wrapped individually in plastic and stryofoam. Walmart has better governance and transparency. Avoid Trader Joe’s at all costs.
If u become vegan u will have a lower carbon footprint
Agree…. but we also have to stop burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and cement production. If we can do this, only then carbon footprint can be reduced.
No, I love my burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and pork.
Thanks for sharing! Avoiding flying is hard. But the pandemic has had a huge impact on air travel and we are seeing more and more of our clients (honeymooners) take road trips. Hopefully this has helped reduce their carbon footprint.
I disagree with the suggestion to buy a laptop over a desktop, a laptop has a much lower life cycle and is not easily upgradable. If you got a desktop instead, while you might use more electricity, it is better due to avoiding more computer parts being thrown away. Desktops being upgradeable means you can swap parts that need to be upgraded instead of buying a whole new system everytime it becomes unusable. For example a monitor does not become unusable at the same rate as a CPU, but by getting a laptop you end up getting a new monitor everytime you get a new system despite the older one being perfectly fine.
Good Information on carbon footprints reduction.
Actually everybody is nowadays aware that how to reduce the carbon footprints, but the question is? are we really honest in following the same?
Lets commit that we will do atleast our part and if everyone will do his part… than the mother earth will be green and healthy!
This is a helpful article and thank you. I am curious, at the institutional level, what are top tier schools like Columbia doing to demonstrate their commitment to going green? Limiting staff air travel, requiring alternating in office and WFH staff schedules, etc. These institutions are leading the charge in thought, which is incredibly important, but are they also implementing these ideas more broadly?
Hi Kella, thanks for your interest! You can read an overview of Columbia’s sustainability initiatives here: https://sustainable.columbia.edu/
Thank you so much i needed this ◕‿◕
I do my part and after reading this article, I feel my husband and I definitely exceed these points. We hardly go out, so therefore we are not driving, we shower twice a week, we wash clothes on cold, (we don’t have that many loads because we don’t go out so therefore it’s basically pjs and underwear we are washing, we haven’t travelled in 18 years, we hardly eat meat, (we don’t eat much as it is), we do not buy clothing and use the clothes we have whether they are worn out or not, where we live, (Hudson Valley, no one cares what you look like), so therefore we are not getting rid of 80 tons of clothes a year. We sit in the dark at night, we hardly watch tv, we don’t use our computers. I’m 53 and he’s 69. We basically stopped living. However, what are your thoughts on pellet stoves to heat the home? We live in a trailer.
what does getting politically active have to do with my carbon footprint ?
Going politically active doesn’t necessarily lower your carbon footprint, it can force the entire country’s carbon footprint down, and as a result, yours. For example, if you voted for a law to shut down a coal powered power plant and replace it with a solar or wind farm, you would be cutting down on an entire organization’s carbon footprint, and not just your own.
Just came upon this site in search of ways I can reduce my own carbon footprint and found some good ideas that I will try to implement. I have found that corporations, in their search of profits, tend to move their manufacturing off shore to jurisdictions where there are little or no environmental rules and then import these products back to western countries. I believe that we need a Carbon Footprint Tax on goods imported from polluting countries and that this tax be dedicated solely to reducing national carbon footprints eg. Converting coal fired generating plants to gas etc. Not sure how feasible this concept would be but it would be a way to entice polluting countries to clean up their own environmental practices. As we are having our federal elections this month in Canada I will be visiting each candidate in my riding to suggest this idea.
I am wondering about point 12. Do you have any more information about why a laptop should be more efficient than a desktop. I thought its just the same parts put together in a different housing.
Desktops are plugged in so can use whatever power they like and function well.
Laptops need to be portable so the longer the battery life, the better. Therefore, a laptop needs to be more eco to increase their sales as people buy laptops with longer battery life.
But you also need to put in mind the performance. If loading a video on a laptop takes 2 hours to upload on a desktop it might take only 45min. Desktops have an amazing performance. Also on a desktop, you can put it in performance mode where the ratios are equwielent.
Laptop components are designed and fabricated to use less power.